Pustules

[kmfitzpatrick1]

I have been reading the message board for about a week now and can find no one that references problems with pustules. I have p on the inside of my feet (heels)and I constantly have pustules that break out. If I don't open them to drain they become very painful and surrounded with red inflamed areas. It seems like they will start going away and the skin will start to heal and all of a sudden there is another outbreak. I have fingernail problems also. My nails are all loose and I have arthritis in the upper finger joints that is extremely painful. It feels like raw nerves at times. Sometimes the pustules break out around the nails too. Does anyone else have this problem? Have you found anything that works. I sure would love to hear from someone.

[lett]

Hi,

I have Pustular Psorasis on the side of my foot. They get large bust go away..I have good days and bad days. My dermatologist gave me two ointments to use Diprolene AF which is a white creamy ointment that I use twice a day. This seems to help. Another ointment Ultravate ointment. I don't use this one as often. Maybe your dermatologist can figure out which one is best for you. Hang in there

[Angef]

I too have pustular psoriasis. It is very hard to treat according to my derm. I had it on my feet and hands. I also lanced the blisters to keep them from being so sore. I took Soriatane for 8 months and it cleared mine completely. Temovate worked great on drying up the blisters, but it also dried my skin more. Soaking in vinegar helps the soreness also. Hope this helped.
Ange

[rosee_posey]

Hello KMFitzpatrick,

If you look it up here on the website, you've got PPP (Palmar-pustular Psoriasis).

While I do not have PPP, I have had bouts of GPP (Generalized Pustular Psoriasis) and I have some suggestions.

1. Go to your dermy and ask if systemic treatments are right for you. I'd be surprised if doc gives you a topical solution and sends you on your way. In any case, I don't think the topicals will alleviate the joint pain. You would have to treat that separately with some NSAIDS (pain relievers, like Tylenol, Advil, etc.)

2. Despite it's small area of coverage, PPP can be debilitating b/c of the area it's located on (if you can't use your hands or walk, it makes life difficult, don't it?)

3. My opinion - I would ask your dermy if Methotrexate would be a good option for you. It would help both your painful joints as well as the lesions.

4. If MTX is not an option, I would ask the derm about UVA/UVB treatments specially for hands and feet. Again - you'd have to treat the pain separately.

In my experience, the Pustules did go away when I started MTX - but the lesions continued on. It wasn't till we threw some other meds into the mix that I went into remission.

Hope this helps,
- rose

[kmfitzpatrick1]

Thanks for the responses. At least I do not feel alone anymore. It seems like this is similar to the never ending story. So far I have used gentamicin, tazorac, cormax, tazorac, and diprilene (cream & gel). Some things appear to work for a day or two and I even had my feet cleared up at one time (with diprolene) and then something triggers it to come back with a vengeance. I have recently been swabbing with vinegar which does seem to help the soreness and dry out the sore spots a little. Then we start again. I am now taking meth (for 2 1/2 months so far) and I am up to 25 mg. a week. The meth seems to be improving the fingernails but the arthritis in the joints is getting worse. My dermy is really trying and has now put me on a waiting list for Enebril. The discouraging part of this is that no one is ever over it. How long does remission last if one is lucky enough to reach that point? I have been laid off of work and it seems like that stress really aggravated the situation for a while. Now I am getting ready to go back to work but I am afraid of losing insurance and of having such pain in my fingers that I can not use the computer, etc. During the lay off if my fingers were so painful that I could not use them it was not a big deal. When I get back to work that will be a different story.
One day at a time I guess. Anyway, thanks for listening and all the response.

[rhop]

Hi - Bless your heart - you're going through what so many of us have. You sound like you have a good dermy - but I would suggest asking for a referral to a rheumatologist also. They can work together to figure out the best plan. Remissions are so individualized that there is no way to ever predict when, for how long, for whom, or even if. You definitely need to be on some sort of anti-inflammatory drugs for the pain. There are many NSAIDS: ibuprofen, naproxyn (Aleve), Voltaren, Relefen, etc. They MUST be taken with food, or can cause serious GI problems. Then there are the new generation COX-2 Inhibitor NSAIDS: Vioxx and Celebrex. They were developed to cut down on those GI problems that plague some people (I've never had any trouble in that area, though, with the older ones, even on heavy doses). But even those newer ones can cause some people problems, so it is just better to take them with food also.

There is one other suggestion that I have - there is a warm wax machine available which is used by physical therapists, but is also available to the public in dept. stores, I think. It is advertised for softening and manicures, but the p.t.'s use it to increase mobility and reduce pain and stiffness in joints in the hands. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. Rosemary

[kmfitzpatrick1]

Hi Rosemary,
Thanks for the response. At Christmas time when I saw those warm wax machines advertised I laughed about them. My attitude was what "gimic" will they come up with next. Now that sounds like a great idea. At first the pain was excruciating if there was any heat around my hands. Now I have noticed that when I fold warm clothes from the dryer it feels good on my aching finger joints. The wax machine may be a nice idea. I'll have to check it out. I hope to get back to work soon so that I can afford some of these things. (-:

[dwoods2]

Hi, I have severe pustular psoriasis, I have it all over, it is so miserable and painful, it also causes me fevers.

Darlene