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Posted 3/8/2009 3:19 AM (GMT 0)
I have psoriatic arthritis, just found out a few months ago.. the lower joint on my rt thumb is hurting and deformed, now the upper joint on my thumb is hurting and the whole thumb feels numb, plus pain in the area below the thumb.  Sometimes I get pain in the other fingers that come and go.  Is this a sign it will get worse or is it pretty much a fact that it will get worse..

also, I am stiff after sitting a while and one problem I have is when I first get up my ankle/feet top seem stiff and hard to move.  Is this also part of arthritis?  I have fibro, asymptomatic chiari malformation and muscle spasms in arch of rt foot that I wear special made orthotics for.  I have a very knowledgable dr but not very giving of information unless asked and I dont always think of every little thing to ask or speak up about.  I am not working now but need to either find a job or get disability and I dont think I have enough probs for disability.

any advice or information is appreciated. confused

Posted 3/9/2009 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
Dear MoeKelly24 I also have Psoratic Arthritisand Fibromialgia I am 36 yr old Hispanic Female I was diagnosed over a year ago and have been on multiple different Meds Yes Your fingers will hurt get numb throb it will be hard to open jars or depending on pain you will be unable to do cleaning p up things and yes your fingers will start turning you need to starts taking meds to help you not get worse. Yes your feet ankles will hurt where you can't walk sometimes especially when you lay down the pain will consume you. All I can say is try Meds see if they work for you I hope they do because I am on Prednisone, Remicade Infussions every 6 weeks Methotrexate 6 pills once a week and Hydrocodone for pain and I feel like Crap all the time in pain all the time and Exhausted where I can't even get out of bed, I can't do every day things like clean open jars anything using my hands kills me and i've tries exercising I do it but I'm in bed for 3 or 4 days after. This Disease sucks most of the time for me. I pray that you are different and that mes will work for you it's very frustrating and also you may get very moody due to meds, stress and just dealing with this disease. I'm sorry to be so blunt but I don't want to sugar coat what is real you might be different but just giving you the hones truth. Keep me Posted on how things going for you. Take Care. PR Glo
Posted 3/9/2009 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
pr glo.. I am sorry to hear how difficult it is for you. I am able to do things, I get tired afterwards.. some days I can rake outside and clean up the yard Or do housecleaning, not both the same day though..and some days I feel bad for a few days after I do this stuff or some days I feel fine except for some soreness that the heating pad takes care of. I havent figured out why it is so unpredictable but I am new to this. I am really tired some days and others I have energy. I have been taking methotrexate 4 per week but dont notice anything different from it and it has been 2 months.
I have muscle spasms in my rt foot that caused my arch to raise.. after months of shots not helping, I went to a different dr that got me custom orthotics,, now I can walk a lot better but still the pain in ankles make it hard to walkuntil I get moving. It gets better but still is stiff. I used to walk so fast that people would ask where the fire is. Now I have to try and keep up. I wasnt sure if that was tied into arthritis or foot spasms.. thanks for shedding light on that for me..I will make sure to mention that to dr when I go next. I dont like medicine and I feel like a complainer when I go to dr, he is nice and doesnt say that, but I just feel that way. I keep having these new symptoms pop up, like the achy and stiff feeling in hands that come and go and the stiffness in ankles when I get up to walk. I also have a tingling that comes and goes, muscle spasms , leg aches, headaches and tenderness all over to touch.. some days I feel it all some days it comes and goes, but it seems like new things pop up also.. is it going to always be that way? I would rather have the rough truth rather then the sugar coated.. I pretty much take it as it comes, but I am sure I wont qualify for disability and I need to get a part time job.. so I need to do something to get it under control I will keep you in my prayers...
Posted 3/9/2009 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hey ther again Moe Kelly 24 it's me PR Glo you  might have Fibromialgia along with the psoratic Arthritis since it hurts to the touch the pain in the ankles and hands are definately the Psoratic Arthritis have you had X-rays do you have Arthritis anywhere else. Honestly you might have this pain all the time or dependent of what meds you take they make work for you Prednisone is very effective it helps with the pain and swelling but the downfall to that is that dependent on the dosage you will gain weight you can try Embrel shots which I did in the past it didn't work for me but may work for you I have heard from many people thatthey have had good luck with it. Remicade Infussions might help you to it's not really working as quickly as I would like it too the downfall to this medicine is you have to sit in an iffusion center for 2 hrs and get this medicine through Iv and you have to go straight home afterwards it makes you very tired and might make you nauseous and you get side effects such as your skin feeling really hot sometimes like you are on fire and you sweat like a pig and bad headaches but again I am me you are you it might work for you I suggest you try them and see what happens what are you taking for pain?????? The Methotrexate takes time to work 6 mnths or more but the down fall is that your immune System is shot and you can get pneumonia from a common cold or really bad upper respitory infections you also can get throat infections pus on your tonsils I get that all the time and I have to take antibiotics. I also have my liver checked every 6 weeks by having blood taken out because this medication meaning methotrexate can effect your liver it might make it inflamed along with any med for pain will do the same and because of taking so many different meds I had to have Gall Bladder removed in dec 2008 because it was no longer functioning. I take Amytryptiline for the Fibromialgia because it helps you sleep since with me I have trouble sleeping due to the pain which consumes me once I lay down to sleep so I'm up all night and even more exhausted the next day.  Do you sleep well????? there is sooo much to do I know it sounds scary but you have to try something new to see if it helps exercise helps with stretching your body so you don't get soo achy but again you have to see can your feet tolerate it because just walking is painful. As you asked I'm being blunt and honest about what this is all about and again something might work for you that doesn't work for me. I know you need to get a job but again you will need flexibility because some days are better than others and you might not be able to get out of bed and your employer needs to understand what you are going through maybe you can't sit all day maybe you cant stand for long periods you have to think about all of these things before getting a job. Well let me know if you ever need to ask or talk about anything new you feel or need to know. Also let me know the answers to some of the questions I asked. Take Care And Stay Strong Take it Day by Day. GodBless PR Glo      
Posted 3/9/2009 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
hello again PR Glo

