Kim Kardashian Opens Up About Her Struggle With Psoriasis - 'The Pain Was So Unbearable'

Source: Instagram

During a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian went to the doctor because she was experiencing unbearable pain in her hands, and she underwent blood tests that hinted she might have rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. It turns out that that tests gave a false positive for those conditions, but the KKW Beauty founder did receive a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis, and she is hoping to help others facing the same situation.

In a lengthy post on her sister Kourtney’s Poosh lifestyle website, Kim shared her journey with the autoimmune conditions psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The mom-of-four shared the things that have worked for her, and she also shared how she has changed her life since receiving her diagnosis.

Kim explained that her mom, Kris Jenner, also suffers from psoriasis, but even though Jenner talked about her struggle with the condition while Kim was growing up, she had no idea what her life would be like after she suffered her first flare-up 13 years ago. The KUWK star explained that the things that work for her mom don’t work for her.

A common cold triggered her first psoriasis flare-up at the age of 25, and Kim says that it was all over her stomach and legs. After receiving a shot of cortisone, it went away for about five years. But, in her early thirties, the condition came back with a vengeance.

During both of her pregnancies, the psoriasis fully went away, but earlier this year it got “extremely bad” and covered her whole face and the majority of her body. Kim said she woke up in the middle of the night and her hands were in so much pain that she couldn’t pick up her phone. She went back to sleep thinking maybe she slept weird on her hands, but the next morning things got worse.

“I woke up that morning and I still couldn’t pick up my phone. I was freaking out—I couldn’t even pick up a toothbrush, my hands hurt so badly. I had worked out the day before and we did an arm day, so I thought maybe one of the exercises strained my hand,” wrote Kim. “It didn’t cross my mind that it could be anything serious. As the day went on, I got a bit more movement in my hands, but they really hurt from the inside—I felt it in my bones. Everyone assumed it was just my workout, but I knew this felt different.”

Kim went to the doctor for those blood tests, and she says she felt lost and started to cry when she tested positive for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. However, her doctor said it could be a false positive, and she went back three days later.

She says it was the longest three days of her life, but after more tests, the doctor discovered that she actually had psoriatic arthritis, which stems from her psoriasis.

“I had psoriatic arthritis. It’s similar to arthritis that can stem from psoriasis and it can come and go. It’s still painful and scary, but I was happy to have a diagnosis. No matter what autoimmune condition I had, I was going to get through it, and they are all manageable with proper care,” explained Kim.

After doing a ton of research, she tried doing natural things – like ointments, creams, and serums. She tried herbal tea that tasted like tar and drank celery juice for eight weeks. She also switched to a vegan diet, and she still follows that to this day.

Kim says she has become extremely comfortable with her psoriasis, and she told her fans that if they are suffering from the same condition, they can’t let it ruin their life. She says that anyone with autoimmune disease should feel confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

New episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians air Sunday nights on E!.