About Me

I have been living with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) for about 17 years now. When I first started showing symptoms I can remember getting up out of a chair at my parents and having a really hard time to take the first step due to pain in my hip area. This progressed and even though I tried to hide it in fear of what was happening to me, the pain became too intense so I had to see my doctor.  In 1998 I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis after much blood work, x-rays, bone scan and visits with doctors and specialists. There is actually no single test for psoriatic arthritis and this type of arthritis can be similar to other forms of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore the doctor has to rule out other forms and look at all your symptoms before diagnosing you. It is also easier to diagnose someone with psoriatic arthritis if they have psoriasis. At the time of my diagnosis I only had a small amount of dry skin on my elbows. So at the age of 21 I was prescribed Indomethacin and Sulfasalazine and continued to take this for many years. The medication worked fairly well at first and after a few years I felt like I went into remission and was able to cut back on most of my medication.

Psoriatic Arthritis causes inflammation (swelling, pain and warmth) in the joints and this inflammation can cause permanent joint damage quickly when it is not treated and controlled. Once a joint is damaged it cannot be fixed with medication. So within my first 6 months of having arthritis I have suffered permanent joint damage in my right foot due to the fact of the time it took me to be diagnosed and start treatment.

There are many days I wonder why I had to be the person who got arthritis. No one really knows what causes psoriatic arthritis but it is figured that genetics play a big role. If someone in your family has psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, there is a greater chance that you will develop it.............in my family I do not know anyone with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Research also shows that however, having genes that predispose to PsA does not necessarily mean you will develop this disease. Something is always needed to trigger it. There are many “triggers” that can start PsA. Unfortunately, we don’t know what that “trigger” is. It could be a viral infection, trauma or something else in the environment. There may be more than one trigger.

In 2005 I had experienced the worst flare up in my arthritis since I was first diagnosed and shortly after my psoriasis had been out of control. At this time I was started in Methotrexate and continued to take this for about 6 months with little results. If I were to explain to you what taking methotrexate was like, it would be like taking 10 tiny little poisonous pills once a week that resulted in you lying on the couch feeling like you were going to die. In the spring of 2006 I was prescribed Enbrel Injections which is an injection that I am still on today. So each week I inject a biologic drug into my arm or stomach. At the start this drug worked wonders for me and had allowed me to go from having trouble walking to walking well within one week. Although biologic drugs are fairly new and have potential risky side effects, my quality of life was more important to me than worrying about taking the drug. Also with Enbrel I did not feel any side effects so I remained on this drug. Enbrel has not been working for me for the last few years at all. I am maintaining a pain level on most days of about 8 out of 10 with 10 being the highest pain. Even though on most days I may look like I feel good, I sort of mastered this art over the years.

Arthritis is a silent disease marked by pain that cannot be seen. Only the person experiencing the pain and individuals very close to them know how much the person may be going through. People with arthritis often look fine and don’t appear “sick,” making them vulnerable to accusations that they are exaggerating the level of pain. In my life I am extremely fortunate to have a husband that understands the disease and how it affects both of our lives.

Psoriatic Arthritis has been a part of my life for almost half of my life, 17 years I have been fighting with its symptoms both physically and emotionally…..and somehow I choose to not let it win and continue to strive. I always had the ability to continuously push myself to achieve the goals I have set, but this was by no means easy at all. I am very proud of everything that I have accomplished.

For someone living with psoriatic arthritis, no two days are the same. Your joints get inflamed and sore, your muscles and tendons are even affected. Your body is stiff and it is hard to move. It is hard to get out of bed in the morning, it is hard to carry on with your day, it is hard to sit too long, it is hard to stand too long, it is hard to do everyday activities and all the little things in life that we do on an everyday basis becomes much more harder. You really need to push yourself and pace yourself at the same time.

For someone living with psoriasis as well, this adds another whole ball of frustration. Psoriasis is one of the roughest and most maddening things that I had to go through. For some reason I deal with the arthritis a lot better even though it causes me severe pain. Psoriasis causes great pain in people as well both physically and emotionally. At this point in my life, I have severe Psoriasis. This means that it covers around 10 % of my body. I have been very lucky to this point that I have been able to conceal most of it by clothing. Absolutely nothing can relieve the itch of psoriasis…..nothing!

So for the past few years I have been taking non-steroidal anti Inflammatory medication twice daily, Enbrel injections myself once a week, steroids a few times per year, ultraviolet therapy three times a week, naturotherapist visits and using several prescribed creams and natural home remedies and NOTHING HAS BEEN WORKING FOR ME:(

So I have agreed to start a new medication called Remicade....this drug is very scary and I am dreading the thoughts of it for real! But I have to remain positive that this is the best for me at the moment and hopefully I will respond to it very quickly. This medication is not a pain medication but a medication that suppresses your immune system. This medication needs to be administered in the hospital through intravenous every 6-8 weeks and is expected to help with both my arthritis and psoriasis. Each treatment will take about 3-4 hours to get the medication in my body at least starting out. I know that I am going to have a hard time emotionally during the administering of this medication as I worry about the side effects, but i figured this website may help me share my experience.