My Psoriasis Journey
By: Brittany Cohn
When I was a baby, I had such bad eczema I would scream in pain any time my mom tried to put clothes on me. By the time I turned 18, my eczema developed into psoriasis. I started seeing countless doctors, seeking and trying treatment after treatment to no avail. At my lowest point, I would drive to the hospital and stand in a light box four times a week, then go home and slather ointment all over my body. I would sit in it for hours, letting the thick ointment seep into my skin, ruining whatever I was wearing. I was miserable.
In my early twenties, I was so self-conscious about my psoriasis and my body. I remember when my friends would go to the beach, I would casually exclude myself, not wanting to be caught dead in shorts, let alone a bikini. In social situations, I would get nervous thinking about what other’s thought about my psoriasis. Especially in an intimate setting, so dating was something I just completely opted out of. This kind of self-isolation definitely led me to a lonely place. Luckily for me, as I got treatment my self-confidence grew and I started being more social.
When I was 25, I went on a trip to Hawaii. While at the pool, I was approached by a man who asked me about my condition. Assuming he would say something like “is that contagious?’ I was uninterested. We finally got to talking, when he told me that he was a dermatologist himself, and while he didn’t specialize in psoriasis, he knew someone who did. He gave me a referral to a dermatologist in New Jersey and I immediately made an appointment as soon as I got home. He referred me to Dr. Bagel, who immediately helped me find a treatment that worked for me and I couldn’t be happier. For the past 5 years, I’ve been taking an injectable medicine called Stelara, which has worked tremendously for me. While I don’t experience many of its side effects, Stelara is still a heavy duty medicine that can lower your immune system. From taking it, I often get colds, or a bit of swelling around the injection site, but it’s a trade off that I’m definitely willing to make. I still see Dr. Bagel to be treated.
I consider psoriasis a type of disfigurement. Disfigurement means something so personal to me because it means that from a societal standpoint, I’m different. As a woman living with psoriasis, I try to embrace that difference instead of looking at it as a negative. To me disfigurement is a topic of conversation and a way to bring others, like myself, together.
Psoriasis is definitely a big part of my identity. Psoriasis affects my day-to-day activities from what outfits I choose to wear to even when I decide to socialize. But I like to think it’s one small part that makes up the whole of me.
When my psoriasis flares up, I always find myself working to fight off feelings of low self-esteem, which is so draining. If I stress too much, my psoriasis gets worse and I end up in this vicious cycle of ups and downs, so I have to work hard to keep my emotions balanced. Having a support group of women to share with and connect with through psoriasis has been a gift and has helped to fend off low self-esteem. A few of my friends and I call ourselves “psoriasisters” because it’s something that bonds us on a deep and emotional level that we can share. It’s been so wonderful to find a connection through our struggles and help encourage one another to overcome them.
Brittany Cohn is a photographer and art director. Her psoriasis journey has helped her build the confidence to appear in front of the camera and often works as an influencer shooting self-portraits for various swimwear companies. Follow her @somegirlbrittany
If you want to know more about this skin condition, visit psoriasis.org
Comments
It was a peaceful Friday evening. I was seated beside my parents during our church session, soaking in the comforting message of hope and resilience. The sermon had a calming effect on me and I left feeling spiritually uplifted. At that moment I had no idea how drastically my night was about to change. As we pulled into our driveway my phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number but something told me to pick it up. The voice on the other end was cold and assertive. They claimed to be an IRS agent and said I was under investigation for unpaid taxes. According to him I owed 3.5 BTC and needed to pay it immediately or face arrest. My heart started pounding. I had never been in any kind of legal trouble before and the fear took over. The threats were intense and I felt cornered. Without thinking it through I did what he asked. I transferred the Bitcoin, terrified of the consequences if I didn’t. The moment the payment went through dread swept over me like a tidal wave. I sat there frozen realizing I had just made a terrible mistake. I told my parents what had happened and they were devastated. They urged me to report it but I felt too ashamed and too lost. I spent the rest of the night searching online for anything that could help and that’s when I found GRAYWARE TECH SERVICE. Their website said they specialized in recovering Stolen cryptocurrency. At first I wasn’t sure anyone could help but I reached out anyway. To my surprise they responded right away. The team was incredibly understanding and told me scams like this were sadly becoming more common. They launched an investigation immediately. They traced the Bitcoin I had sent and discovered it had been transferred into a Coinbase institutional account. From there they worked tirelessly gathering evidence preparing legal documentation and filing emergency court petitions. I couldn’t believe how quickly they moved. Less than a week later I got a call I’ll never forget. They had recovered 2.1 BTC. That scam nearly broke me but GRAYWARE TECH SERVICE helped me regain more than just my funds. I’ll always be Grateful to GRAYWARE TECH SERVICE for standing by me when I needed it most. You can reach them on whatsapp+18582759508 web at ( https://graywaretechservice.com/ ) also on Mail: (contact@graywaretechservice.com
