All Things Irksome: Okay, maybe not all the things that I find exasperating, but some of the ones that are really bugging me right now. This was supposed to be a list of things, but there were too many, and too much I wanted to say that I had to break them down separately.

Rant #1

This first one has been bugging me for a while. Poor Kim Kardashian. She was crying about having Psoriasis. She feels it makes her ugly, and since she makes her living off her looks, this could hurt her financially. If this is all she has in the world to support herself, she has done something wrong. Didn’t she get the “always have something to fall back on” speech from her mother?

                I have lived with Psoriasis for almost 20 years. When I first broke out, I had patches on my arms and face. At first I was devastated, I was working in food service, and they would not let me back on the job until I could prove it wasn’t contagious. The doctor wasn’t sure what it was at first and thought it might have been Lupus because of the pattern on my face—did you know that there are no tests for Lupus, just tests that say you don’t have it (at least that was the way it was when they were looking at me). It actually took me four doctors and about 5 years to get a diagnosis. One would say Psoriasis and the next would say Eczema, and vice versa. At one point it covered 60% of my body. Even now, it is on my hands, arms, feet, legs, and face with a few patches on my torso. It manifests mostly on the joints (knuckles, elbows, and knees), but there are patches on the fleshy parts, too.

                But, I am not “ugly.” Men still find me attractive. I have a wonderful husband that knew about the Psoriasis before we got married (and had seen it at its worst).I walk down the street and have men stop to talk to me. And, I believe that it has to do with my personality. I am happy, open, and outgoing. I smile with my whole face (I have the crows feet to prove it). I laugh out loud, and often. I have hit the late 30s, and 40 is fast approaching, but I still get carded. I am not bitter or overly vain, and I rarely wear make-up. But, people look past the scaly skin and see the me underneath.  My husband says he only notices it when it is really bad, and then it is just to sympathize with how uncomfortable I must be.

                If Kim is so worried about some dry skin (because it seems that she is worried most about the visual side of the disease), her priorities are messed up. And if you solely base your worth on your looks, learn a skill fast, those looks don’t last.