I feel for you on the psoriasis front – I have some allergy and dermatitis issues as a complication of my UC and it is so unpleasant when your skin is itching like mad and you just want to climb out of your own skin. I do a fair bit of work on psoriatic disorders and other autoimmune diseases (RA and AS in particular) and I am aware that there is potentially a common underlying thread, so your suggestion on diet makes complete sense.

But, my diet is already pretty restricted in part through choice and in part due to my gastroenterologist’s recommendation. The choice part is that I’m an ovo-lacto vegetarian and have been for 25 years. When I was first diagnosed with colitis, they did a coeliac test, which was negative so gluten shouldn’t be a problem, although I do find bread and pasta are causing problems at the moment. On my gastro’s recommendation, because I have IBS and IBD, I’ve been on a low-fibre diet for about 7 years. This means I’m not supposed to eat anything brown or wholemeal (bread, rice, pasta, etc), more than two portions of fruit or veg a day, nuts, pulses, crips, cold potatoes, pickles, … basically anything high in fibre. I believe the thought behind this is that the residual fibrous particles irritate the lining of the bowel, particularly the ulcers and lesions when the bowel is actively inflammed. As you can imagine, it’s a pretty difficult diet for a vegetarian, particularly one who is trying to lose the weight she’s gained as a result of taking steroids, and not the healthiest, with lots of high-fat foods as they’re pretty much all that’s left! I often speak with my gastro about my diet, as I’m concerned that I’m not able to get my five fruit and veg a day and that it’s basically a ‘fast food’-style diet, but he says I just have to make the best of it. Although cutting out dairy might be a good move, I do wonder what would be left for me to eat! Let me know how you get on though, I’d be interested to see if your psoriasis benefits in the long term. x

Thanks for your support – it’s very hard at the moment. Four months down the line and, although I have the occasional good day, I am struggling to keep positive.

I’m also fighting to stay on top of work, having taken on plenty thinking I’d have been in remission by now, so the blog and other hobbies, including family history, have been somewhat little neglected. I promise to do a post on my family history as soon as time allows.

As for your symptoms, have you been to see a GP? It can’t hurt, and they might be able to help….