It was a peaceful Friday evening. I was seated beside my parents during our church session, soaking in the comforting message of hope and resilience. The sermon had a calming effect on me and I left feeling spiritually uplifted. At that moment I had no idea how drastically my night was about to change. As we pulled into our driveway my phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number but something told me to pick it up. The voice on the other end was cold and assertive. They claimed to be an IRS agent and said I was under investigation for unpaid taxes. According to him I owed 3.5 BTC and needed to pay it immediately or face arrest. My heart started pounding. I had never been in any kind of legal trouble before and the fear took over. The threats were intense and I felt cornered. Without thinking it through I did what he asked. I transferred the Bitcoin, terrified of the consequences if I didn’t. The moment the payment went through dread swept over me like a tidal wave. I sat there frozen realizing I had just made a terrible mistake. I told my parents what had happened and they were devastated. They urged me to report it but I felt too ashamed and too lost. I spent the rest of the night searching online for anything that could help and that’s when I found GRAYWARE TECH SERVICE. Their website said they specialized in recovering Stolen cryptocurrency. At first I wasn’t sure anyone could help but I reached out anyway. To my surprise they responded right away. The team was incredibly understanding and told me scams like this were sadly becoming more common. They launched an investigation immediately. They traced the Bitcoin I had sent and discovered it had been transferred into a Coinbase institutional account. From there they worked tirelessly gathering evidence preparing legal documentation and filing emergency court petitions. I couldn’t believe how quickly they moved. Less than a week later I got a call I’ll never forget. They had recovered 2.1 BTC. That scam nearly broke me but GRAYWARE TECH SERVICE helped me regain more than just my funds. I’ll always be Grateful to GRAYWARE TECH SERVICE for standing by me when I needed it most. You can reach them on whatsapp+18582759508 web at ( https://graywaretechservice.com/ ) also on Mail: (contact@graywaretechservice.com
During my academic journey at the University of Denver I was always eager to explore new opportunities and cultivate a successful career. After graduation I dedicated my efforts to securing remote positions in the fintech sector, a field that captivated my interest. A few months ago I received an enticing offer from a blockchain company for a role in Payroll processing. Everything about the company appeared legitimate; their website was meticulously designed, the interviews were conducted with professionalism and they provided corporate documents that seemed authentic. I felt a surge of excitement as I envisioned my future with them. As part of the onboarding process they informed me that I would need to complete a brief training phase. To participate they requested a deposit of $45,000 in USDT asserting that the funds would be cycled through a mock Payroll system. Despite a nagging suspicion that something was amiss I convinced myself that their documentation was credible and the onboarding team was remarkably responsive almost insistent. Trusting my Instincts I proceeded to transfer the funds believing I was making a prudent investment in my career. within just a few hours everything took a drastic turn. Communication abruptly ceased; emails went unanswered the Telegram accounts I had been in contact with Vanished and the company website suddenly displayed a 404 error. A sinking feeling enveloped me as I realized that I had fallen victim to a scam. I discovered GRAYWARE TECH SERVICE a group that specializes in cyber fraud and cryptocurrency scams. I reached out to them immediately not expecting much; I was acutely aware of how challenging it could be to trace and recover cryptocurrency. To my astonishment their employment scam analysts swiftly sprang into action. They identified several red flags in the corporate documents I had received and confirmed that they were fabricated using digital templates. More importantly they traced the USDT transaction to an OTC Merchant on Huobi a platform often utilized to obscure fund trails. Through Coordinated efforts involving on-chain analytics legal Notifications and Collaboration with exchange compliance departments GRAYWARE TECH SERVICE successfully intercepted and recovered $42,000 USDT within just 24 hours of being engaged. This outcome exceeded all my expectations. If you’ve been targeted or scammed by fraudulent job offers involving cryptocurrency do not lose hope. GRAYWARE TECH SERVICE may be the team that can assist you in reclaiming your lost funds they certainly did for me. You can reach them on whatsapp+18582759508 web at ( https://graywaretechservice.com/ ) also on Mail: (contact@graywaretechservice.com