Help please 🙏 started with septic arthritis then ReA and last week diagnosed with PsA !

Tezes

Hello 👋 Diagnosed two days ago - I’ll condense my journey to this point. Any words of wisdom will be gratefully received 😊

Up to 6 years ago I had been relatively healthy only having a couple of gynae ops, monthly migraine and the odd broken bone. Firstly I developed Dystonia with Tremor then in Feb last year after months of low back ache an MRI showed a multitude of probs in my lumber spine including facet joint arthritis, spondylolisthesis, disc bulges with nerve impingement etc. On Xmas day last year I fell in my garden which triggered a flare in my lumber, by the end of January a swollen, stiff and hot L knee which by Feb had developed into Septic Arthritis. Admitted to hospital, had an op to wash out the knee, IV antibiotics then 2 weeks later developed Reactive Arthritis in my R knee, shoulders and R index finger. In hospital 7 weeks, discharged on Prednisolone & Etoricoxib which reduced the swellings, temperature and inflammatory markers. Since discharge I have been seeing the rheumatologist trying to reduce the steroid which I’d got down to 10 mg but had increased pain & recently started having flares again with more joints getting involved. My CRPis still high & have neutrophilia & have genetic markers for PsA so my Rheumatologist changed my diagnosis on Thursday to psoriatic arthritis and I’m due to start on methotrexate 20mg on Tuesday then folic acid with blood tests every two weeks.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, right now I have swelling and pain in both ankles, both knees, R shoulder & R index finger. Just been transferred from the physio that was dealing with my lumber spine to a rheumatology physio. 

I’m on Clonazepam & Propanolol for the Dystonia

Tramadol & Paracetamol for Lumber Spine 

Prednisolone & Etoricoxib for the arthritis

* Anyone on here with a similar disease progression ? Any advice re methotrexate or PsA in general

Thank you for reading my story ❤️

noddingtonpete

Hello @Tezes I understand that you have arthritis in both ankles, knees right shoulder and right finger and that you are looking for advice on Psoriatic Arthritis and Methotrexate. Can I suggest that you have a look at our website which contains a lot of information on arthritis, treatments and hints and tips. To help I've put a couple of links in below which might be of use.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2022/may/all-about-psoriatic-arthritis/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/methotrexate/

Please do keep posting and I am sure that others will connect with you to share their thoughts and experiences as well.

With very best wishes

Peter (moderator)

stickywicket

I'm not surprised you're feeling overwhelmed. You have an awful lot going on there. The good bit is that you're under the care of a rheumatologist and meds are being started. I hope the methotrexate will help you as it's been helping me for years. Mine is RA but the meds are the same. Unfortunately they can take up to three months to work properly but hang on in there. Things will improve.

Tezes

Thank you - do you take it with food ? What time of day ? fingers crossed I don’t get any bad side effects.

many thanks x

Ellen

Good Morning @Tezes

What a time you have had.

You ask if anyone else has had a similar progression to yourself. To be honest yes they have not the same, but that initial time when they suspect it to be Reactive Arthritis (they queried that with me too, but not for long).

This is a recent thread still ongoing by @JessicaLizzie who started out with the ReA diagnosis and you'll see hers is now Adult Onset Stills disease.

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/58433/new-to-reactive-arthritis

As Stickywicket has said the treatment it very often the same. Do keep posting while you start your treatment with Methotrexate (MTX) there is so much experience here to support you.

Best wishes

Ellen.

stickywicket

I had a dodgy tum long before methotrexate so I take all meds with food. I take mine at breakfast but those who get side-effects prefer before bed.