34 awaiting diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis.

kirsty287

Hi,

I’m 34 and have had psoriasis all my life, particularly affecting my skin, scalp and nails. In more recent years I have suffered with inflammation in my joints and most recently in my back, neck and shoulders. This has become almost unbearable at times in the last few months and I have been struggling with daily activities such as dressing myself and driving. I have been re referred to rheumatology after being discharged at the beginning of this year, my gp and a private physio have both confirmed they think I will receive a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis which has been under discussion since 2019. Although I have been aware of this for some time, I have found the recent flare up and imminent diagnosis really difficult. I am looking for some support/guidance from anyone who has been through similar to help me navigate this.

Kirsty

Arciere

H @kirsty287

I’m sorry to read about your situation. Things that helped me initially included the RA Nursing Teams via the Rheumatology Advice Line - your local hospital should have one. Prednisolone oral steroids - these helped to reduce inflammation. The some significant changes to my diet - if you’d like me to explain this further do let me know. Oh and warm baths!

Following that, I have found that biologic medicine to be very effective. I have landed on the fact that I have Spondyloarthritis which is a collective term for inflammatory arthritis types (reactive, psoriatic, etc)

What they tell me is that my medication is used broadly across Spondyloarthritis types. (This may need verification). The medication is called Yulflyma, it’s a biologic medication.

I also think emotional stress can be a trigger, as is dehydration.

hope this helps let me know if you would like info about diet.

kirsty287

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/736247#Comment_736247

Thanks very much that’s really helpful. I’m currently on Celecoxib twice daily which definitely reduces the inflammation but some days doesn’t feel enough, I’ll definitely discuss biologics with my rheumatologist.

I’d be interested to know more about diet as this is something I think I could definitely improve to support symptoms. Also any advice on exercise - I used to swim and run but recently haven’t been able to and I am also gaining weight as a result.

Thanks for your reply!

olivia_b

Hi @kirsty287,

Welcome to the online community. I hope you find it to be a safe space to share any thoughts or issues with us and the members! We are happy to have you here!

I'm sorry to hear you are going through a rough time at the moment! While I personally don't have any experience with psoriasis, I have seen some of our lovely members have already got back to you with their experiences and advice, and as time goes on, this will only increase.

Also, please feel free to look at any other discussions involving psoriasis, as you may find that useful as well.

Best of wishes and please feel free to share anymore issues, queries or thoughts with us and other members on here as we are always happy to listen, Olivia x