New to PA | Arthritis Information

 

I was diganosed with Psoriatic Arthritis 3 weeks ago and I am currently taking Methotrexate and also Folic Acid.This whole experience has been so strange since it began on 7-15-08.I had to have a routine T.A.Hysterectomy and I had it done on 7-15-08 and I was given Levaquin(antibiotic) thru IV and was sent home 3 days later with a scrip for more Levaquin.3 weeks later to the day I was in extreme pain in my lower mid section and was snet to the ER by my OBGYN and I had a abscess next to my bowel and that was removed.I was given Levaquin again thru IV and right away it started to make me sick to my stomach.I was sent home again with more Levaquin and the more I took the sicker I was so I called the DR and was told I had to keep taking it.This is when I noticed my right ankle was swelled on the outside but it did not hurt at all.I finially got to go back to work after Labor day and the more I walked and was on my ankle the worse the pain got.I went to my Primary care dr. and told him about my ankle and my blood pressure was sky high and I was wheezing really bad so he sent me back to the ER and I was admitted again and for 6 days straight I was give Levaquin thru IV and the more I got the worse I got and I felt like I was dying.I lost 26lbs in 7 days.I kept telling them the Levaquin was making me sick but no one listened to me and the wheezing did not stop either.After 7 days I got to go home and 3 days later I could not walk at all,all of the tendons were so sore in both legs and my whole body hurt so bad.I was put on complete bed rest for 3 weeks because they didnt want the tendons to repture.I was told I had a bad reaction from the Levaquin but my ankle kept getting more painful so I was sent to a rhuemotoligist and now I have Psoriatic Arthritis.I also have a Lung DR. now that I have to see every month because the wheezing still is a problem.Today both hips are so sore and my right ankle is totally trashed and my left ankle is swelling now also.Where does this end and what will I be left with???

Some days are so challanging for me but I am back at work now but I have slowed down so much and when I am off work all I want to do is sleep.I am looking and hoping to hear from others who have went thru this and if you have any advise I would sure love to hear it.oh by the way I am only 44.

hi sparkytam  I too have PA and have been diagnosed this year. I am on mTX injectable and folic acid also. It can be overwhelming at first especially since you went in for a Hyster. and came out worse than when you went in. Everyone is different. Once the drugs kick in the pain will get better.  Start writing down questions for your rheumatologist . Keep a daily diary so you know from day to day what is happening. Surf the net and find out about PA there is alot of info out there. Work can be tough. Talk to your doc about reduced hours for awhile .Anything that can make your life a little easier.   keep posting  here or in the RA forum as there is always someone online there/. There is a wealth of info here. good luck

I know how it feels. it took them 6+ months to diagnose me. and the methotrexate doesnt help completely. Im only 28. Its really tough.

 

posted this elsewhere but hope it helps

Hi we are all different but heres my Arthritic experience which might relate to you.

About a year ago returning from a climbing holiday in majorca, in which i had an small accident ( may or may not be related ) I developed an sore joint in my foot, thought it might be a fracture, it was not a fracture but inflamation, i then developed inflamation in many joints, ( ankle knee spine shoulder hand ) blinkin sore and i felt as if i had aged 30 years in three weeks.

blood tests and a rheumatology visit later and i was told arthropathy related to psoriasis. Psoriasis which i had had in the minorist of forms had also flared.

I had been an active climber cyclist runner, i coud no longer do a push up, was close to crawling to the bathroom each morning, getting progressively worse and wondered if i would be unable to walk, any period of inactivity left me stiff ceasedup and painful to start moving.

I thought thats why old people move like that, cause there in bl00dy agony. I enviously looked at old folk who could glide along. I was very low. Stopping work was not an option - self employed 45.

I, probaly like you, went to the internet to find out about the condition and most forums contained mainly two types of people. Newly diagnosed and chronic sufferers. It wasnt good reading.

I have since been put on Methotrexate ( taken once a week ) and it has reduced my discomfort to something i am aware of in certain joints but doesnt hinder me in anyway, I would say I am fitter than ever due to pushing it when i do get the chance to excercise as I have seen what its like when its taken from you. I have been on full mountain days ( 4 hour walkin, 6 hours climbing, 4 hours out ) and its not the arthritis that limits me.

It has taken about 9 months, i hope it will continue, i have had no side effects, you need to get a fair amount of bloods taken at the start, and I think I have had a bit of a lesson in what i have taken for granted.

I post this not to say its okay, sure theres plenty to worry about, but I forced myself to stick this on here   , because i remember the despair when i first looked for an answer, but as i got better it is easy to forget that you actually have a condition, and your thoughts go away from message boards about the condition it very slowly fades into the background. I thnk there will be a large number of people who have posted initially then almost forgotten about it as time goes on and there condition betters. They may not come back to tell you, and i think the newly diagnosed might get some hope from this.

For the people that continue to look for relief I wish them all the best and hope they find something that suits them.

But i hope that the silent majority, for whom there arthritis if not cured has been managed, can give the newly diagnosed some hope.

All the best





Hi cranberry that's quite the story and I am so happy for you that you have been able to return to a normal life. Myself won't be so lucky as I have 3 kinds of arthritis but I do feel much better on the MTX  and folic acid. I am able to exercise  hard about 1 hour a day now  As for walking  a long walk , a dream in a couple of years and a couple of surgeries.  I am glad you posted this news because it gives hope  of a remission to a lot of people including myself. 2trees

i really hope you get there, its certainly a longer journey on your own. On this board and another which i went to, I was struck by the sense of joining a club when you get diagnosed. It so difficult to understand the constant pain thing until you are in it. My own father had arthriti, and had to give up work due to it, and to my shame i didnt even know the type he had until this all started and I dug in. Another lesson it taught me :-(
It also brought me a bit closer to other people i know that have got it in some form

So again I wish you success with your treatment, and look forward to you posting asking for advice on walking shoes as youve worn out another pair.

