To wonder if/why SIL takes this medication....(could be long)

[BabylonElf]

MIL told me and DH today that SIL has been taking methotrexate chemotherapy tablets for her psoriasis for about 7 years and this is why her immune system is fucked.

SIL is well known for being a total drama queen at the best of times, and if she has contact with one of DCs who has a little sniffle, then SIL will almost definitely contract full blown pneumonia and need to go to hospital, and be signed off work for at least 4 weeks. She works in a shop, and MIL is adamant that she is far too ill to be at work at all.

Every illness going, SIL develops, only with more/worse symptoms than anyone else.

For quite some time now, DH and I have been a bit about how ill she actually is, and find it all a bit unbelievable tbh.

I googled the methotrexate and Wikipedia told me that one of the most common side effects of it is very dry skin and a sore rash - which sounds a bit like psoriasis to me

It also may be relevant to point out here that until recently she worked in a school where she would have come into contact with lots of sick children.

I'm asking here as I know how much traffic goes through here, it's not really an AIBU, more looking for clarification I think......

There's a big back history with SIL, so I can't ask her directly.......

So what do you think??

Hkat, don't worry!!! :)

Drunk posting, I'm very envious!!!

Beyondstuffed, I'm in exactly the same position as you. Anti-inflamms are not doing the job. Scalp psoriasis leaving everywhere festooned with a festive sprinkling of skin. It's the utter pits.

Bogey, the OP has said how she is hospitalized and gets things worse. Do you really think she could hide the truth from her husband and mother, especially as they would be in hospital with her supporting/visiting her?

The SIL may be known for being a drama queen, but she couldn't lie about having this condition, and the medication she is on for it.

Dont be naive! People have faked having CANCER ffs, or even their children having cancer, so yes it is perfectly possible to fake this condition. It is possible to fake many chronic conditions if you know enough about it which people with munchausens type disorders make it their business to find out. I think you have just taken the OPs post personally without actually considering the alternatives. Just because she made a mistake not realising how serious a condition it is, doesnt mean that her SIL isnt making it up!

Yes. It is entirely possible she is making everything up.

However, if she isn't, now the OP understands how serious this condition and medication can be and how she can be of support to the SIL.

Bogeyface, psoriasis is very distinctive, difficult to fake. I have this and it is horrible.

Difficult, not impossible. And if I had understand the condition correctly, it can manifest itself in any area, so the SIL could claim that it is on her back, legs, arms etc and wearing clothing that would cover those areas.

I am just trying to say that people who are so troubled that they will fake illness will go to almost any lengths.

Further to what Bogeyface said at 00.36, at no point in her posts does Babylon say that she or her DP have seen evidence of any skin problems in her SIL. The first she knew of her SIL's condition was when MIL told them about it on Friday. In those circumstances one cannot dismiss out of hand a faked illness.

Sorry to hijack, but could any of you offer some support to this poster? link

Yes Bogey, I suppose you're right. I was assuming that the SIL would of had a partner who would know, or the MIL would of gone along to the hospital on one of her admissions but if no one as actually saw any proof, given the SILs history, I can understand why someone would doubt if it was true.

But surely if she's on meds her skin will look marvellous! That's the point of them - currently mine looks clear, if you sat by me in the pub today to look at me you would never know I even had psoriasis at all!

I can only talk from my own experiences - mine has been horrendous for the past 23 years (and I'm only 34!) In that time I've been hospitalized (cause that's what they did in the 90's), had every cream, lotion and potion under the sun. my skin has had uvb and uva (until it gave me a malignant melanoma) and then they started on the drugs. And usually you have to fight to get refered in the first place - as a teenager my mum camped out on the health authority doorstep to get me admitted to hospital initially.

I don't disbelieve your sil op but the only thing that might raise an eyebrow with me is the length of time she has been on metho. And I only say that because my consultant gets very uncomfortable with his patients on one drug for any length of time - last December he changed my meds (that were working perfectly fine) to a different set of drugs (that didn't work) because I'd taken them for 3 years. And mainly because different drugs come on the market and ultimately they cant be certain what the very long term effects are on immunosuppresants.

For me I weigh those risks vs my quality of life now and I take that risk. I am now on a study that will follow me forever to see what happens to me. Maybe different options might work for your sil if the methatrexate is causing distress - I had terrible rebound reactions coming off metho which is why I switched initially.

YABU. A simple Google search of 'Methotrexate and psoriasis' should have been enough to satisfy your seemingly uncaring and suspicious attitude. Or perhaps you could have asked you SIL and showed some concern that she needs such a powerful drug (albeit monitored closely by consultants carefully) in order to try and live a life of sorts?

My nephew has Methotrexate as part of his treatment for leukemia. Well had, not that he has it now. His consultants had to stop the treatment as after developing neuro-toxicity when he received it via a lumbar puncture (which oddly enough the antidote was an OTC cough mixture!), the drug then went on to cause renal failure and has sadly had to be withdrawn from his treatment plan, as rather than cure him, it was potentially going to kill him.

I guess I'm trying to highlight that although the drug is used for cancer, it is also used in smaller doses for other conditions and is not a drug that is dished out willy nilly.

What has any medication that your SIL takes got anything to do with you? You are just looking for ammunition? YABU

I apologise for not acknowledging you'd been enlightened and educated by the posts on the thread, serves me right for skim reading after a poor day's sleep after night shifts

Thanks SarahWarahWoo that helps

Babylon, ignore those who haven't bothered to read the thread and who don't have the good grace of someone like FlyingFig to come back and apologise once they have done so.

You have conducted yourself honourably here.

Why don't you have a chat with your sil? Would she be ok that you now know? say how can I help? Is there anything I can do? say sorry you didn't understand that there is a problem as you were in the dark as to this illness.

Is there any precautions that you can take. It could be that she was too embarrassed to mention hygiene. The type of hygiene that would look OCD in a normal situation but not for someone with an autoimmune problem. Like asking people to cancel even if they just have a slight cold or using hand sanitizer. Whatever makes her feel that people are taking her seriously?