Professor Patrick Lavery

‘In terms of wellbeing, it’s like a virtuous cycle’

Professor Patrick Lavery, 75, Retired Chairman of Northgate and Prudhoe NHS Trust,

Northumberland, with his late wife, Alma 

‘I developed psoriasis eight years ago during the last months of my wife, Alma's, life.

‘She had been suffering from multiple sclerosis for a long time and towards the end she contracted pneumonia, her second bout, and it was like an emotional rollercoaster for three months – my three sons and I would be told she wouldn’t last the day, then she would recover, then fall ill again.

‘I was with her one day and she was livelier and talking about coming out of hospital. I went home feeling much happier but then I got a call at 2am to say she had died. She was 68.

‘I think the stress and the grief brought on the psoriasis. At first, it appeared as a patch on my stomach but then it spread to my scalp, then my elbow, then both of my shins. It can be very depressing because every time it appears in a new place you ask yourself: ‘Where will it stop?’

‘My GP prescribed several creams and treatments, including one containing steroids, but nothing seemed to work. I began to reconcile myself to the idea that it would be with me for the rest of my life. Like grief, it never goes away but you get used to it.

‘Then I read about Soratinex while on holiday and decided to try it. I’ve been using it twice a day for a couple of months. In several places my psoriasis has almost completely gone, in others it has reduced by about 70 per cent and it is gradually improving all the time. It is being a little stubborn on my scalp, but even the persistent patch on my stomach is going away.

‘It has done much to improve my mood and I tend to feel much better about myself. Then I see more improvement and feel better still. In terms of wellbeing, it is like a virtuous cycle.’