New Diagnosis

June 4, 2002

> Hi, I am 54 years old and have been suffering with something for a

> long time, I have all kinds of diagnosis, from gout to

> osteomyelitis. The bottom line is I am in severe pain and totally

> exhausted most of the time. I was sent to a specialist at Stanford

> University, and he thinks it may be PA my Dr. thinks it is RA. I

am

> just struggling with all of this, trying to cope with what is going

> on, etc. I am afraid. I asked if I should be on disability, and

the

> Dr. say if I am, I will freeze up and not be able to move??? I

guess

> I just need someone to ask questions, etc. (the dumb questions),

> C

C,

It really doesn't matter too much whether it is PA or RA since the

treatment is pretty much the same. A good anti-inflammatory along

with a pill to protect the stomach and also a DMARD to fight the

arthritis. Plenty of rest and plenty of water to flush the body to

let the meds work.

It takes awhile for the meds to work and if you can hold out you will

be better able to judge if you need to go out on disability. The doc

is right when he/she says to keep moving. PA might try to lock up the

tendons and when they start pulling they hurt like the dickens. I

originally thought of arthitits as messing up the bones but so far my

bones are great but it is the soft tissue and tendons causing the

most problems. Being afraid and being angry and being depressed and

etc are part of coping and fighting this arthritis.

Take care,

PatB

June 5, 2002

--- gramacarola <Dandcmayer@...> wrote:

> Hi, I am 54 years old and have been suffering with

> something for a

> long time, I have all kinds of diagnosis, from gout

> to

> osteomyelitis. The bottom line is I am in severe

> pain and totally

> exhausted most of the time. I was sent to a

> specialist at Stanford

> University, and he thinks it may be PA my Dr. thinks

> it is RA. I am

> just struggling with all of this, trying to cope

> with what is going

> on, etc. I am afraid. I asked if I should be on

> disability, and the

> Dr. say if I am, I will freeze up and not be able to

> move??? I guess

> I just need someone to ask questions, etc. (the dumb

> questions),

> C

>

>C,

Go on and ask your dumb questions and I just may have

a dumb answer. As for the dr. saying you will " freeze

up " , I don't think so. I have had PA for several

years and have been on disability. I am not frozen,

although I understand the fatigue of which you speak.

I don't believe I could hold a job because of that and

the only jobs I ever had were clerical and I have

hand, wrist, elbow, and finger involvment. It is not

a fun thing to have but it is treatable. I say go

with a rheumatologist, not a general dr. Too many

hand out meds too freely and don't monitor as they

should. My sister-in-law was given Celebrex for

menstral cramps and was not even asked if she was

allergic to sulpha compounds. Any more questions you

have, I'd be glad to see. Don't be afraid--you are not

alone.

Eva

>

__________________________________________________

April 7, 2003

> Hi My name is Janine. I am 32 and newly diagnosed with Psoriatic

> arthritis. I really dont know what to expect and am afriad of what

> the future will bring.

>

> [Editor's Note:

>

> Welcome, Janine. As you note, having been newly diagnosed is

a time of

> considerable anxiety and fear about the future. One thought from my

own experience: I was first struck with, and hospitalized by,

psoriatic arthritis almost 40 years ago. At that time, even in the

hospital setting, the docs were clueless (I had no psoriasis at the

time), and went through 2 or 3 different diagnoses (and treatments).

It wasn't until a year later that I encountered a really bright and

intuitive doc who got it right. Of course, getting the right

diagnosis was of relatively little use, clinically; there were very

few drugs that were of any use prophylactically, and none that

addressed PsA directly, such as the new DMARDs (Disease modifying

anti-rheumatic drugs).

> Today, there is considerably better awareness of PsA amongst

medical professionals, and a wide armamentarium of meds for

treatment. While there is stil no cure, the outlook--prognosis--for

PsA patients generally is considerably brighter than it was in 1963.

> Psoriatic arthritis is still not as well-understood as many

other diseases, and some of the drugs we have available come with

their own set of challenges. Nevertheless, I think you will find, if

you spend some time at this site, reading past postings that interest

you, asking questions of the members (many of whom have considerable

knowledge and experience with PsA), and reviewing the database, et

cetera, you will find that your fears and anxiety are considerably

lessened. And of course, you have the rest of us to talk to.

> Take care.

>

> D.]

Thank you for the encouraging words. It took many years of

complaining of bad pains in my legs and back being pretty much

ignored and then finally when my finger swelled up (and perminently

disformed) and they couldnt find the gout they swore it was, for

someone to finally figure out that I had PsA. Im so glad I found a

place where I could be understood and people dont think Im just

exaggerating the pain Im sometimes in. Where my fears are

understood and can be faced with the help of caring people. Thank

you.

April 7, 2003

Hi Janine,

I got diagnosed last year when I was 32 also. I've learned more here than

from most doctors. I think you will see that everyone's experience is

different, but my advice is to read as much as you can about this...you have

to be your own advocate with this kind of disease...feel free to email me

directly if you ever need to just chat.

April 7, 2003

Hi Janine,

I was diagnosed with PA 10 years ago, having suffered with it for 5

years up until then. I like to point out that people have different

experiences with PA. For some, it can be very debilitating, for

other not. For example, I am physically active and participate in

sports. My ability to do so has increased over the last ten years,

as improved medications became available and I learned what

treatments, exercises, etc. worked best for me. I take 2 pills twice

per day and do some daily stretching and strengthening exercises. I

have symptoms, but nothing that stops me from doing what I want.

Good luck.

Fred