newbie with possible PA | Arthritis Information

Hi all

Rheumy says it may be PA as my hands, knees and ankles swell, hands stay red but as of yet I have no major patches.

Was wondering if the arthritis can precede the psoriasis and for how long?

I do have a couple of tiny patches between fingers, all tests have been neg so far for RA.

I have been using MTX for 2 months and swelling seems to be better but pain levels are the same.

The arthritis symptoms started about 2 yrs ago and I also have been diag. with OA/FMS. I am a 49 yr old mother and wife who cannot work and am in my 2nd appeal for SSDI.

Anyone with PA that preceded the psoriasis please help!

Take care,

Hi Bonny,

I'm in the same spot you are right now, thinking I may have PA, but I haven't been diagnosed yet. I'm going to the Rhuematologist on Dec. 8 and will take it from there. I don't have psoriasis either, though I have always been prone to a wide variety of rashes! I have severe OA in my hips and degenerative disc disease in my lower back, along with an ever moving cast of aches and pains.

I am a 48 year old mother & wife struggling to continue working part time when financially I really need to be working full time. Not having a diagnosis yet doesn't help in making decisions about the future.

Do you know if your doctor did an Anti-CCP blood test? I am going to request that when I see the doctor. Sometimes it shows up positive when the other tests are negative.

Good luck with the SSDI application. I hope it works out for you. You should come over the Rheumatoid Forum - that's where everyone hangs out. The folks there are very good at answering questions and offering support.

Karen

Thank you so much Karen for the reply.

I also have the horizontal lines in my fingernails which I have noticed can also be a symptom.

I go to doc Tuesday and will ask for and Anti-CCP test.

I had to have a diagnosis to apply for SSDI so my wonderful doc, who by the way is female and has FMS, used sero-negative RA as well as the OA/FMS.

I will check out the Rheumatoid forum tomorrow as my fingers are awful tonight.

What meds do you use and do any of them help? I get some relief from pain pills but they don't help the problem.

Thanks again and take care Karen

You can get the joint involvement before the skin starts, I can't remember the stats for it but it is an acknowledged pattern BUT I have psoriasis on a small patch on my scalp only and for a few years it was mis-diagnosed as all sorts of other things... I had it for about 17 years and it never got any worse, although a happy side effect fo the drugs that are treating my arthritis is that the psoriasis has disappeared! So you might have a discreet patch you haven't had diagnosed as psoriasis? I have 2 Aunts and a sister who have psoriasis only so maybe you need to have a little look at your family history? Also note that psoriasis takes different forms, look it up on a psoriasis web-site and you might find you actually do have a tiny bit! To be a bit more personal if I may it takes a different form in intimate skin folds and your skin goes red and shiny rather than flaky. Anyway, have a little think and a research and I hope it all goes well for you!

Thanks kT

There was psoriasis in my great-grandmother and some of her daughters which is one reason why rheumy is thinking PA.

Will check for the red you mentioned.

Take care and thank you,

i dont have the norm as far as scaly patches, i have raw area, between my butt crack(sorry) and belly button, and now getting dry scaling around my nose that come and go, dont know if the stuff on my nose is psoriasis or not? any one else have the area arounfd there nose that gets scaly? But mostly is is my joints that i have the most problem with. every day its a new joint,new pain or ache. I am suppose to start methotrexate a few weeks ago, but have been afraid of the side effects, just need to get the guts up and take them. My fear is that i will start tkaing them and get a big infection or a bug, and get very sick. does that happen alot? I want to start the metho this week, but am also wodering if i have a sinuse infection, so i dont know what i should do?

Hi,

Psoriasis can be red and scaly in folds of skin that are likely to be warm or damp such as genital area, around underarms, under the bust, around the bottom or even around the mouth and nose. Check with your Dr, they will tell you if your nose thing is psoriasis or just funny skin! Please don't be scared of methotrexate, it's true that it's not for everyone but it works for many people and when it works it's great! You should look after yourself and my Dr advised taking a supplement of multi vitamins and minerals as well as the prescribed folic acid to try to avoid infections. The folic acid can also help keep away nausea so take it for a few days before you take the mtx. One of the better side effects for me of taking mtx for the arthritis is that my psoriasis has almost completely gone away! I take my mtx in the evening on a Monday so that if I do have some nausea it doesn't affect me so much, I also have a supply of buccastem in case it gets bad. I also avoid kissing relatives who have colds etc and have an alcohol hand gel dispenser (like those at hospital) on my desk at work for my hands and to put on wipes to clean my 'phone and keyboard with. This might sound a bit over the top but we hot desk at work and I don't care if it saves me a course of antibiotics! The other thing I do is go to my GP at the first sign of a cough, I have intercostal chondritis so it's even harder for me to throw off chest infections.

AT the end of the day I am glad I tried mtx, I was scared of side effects too but it has worked out for me, if it hadn't I knew I could have just not taken any more and gone back to the Dr.

Good Luck!