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I was diagnosed at age 23 with psoriatic arthritis. I worked night shift as a nurse at the time. I fought the pain for 2 months before going to my doctor to get some relief. After diagnosing myself through some Internet searching, I was referred to a Rheumatologist who started me one sulfasalizine to begin and ketoprofen. The sulfa did not help so I am currently on Methotrexate. I thought it was working but just about 3 weeks ago my knee and 2 additional toes are swelling. Meanwhile I have been moved to day shift and still pulling 12 hour + shifts. I know someday I will not be able to work them, and the time is becoming closer. I love nursing and I cry when I have to hobble in pain to see my patients thinking I need to be a patient myself.

I first started with psoriasis near my 50th birthday. I did not end up with psoriatic arthritis until about 4 years later. My psoriasis at times has been severe with pustules on my palms and feet, making it difficult to walk or use my hands for work. I was treated with Soriatane which helped, but I lost my hair. About three years after the Soriatane the psoriasis returned full force and so did the psoriatic arthritis. I was then treated with methotrexate, which helped but now everything is flaring up again including my Achilles tendon. I strove to lose weight and have lost 28 lbs. which helps the arthritis and I eat mostly vegetables and fruits and low gluten grains. I am allergic to fish, so I cannot eat that. I eat very little meat, only chicken (turkey makes my psoriasis flare). I do Yoga every day and take long walks. Having retired last year at 62, has relieved some of the stress and I am mostly able to manage my symptoms with only OTC drugs. The psoriasis condition does run in my family, starting with my grandparents on both sides. We also have many auto immune conditions in our family, including Hashimoto' s, Lupus and RA.

I was diagnosed with PA 11 yrs. ago at age 48. I have suffered with it mainly in my feet. I feel like I'm walking on hot, pointed, burning rocks and have spent a zillion dollars on 12 different meds and shoes and nothing has given me relief. I am waiting now for the results of an MRI and hopefully will get on a new treatment as I have been med free for over a year. I worked up until 2 yrs. ago and still am in pain all day from the second. I wake up and get out of bed and stand up. It really is exhausting - I go every 3 weeks for massage and chiropractor for my back. I certainly can relate and empathize with everyone that has this cruel disease.

I am 69, female, and in relatively good health. I was shocked in April when I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. I had been accepting the deformity and weakness in my hands as part of old age and been 'fighting back' with increased exercise of my hands - not good I learned due to the inflammation. A doctor treating my mother suggested there may be a treatment for me and I saw a rheumatologist as soon as possible who immediately put me on methotrexate 10 mg, folic acid 1 mg. She increased it a month later to 15 mg & 2 mgs. Four months later she added Enbrel 50 mgs. and now I face the new alerts about side effects in the media. I have increased agility, but I suspect the disease is beginning to affect my feet and I am desperate to stop the progression and maintain use of my hands. I can't seem to learn enough and I am grateful for all who have shared here.

I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at age 22 after the birth of my first child. The arthritis came first, followed by whole body psoriasis. Over the years this condition has come and gone, but never gone completely. Now, at age 63 I have a major flare up of the arthritis but only a small persistent patch of psoriasis. I am questioning whether this latest flare up is as a result of Thyroxin. I have Hypothyroidism and had no trouble with the Thyroxin until the formula changed this year. The arthritic flare up this year co-incided with the change in Thyroxin.

I am a 29-year-old woman who was diagnosed with PsA about three years ago. I have had mild -moderate psoriasis since I was 14. I started experiencing debilitating pain in most of my joints when I was 22 and just starting my professional career. I endured a couple of years of testing, misdiagnosis, and doctors who implied I was faking it. Since I started seeing my current rheumatologist, I have tried a number of different medications including Naproxen, Mobic, Sulindac. My current treatment has worked best - Methotrexate 20mg, Enbrel, and Celebrex. The side effects can be bad, but keeping some anti-nausea medication around usually helps. I still find that the pain limits my activity to a huge degree. I find myself exhausted from the constant discomfort after being up and about for a couple of hours. I had been using prn medications for pain (Vicodin). I was able to return to work while taking the pain medications - without it, I was so distracted by the pain. I recently switched to a round-the-clock pain medication delivered through a patch that I wear for 72 hours. I have found that this patch keeps me pain free, doesn't make me feel “drugged,” and is so easy compared to constantly popping pain pills (which makes me feel like a drug addict). I'm hopeful that I'm going to be able to keep moving towards the kind of life a young person is supposed to have, not limited by my achy hips, unable to drive because of my immobile shoulder.