Has psoriatic arthritis affected your life

[Fred]

This months poll asks:  Has psoriatic arthritis affected your life

Members and guests can vote in the poll above, and our members are welcome to post in this thread too if they wish.

*Members usernames will not be shown.

---

For me I first got it aged 30. It started in one thumb and then I got it in my toes, as I got older it got worse and in the end I had to seek help and that is why I'm on the Bio's today as it's the only thing that helps.

I have had it so bad that I was unable to dress myself or bring a cup to my mouth in the end. Luckily the Bio's gave me back my life and today I get the odd moment when it bothers me, but at least I can live an almost normal life.

[Caroline]

While I was first very sportive, I did long distance running, 3x week training, the Psoriatic Arthritis killed all that, which gave me quite a period of mourning. After that a search on what it could be, I had never heard of it, until finally the rheumatologist told me. Followed by the wrong medicine, MTX, and after leaving that with no options, a search for something that could work. The search led me through a number of obscure methods until I bumped into an internist (doctor for internal diseases) who said that he might have something. And yes that worked. I found another sport as the damage in my right foot blocked long distance running. So dancing and spinning replaced. I feel it was a rough change in my life that could have followed quite a different path.
Positive element of Psoriatic Arthritis .... I found psoriasisclub.

[mataribot]

PSA makes my life miserable.

[Bill]

When it was not controlled, yes. Sciatic pain, difficulty walking and sleeping. Scared of eating certain foods lest I break out in a polyarthritis. I still have limited movement of my neck as a result of joint damage. Good control makes all the difference for me.

[KatT]

First time it hit was a major flare, I was 36.....2 weeks on Celebrex and it was gone.

But it came back and got progressively worse over the years.

Simponi helps for about 3 weeks which is good

Haven't gone rollerblading or skating in a while

Bought electric can opener

Hubby walks up the stairs behind me (or in front when I go down) sometimes as I am having trouble....just in case I fall.

[Caroline]

Surely it has quite an effect on all of us.
You have a very caring husband KatT.

Rollerblades/skates... yess, great stuff, I also have skeelers (skates with 5 wheels) but unfortunately I don’t ride them anymore as it hurts too much on my feet.

Unlike you I am not afraid of falling, your Psoriatic Arthritis must be worse than mine.

[D Foster]

Psoriasis started around 30 years old and by 33 I was covered head to toe with most types of psoriasis and ended up in hospital for six weeks. This went on for the next few years with two more hospital six weeks sessions and even though I didn't realize that it was PsA at the time by the time I was around 40 it was getting really bad and effecting my walking . The strange thing was that as the PsA started getting bad my psoriasis came under some kind of control though still bad was liveable without effecting life to the same degree as before. The PsA started to get under some kind of control when I started on MTX , I had taken drugs like Naproxen which caused stomach ulcers which gave a degree of relief at the time. I know that many people don't like MTX but it changed my life a great deal, I was looking after the whole of UK at the time and also traveling on the continent so the fact that I could move better was more than compensation for the side effects. Stelara seven years ago now was the game changer for both the psoriasis and PsA and even though I still have to be careful and still have joint problems it's so much better than ever before.

[Kat]

Had to go with "I'm not sure"

Having problems mostly with my ankles, but also have other arthritis and bone spurs so not totally sure what to give that credit to.