Diagnosis Day

I was diagnosed with psoriasis in the third quarter of 2001. When I looked at my face on the mirror then, I noticed a red patch on my forehead. I initially thought that the redness would eventually go away. But as days and weeks went by, I noticed that the red patch became bigger and I knew then that it was something I had to consult with a dermatologist.

Upon arriving at the dermatologist's clinic, the doctor's assistant asked me about my problem. I showed her (the assistant) the red patch on my forehead. She did not hesitate to tell me that it was psoriasis. It was the first time I had heard of that disease.

When I went inside the clinic, the dermatologist took a long time to say categorically that I had a psoriasis indeed. When I told her that her assistant mentioned about the disease, she was a bit hesitant to tell me that I would be living with psoriasis for the rest of my life.

I was clueless about psoriasis the first time I went to the dermatologist. But upon leaving the doctor's clinic, I hurriedly surfed the net to find out more about this disease. With the use of the "psoriasis" as a keyword, I was able to find the website of the National Psoriasis Foundation.

From that moment onwards, I began to understand this commonly misunderstood condition in the Philippines. And it has not been a smooth journey since then.

Here's a video explaining psoriasis:



Photo credit: a.drian (flickr.com)