to answer your questions.. I do take ibuprophen 800 for pain, I do have a high pain tolerance so this is all I need most days.. I only take it when I am really hurting. My parents both take hydrocodone for their pains and it is to the point where it does not help much anymore. I do not always sleep well, it is in cycles.. some days I sleep very little and I cant sleep during the day unless I am totally exhausted.. and other days I sleep like I have been drugged even though I havent. I may not get too achy since I do try and keep busy.. on the days I dont feel really bad, I make myself get up and go outside.. I walk my dogs, clean, hang laundry or at least walk around our property.. we live on 2 acres in the country so it gets me going anyway. I also have a 10 yr old that I have to get up in the morning and get off to school so I cant really stay in bed. I guess I did leave it out, sorry.. I do have fibromyalgia and chiari malformation 6mm..but they say asymptomatic just a thing to watch out for...the pain in my legs when i have it is like the pian I get all over when I have a really bad day, it feels like the achey feeling when you have the flu. Some days just my legs or just my arms/shoulders and others all over, which is what keeps me in bed.. that usually only happens when I overdid it the day before. I am always stiff and sore when I get out of bed or get up out of hte car or from sitting for a while. The ankles /feet being stiff and sore just started to get noticeable lately along with the pain in the hands that comes and goes.. the rt thumb though is deforming and will not go away. I guess for now I consider myself mostly mild fibro/arthritis but progressing as we speak. I will only be working 20 hours a week and am looking for a desk job or a non exertive for hte most part.
thanks for the GREAT advice and if you need to talk let me know.. GOD BLESS Kelly
Posted 3/26/2009 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
i was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis ,plus i have fybro i know what your feeling it sux, i start enbrel next month have to waitfor the insurance comp to approvr it i also haveplantar fachiitis ,and my arches are also high i went to a foot dr and i have tarcel tunnel in my rt foot i get it operated on may 1 if your feet hurt that bad see a podiatrist to be on the safe side
Posted 3/26/2009 11:19 PM (GMT 0)

