From the Brink - A Tale of Syrup and Showers and Psoriasis. Sort of.

I was sick all of last week. Like I didn't get out of bed for days except for when I thought it was absolutely necessary. Like to eat soup. And go to the doctor. [He declared sinus infection and bronchitis w/ a bit of rattle in my right lung - I opted out of the X-ray to officially confirm pneumonia.] While most of that time was spent sleeping, or in a weird state of delirium for the four days I was on steroids, I still had plenty of time to think.

I'll start with some confessions.

1. I like cheap syrup. Like Log Cabin. Or Mrs. Butterworth's. And when I'm in Oklahoma, Griffin's. I've tried the "good" stuff, you know, pure maple. But every time I put it in my mouth, I wish I was eating thick artificial maple flavored corn syrup.

2. I still commit one grievous sin against the environment. I take the longest showers known to man. Everyday.

Every. Single. Day.

I just exaggerated a bit. And the exaggeration is that I take a shower every day.

3. I don't always take a shower every day. I shower most days, but Every. Single. Day. is a lie. I'm sorry.

Back to 2. Every. Single. Day. could still be quite relevant because of the length of the showers when I do take them. They are long. And they get progressively hotter the longer they last. For as much as I am conscious of my environmental impact in so many other ways, I just cannot reach up to turn the water off. Here's the deal: I do my best thinking in the shower. I always have. Someday, when I come up with the solution for world peace, that idea will have come to me in the shower. I just need you to know that I am aware of it [my showering habit]. And I am doing nothing about it. To my credit [maybe], I only ever watered my lawn twice. You know, when I had a lawn.

Now that you know more about my diet, environmental sins, and hygiene, I feel like I can move on to "Firsts."

1. Today, for the very first time in my whole life, I bought foundation. The makeup kind. I feel like it was a right of passage. An almost 30-year-old American woman owns foundation that her mother-in-law (who sells Mary Kay) did not give her. I haven't worn any foundation since I was in college. [Yes, I was married and in college at the same time. For 3.5 years of it.] Why now? Why was today the day to take the plunge? I have psoriasis.

On my face.

It started as a little dry patch, like a flake, in August of 2013. It would flare a little and shrink again. Over and over and over
and over
and over
and over
again.

And then after moving to L.A., "the" psoriasis has remained in a constant state of flare. While in Oklahoma, I briefly used a steroid cream to try and combat it, but it didn't do much. And long-term steroid use on skin is no bueno. So when it started constantly flaring, I knew I didn't want to go the steroid route. I started researching and came across the book Healing Psoriasis by John O. A. Pagano. He was a chiropractor who spent a great deal of his time treating patients with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. The book and his treatment plan had rave reviews, so I thought it couldn't hurt. The main part of the treatment plan is to cut out all nightshade vegetables. Do you know what nightshades are?

Nightshades are all of my favorite vegetables. Namely (though not exhaustive), tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. My favorite food is chips and salsa. This is a huge sacrifice. BUT! I know that it's working. I cut out nightshades somewhere around Christmas, not fully because of the holidays and all of the good food I couldn't resist. Still, I saw improvement. Then I totally floundered for about a week in January. We went to San Diego and had all kinds of Mexican food. Then I went to Oklahoma and had potatoes and tomatoes. The psoriasis totally flared. By flare I mean it blisters. I fall into the "Pustular" Psoriasis category. Don't google it. Everything you'll see is way worse than what my face looks like.

So in all actuality, I have really mild psoriasis. It just happens to be on my face. And while laying in bed last week, I decided I was just tired of seeing it everyday.

Every. Single. Day. [I wish this was the part where I was exaggerating.]

Now I have the option to cover it up if I choose. Obviously the main goal is to be rid of it, but until it is gone... Meh. You know how there are just some things you don't want to deal with? This is where I add the obligatory photos.



I took these two photos right this very second. (I've already washed my face and brushed my teeth because I thought I was going to bed, but I decided to blog instead. Luckies.) The psoriasis is especially flare-y right now. But certainly not as bad as it's ever been (it's not always so red). I wish I had a really good way to describe how much it has contracted since cutting out nightshades. (I credit the dark circles around my eyes with just having been sick and coughing all night long. You're welcome.) I'm just going to go ahead and toot my own horn that the rest of my skin looks pretty awesome. I give those points to rose hip oil, which I started using as part of my "Crush Psoriasis" routine.

This is the photo I sent to Jake earlier today after I got hooked up with some foundation. "Look, Jake! No psoriasis. Sort of."

I think I've written enough "firsts" tonight. I hope you'll be on the edge of your seat until I decide to reveal more from my random canon.

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