All the best



I have PA, or rather JPA, and I'm only 17 ;)

The good thing is I have many years left to adjust to it. It's really not such a big deal for me.
I am taking it one day at a time and I was diagnosed last week with Fibromyalgia on top of Psoriatic Arthritis.I can barely walk now but I am at work.It is really hard to do my job but I feel better being back at work.The pain is absoulty horrible and I dont know how long I will be able to handle it. So with all of that said I would really appreciate if anyone has any tips on how to relieve some of this pain I have and also if there are things I can get to help me with all of this.Thank you so much for al of the responses. 26 w/PA here and on MTX (pills, not injections) and Remicade infusions (700 mg/6wk).  Started on MTX and it took a good 4-6 weeks to notice it doing anything but for me the infusions are practically required.  Immune system seems strong as I never got sick before any of this stuff and apparently I'm to assume that makes it a little more rough on me.  They trim me down from 8 to 6 and soon 4 weeks for my infusions because my system rebounds back so fast it doesn't last long enough. 

With the immune system in mind, if you are taking any immuno supressants watch for any bugs or illness.  Try to attack them as soon as you spot them.  My doctors instruction is to goto the clinic ASAP with a fever, over 100 goto the hospital if not subsiding.  Thankfully I've only gotten really sick twice since treatments and the first time was mono and luckly the temperatures only lasted a week, but the 2nd was a few months back.  I thought the typical man thing and wanted to see if it would go away overnight as I came home with a 99.8 temp.  I woke up at 105 and couldn't get myself up out of bed.  I spent 2 days in the hospital from out of control temps.  Watch your health and advice any rules the doctor gives you as I've been paying for a few of them lately.  Vitamins will help as I've started on some of the centrum over the counter stuff.  Even the funniest sounding symptom may be related such as dry eyes (eye drops help a lot) etc.

As for dealing with pain, I find alternating between different types of pain relievers (Meloxicam, Tramadol, and over the counter medicines like Aleve) helps a lot as it seems taking the same one daily over and over seems to build a fast resistance.  Ask your doctor for some that you can take throughout the day.  Of course I wont take anything that makes me drowsy so keep that in mind if you've got a busy schedule.

I've found that when the pain comes back after receeding for a bit its in the same exact spots more or less (AKA feet, low back etc) so try to help yourself in those areas (those dr sholes foot soles do wonders!).  Make sure if possible you've got a comfy chair at work even if that means u have to buy a backrest to strap onto the back of it to prevent leaning.  I've also found that things like extreme cold or rather, cold temperature chances cause some joints to hurt more such as my knees while standing idle.

An important suggestion is to keep moving or, at least to the best of your abilities.  Most people on here have talked about how they try to do some exercise.  I didn't and are lined up in physical therapy now because I didn't keep my body worked up and the fusion in my shoulders simply took over.  However because of the fibermialgia I would ask your doctor on the best approach.  Laying down for me is the most painful (believe that or not) because once relaxed it seems to tense up all my joints.  Within my 6wk infusion period the first 3-4 are fine but after that if I try to get up its like ripping myself in two it hurts so bad.  Keeping your body idle will stiffen up your joints so try to keep moving at least throughout the day

With all that in mind, best wishes to you!  Many of these things are shots in the dark for every person on this message board but my hopes are that at least one of them works for you if not anyone else :), good luck!
mohgeroth2009-01-26 04:22:05

I have been kicking PA's butt for ten years now. I was horribly stricken at age 34. literally overnight I went from remodeling my house to crawling on the floor. Yep they stuck me on all of the drugs of the day. the side effects were debilitating. I came to a place where I had to make a choice. I have been drug free for 6 years and manage my condition in my own way. hydrotherapy (hot tub) and acupuncture are the best thing for my swelling and joint pain. I have had acupuncture for years and now do my own therapy sessions at home. I decided that I was not going to let this condition beat me. I am in a life long battle to live my life to the fullest. It took almost a year to get going again. to go from crawling on the floor to living an active life took more guts than I have ever had to muster in my life. I found hobbies I could do, faced what I had to give up, used my support system, and went for it. It is a race to the grave for me. they said I would be in a wheel chair in 10 to 15 years. that hasn’t and won't happen, and that’s just my attitude about it. My low back and hips are fusing together and deteriorating, my hands and feet are also effected. I have learned to manage daily pain and discomfort and live with flare ups. That’s my trade off to not live through the side effects of the drugs they pump in us. there is no cure and no guarantees of slowing this down no matter what they say. Good luck to you. Don't ever let this thing beat you. fight the daily fight. Feel free to send an e mail if you ever need any support

i was diagnosed with PA after taking soritane for Psorasis and it sent me into a whirlwind of symptoms and going on 4 years of treatment.  Would love to hear how you are doing to see if I can be of any support. hi nettie-  humira just stopped working for me and i was wondering how the combo with kenalog works?  Rheumy wanted to change to Remicade so I am waiting for insurance approval.  Right now I am on prednisone, mtx etc and I am pretty uncomfortable waiting for the new med.  Back, sacro joints and everything seems to be flaring right now.  Can't wait for some relief!