Ps the poor man's arthritis

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Ihall74
Ihall74 Member Posts: 2
edited 14. Dec 2015, 05:53 in Chat to our Helpline Team archive
Hi

I'm newly diagnosed with PsA and feel like I have the poor man's arthritis. I'm in absolute agony and my world has been turned upside down. Only 12 months ago I was running around a rugby pitch teaching kids to play to now where I find walking around my house near impossible. I have been reading and researching a lot recently and every article states that with my medication I should be able to lead a normal life exercising working home life etc. I feel like I must be putting it on, I should be fine what am I complaining about. Am I the only person to feel like this or are the articles posted trying to put a positive spin on my illness.

Many thanks

Ihall74

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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Welcome to Arthritis Care Forums Ihall74 from the moderation team

    As mods we are here to help with any problems you may have on the message boards.

    There are lots of lovely people here with a wide range of experiences with arthritis and the problems of living with the condition. Just join in wherever you like you will be made very welcome.

    I look forward to seeing you posting on the boards.

    Best wishes

    Moderator JK
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,710
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi there thall74. I'm not a member of the Helpline team, just an ordinary forum member who has had RA for many years.

    If you have been very active and sporty this will have hit you harder than many. However, although you may find rugby too much, you should be able to get back to a more active life than just walking round the house in severe pain.

    I presume you've seen a rheumatologist. You don't say which meds you're on or for how long you've been taking them. Neither do you say where you're getting your information from. There's a lot of rubbish out there in cyberspace but there are also some good sites such as this one, ARUK and NHS Choices. (As if we have a choice :roll: ) Most of the Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDS) take up to 12 weeks to kick in but not all work for everyone. It's just trial and error. I'm doing OK on methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine. Sometimes a rheumatologist will prescribe a course of steroids until the DMARDS are fully working. These can appear to be little miracle pills for some but don't seem to work much for others.

    I'm afraid it can be a longish waiting game of 'suck it and see'. Don't wait too long though if nothing is happening. You will, presumably, have been given a Rheumatology Helpline number by your hospital. If you've been taking the meds for 12 weeks and are effectively not much better, give them a ring.

    For some people a 'normal life' will be possible but I guess that depends on how you define normal. Phil Mickleson is an abnormally good golfer who has PsA. Rugby might be a step too far.

    As for 'the poor man's arthritis' – I don't think any kind of arthritis is the preserve of the rich though I confess I do sometimes wish I had just the odd joint affected instead of my whole body.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,488
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Ihall74 wrote:
    Hi

    I'm newly diagnosed with PsA and feel like I have the poor man's arthritis. I'm in absolute agony and my world has been turned upside down. Only 12 months ago I was running around a rugby pitch teaching kids to play to now where I find walking around my house near impossible. I have been reading and researching a lot recently and every article states that with my medication I should be able to lead a normal life exercising working home life etc. I feel like I must be putting it on, I should be fine what am I complaining about. Am I the only person to feel like this or are the articles posted trying to put a positive spin on my illness.

    Many thanks

    Ihall74



    Dear Ihall74

    Thank you for your posting on the forum and I must apologise for the delay in replying. I am sorry to hear how much pain you are in and how difficult things are for you. It is not easy to be newly diagnosed with a medical condition and coming to terms with the fact that you have arthritis. I cannot add a great deal more to the reply you have already received from stickywicket. Have you spoken to your rheumatologist about how you are feeling so that they can look at your treatment? Some medications may take a while to start working. There is more information on treatments on the link http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/conditions/psoriatic-arthritis.aspx
    You can also post on the ‘Living with arthritis’ forum on the link http://arthritiscareforum.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=8 to see what other people’s experiences are.
    There is information for those who are newly diagnosed on the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Association (PAPAA) website. They are a charity who provide information about these conditions. You can access this information on http://www.papaa.org/just-diagnosed. I would also like to encourage you to call us here on our freephone helpline where you can speak confidentially to one of our helpline team about your concerns. I hope this is helpful.

    Best Wishes
    Dawn
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