Hi moe Kelly, Pr Glo and Merfy, I was just given a potential diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis yesterday! After 2 1/2 years labelled sero negative arthritis. I have heal pain when I wake and sometimes get it in my toes, now I'm on humira my toes are good, heals remain. I just started swelling in my thumbs a few weeks ago, why does psoriatic arthritis affect feet and hands differently? I'm also on mtx 20mg. I take panadeine forte for pain contains 30 ml codeine, try not to live on it, suffering from bursitis right now and took the plunge of cortisone injections yesterday (hasn't worked yet but I'm hopeful for tomorrow) Been on prednisone for nearly 2 years and its coming off it that buritis and thumbs started but I really want to give my body a break. Lost a lot of weight now I'm off it so that feels great. I also can't sleep mixture of drug effects making me feel wired or pain. Have black rings under both eyes. Love to know what causes all this inflammation everywhere all the time, obviously stress contributes, but its hard to not stress when I'm trying to be a mother to 3 kids, work part time and cope with kids sporting committments plus house work plus the pain on top.

Any info on psoriatic arthritis much appreciated, Jacqui 

Posted 3/27/2009 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
thanks for the input everyone!  I have numbness and swelling in my rt thumb that is really painful.  My rhuemy said that it is inflamation and will improve after using celebrex.   I am worried about the thumb so I made an appointment with an ortho dr.  I am wanting to get a part time job so I have extra spending money, but I cant use my right hand very well due to my thumb.  When I get out of bed or up after sitting, I am just so stiff and sore until I get moving.  My legs and feet hurt.  I do have planta fascititis,  but also got shoe inserts that help a lot.  I still have pain in my big toe and along the top of foot on rt foot and my ankles get stiff at first until I walk a bit then get better..   Does anyone go to an ortho rather than a rhuemy?  I feel like such a baby sometimes.. sad

Psoratic arthritis is a pretty rare type if I am correct.  It causes swelling of fingers and toes and affects different parts of body.  I found good information on a google search on this website  http://www.psoriasis.org/about/psa/   

This is a great site for information and support..

 

Posted 3/30/2009 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hi moekelly, my OT made me splints when my wrists were swelling badly and I was getting carpel tunnel, now that has settled with the humira but when my thumbs started swelling my rheumy told me to wear the same splints at night to settle my thumbs down. They are no where near as swollen in the mornings, it might be worth a try. The numbness is probably due to the nerve being compressed with swelling, a splint may give you support when you're working too. I wore mine when the carpel tunnel was bad. Celebrex was never eough for me, unfortunately. But humira and mtx have cut the swelling enormously. As for trying an ortho, no I haven't but if my carpel tunnel hadn't settled my rheumy was going to send me to one, so they will work in conjunction with each other. Goodluck

Posted 3/31/2009 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
thanks for the great advice.. I did go ahead and make an appointment with an ortho just to get another opinion.. will probably ask about ankles and big toe joints too.. they are stiff, not really sore, but stiff.. cant hurt anyway.. I am trying to get a job, but I cant work if in pain all the time.. thanks a bunch!!
Posted 3/31/2009 4:24 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear about your experience. I've had psA for about 3 years, but have had the diagnosis for a little over a year. My experience is that symptoms come and go. I once had to quit all meds because of liver problems, and was surprised to find that I got better for a couple of weeks. Then I started to get horrific pustular psoriasis, followed by a major arthritis problem. Then I started Humira and within 2 months am feeling almost completely normal.

One thing you should ask about if you have one (or a few) joints that are really swollen is a cortisone injection. I had a hugely inflamed big toe, and the cortisone injection worked immediately and lasted a long time. (It also hurt like hell to have it done).

My main point is that there is no reason to believe that you'll get worse and worse. The new medications are amazing, and there're going to be a lot more options in the future.

Good luck!

Posted 4/2/2009 11:19 PM (GMT 0)

Hi too have psoriatic arthritis.    I suffered for years until the joint damage in my hands was getting so bad and the pain in my hands and legs became unbearable.   I finally went back to a rheumatologist and she put me on Humira.    That was last August.   It took a couple of months for me to start noticing the difference, but today I'm am 99 percent better.   I don't have the awful pain and swelling and most days function normally.

There are a lot of new meds out there and sometimes it takes awhile before you find the one that works for you.   I was afraid of the side effects but so far haven't had a problem with the Humira.

Best of luck yeah

Alicat

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