PsA newbie (sort of!)

chartilian

Hi everyone!

So after the best part of 20 years of various musculoskeletal issues and other (what I thought were unrelated) bits and pieces including unrelenting fatigue, along with a recent diagnosis of osteopenia following a foot fracture with no preceding injury, I have finally been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at the grand age of 32! Right now it's at its worst in left foot/ankle and right knee & hip, I'm very fortunate that my hands seem to be pretty much unscathed despite very bad psoriasis with nail involvement as a child - as a medical secretary by profession, typing was at one point taking up 30+ hours of my working week so have got off lightly from that side of it. Saying that, my touch typing days have been over for a little while now which might not be such a bad thing. This is all in conjunction with severe hypermobility which is verging on hEDS but not quite as haven't had any frank dislocations as an adult.

I'm not gonna lie, I don't think it's quite registered 100% yet and it will probably hit me when I least expect it, but for now I'm just living in hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Will be going back to see my Rheumatologist in a week or so to start treatment, either in the form of hydroxychloroquine or methotrexate (complicated by bipolar disorder which my psych tells me can be impacted by hydroxy, still awaiting feedback on methotrexate) so hopefully there will be something out there that a) works and b) doesn't tip me over the edge!

Ellen

Hi @chartilian

Welcome to the Online Community. You do have a lot going on there! I hope that starting treatment for your new diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA), will make a difference for you.

I don't know whether you have already read this:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/psoriatic-arthritis/

I see also from your post that you are a little concerned about any medication impacting on your bipolar disorder. Not 100% on topic, but you also mention your new diagnosis doesn't seem to have hit you yet so maybe a quick read of this might be helpful?

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2021/august/how-to-adapt-when-you-ve-been-diagnosed-with-arthritis/

There are quite a few members here who have Psoriatic Arthritis and many more who take the medications you are likely to be prescribed so you are in very good company. Now that you've said hello to us maybe you'd like to have a look around the rest of the forum and join in some of the existing threads. Living with Arthritis is a very popular category.

Good luck for your next Rheumatology appointment I hope you'll let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

Ellen.