Any memebrs in AZ? Does the climate help PSA?

In 2007 I lived in California. I'd had 3 joint replacements on my fingers because of the severe pain, and another finger woke me up every morning with a painful throbbing.

Then I moved to Phoenix, AZ, and all my fingers stopped getting worse. The climate helped all my joints, and other than the finger joint that was already "bone on bone' as the dr. put it, I haven't needed any more joints replaced.

I still have PsA and I still live with pain, but for me, AZ slowed the progression of the disease a lot. I will never move out of the desert.

Note to Brian: You are moving to AZ at the beginning of summer. There are a lot of desert rules you need to know - Always drink, drink, drink (water) all summer. ALWAYS carry water in your car. Avoid going out at midday (think early and late for errands). Never ever leave pets or kids in the car, even for a minute (or in the backyard without plenty of shade & water) Educate yourself about the pests in your neighborhood (like scorpions). Talk to your AZ friends and neighbors, they will help you enjoy the desert safely. Welcome to AZ !

Diane

I really had a dream to always live in AZ because I do so well in dry hot heat!! I live in a damp cold area that has 4 crazy seasons all in one day.... But I mentioned this to someone before and they said the dry heat would dry out my skin even worse. So now I am wondering if I am dreaming or could AZ be helpful for our skin and our joints???

Diane,

I so want to move to AZ with you and Brian !!! :-)

Does AZ help with arthritis fatigue? Or do you have any fatigue?

Diane Green said:

In 2007 I lived in California. I'd had 3 joint replacements on my fingers because of the severe pain, and another finger woke me up every morning with a painful throbbing.

Then I moved to Phoenix, AZ, and all my fingers stopped getting worse. The climate helped all my joints, and other than the finger joint that was already "bone on bone' as the dr. put it, I haven't needed any more joints replaced.

I still have PsA and I still live with pain, but for me, AZ slowed the progression of the disease a lot. I will never move out of the desert.

Note to Brian: You are moving to AZ at the beginning of summer. There are a lot of desert rules you need to know - Always drink, drink, drink (water) all summer. ALWAYS carry water in your car. Avoid going out at midday (think early and late for errands). Never ever leave pets or kids in the car, even for a minute (or in the backyard without plenty of shade & water) Educate yourself about the pests in your neighborhood (like scorpions). Talk to your AZ friends and neighbors, they will help you enjoy the desert safely. Welcome to AZ !

Diane

Hi, Frances & SublimeAmiga,

I didn't develop plaque until after I moved to AZ, so I don't know if the dry air helps that, but I definitely feel it was a big help to my pain and joint swelling.

I still have severe bouts of fatigue, but think it was even worse in CA, but I'm not positive, because my lifestyle changed too.

Of course every person is different, so the desert may not help some. Also, I live in Phoenix which is more hot & dry than some areas of AZ.

Diane

Thanks for the reply Diane. I'm so fatigued at the moment. I think it's because the temp is dropping fast here outside Washington, DC. I read that when the temp drops quickly it can affect your arthritis - for me that seems to be more fatigue.

I'm so glad you found great relief in AZ!

Diane Green said:

Hi, Frances & SublimeAmiga,

I didn't develop plaque until after I moved to AZ, so I don't know if the dry air helps that, but I definitely feel it was a big help to my pain and joint swelling.

I still have severe bouts of fatigue, but think it was even worse in CA, but I'm not positive, because my lifestyle changed too.

Of course every person is different, so the desert may not help some. Also, I live in Phoenix which is more hot & dry than some areas of AZ.

Diane

Thanks for all this great input. I am really excited about this new chapter in my life and everything seems to be falling into place. I am not going to let this PsA get in the way.

Diane, the joint replacement sounds intense, did it give you relief?. Did you see the pics of my fingers I posted? My right pinky that is bent hurts non-stop like a toothache.

I am so glad I found you guys here. It has been a rough week. I have missed work since last Thursday. This NE,Ohio weather is being nasty to me.

Brian

Well, when we visited AZ at Thanksgiving, I was outside 3 days straight in the sun (with sunscreen of course) & by day 4 all of my flaky PsA skin cleared up. I have the flakes in my ears, on my face, my bald headed scalp & it cleared up.

Not even 24hrs back in cold snowy Ohio & it all came back.


SublimeAmiga said:

I really had a dream to always live in AZ because I do so well in dry hot heat!! I live in a damp cold area that has 4 crazy seasons all in one day.... But I mentioned this to someone before and they said the dry heat would dry out my skin even worse. So now I am wondering if I am dreaming or could AZ be helpful for our skin and our joints???

Brian, I had the joint replacements done when the pain became unbearable. Was it worth it.. Yes, it takes the pain away when it's all over, but the surgery is pretty rough. I didn't know a finger could hurt that much. The dr explained that the fingers have lots of nerves so the healing is painful. Since you may end up going thru this, Ill give you the long version:

The 1st finger to go was left hand, ring finger 2nd joint from tip of finger. The surgeon put a silicone implant. My finger ended up a little shorter, but it's my "prettiest" finger (least swollen) and works pretty well. This was by far the easiest surgery to go thru.

2nd finger to go was left hand, index finger 2nd joint from tip of finger. Surgeon wouldn't use silicone because he said the silicone is too easily broken to use on the index finger. He fused the joint, which means the joint doesn't move at all. I don't use that finger to grasp small things. This is my "ugliest" finger and the surgery was much worse to recover from :(

3nd finger to go was left hand, middle finger joint nearest tip of finger. Again Dr fused the joint (no bending) and the recovery was terrible, very painful

4th finger to go was left hand, middle finger 2nd joint from tip of finger. New doctor. She put in a full joint replacement, as if in a knee or hip. Sounds great, but took the most physical therapy, and doesn't work as well as the silicone one.(doesn't bend as far, and sometimes hurts a little) The dr was very excited about this surgery, it was considered experimental because it was so rare.

So... for me the silicone implant was the best. If I need another jt replacement, I will fight for that. Fusion is the WORST pain in recovery and of course the joint doesn't bend at all after that.

The full jt replacement doesn't function as well as the silicone and was longer recovery - more fun for the doctor than for me

It is worth doing the surgery when the pain is too much, afterwards, there is basically no pain in the joints :) I will try to sent a pic of my left hand so u can see how they look (If I can figure out how)

Sorry to be so long winded, but docs don't always tell you all your options or details, so hope this helps

CHARGER73 said:

Thanks for all this great input. I am really excited about this new chapter in my life and everything seems to be falling into place. I am not going to let this PsA get in the way.

Diane, the joint replacement sounds intense, did it give you relief?. Did you see the pics of my fingers I posted? My right pinky that is bent hurts non-stop like a toothache.

I am so glad I found you guys here. It has been a rough week. I have missed work since last Thursday. This NE,Ohio weather is being nasty to me.

Brian



Diane Green said:

Brian, I had the joint replacements done when the pain became unbearable. Was it worth it.. Yes, it takes the pain away when it's all over, but the surgery is pretty rough. I didn't know a finger could hurt that much. The dr explained that the fingers have lots of nerves so the healing is painful. Since you may end up going thru this, Ill give you the long version:

The 1st finger to go was left hand, ring finger 2nd joint from tip of finger. The surgeon put a silicone implant. My finger ended up a little shorter, but it's my "prettiest" finger (least swollen) and works pretty well. This was by far the easiest surgery to go thru.

2nd finger to go was left hand, index finger 2nd joint from tip of finger. Surgeon wouldn't use silicone because he said the silicone is too easily broken to use on the index finger. He fused the joint, which means the joint doesn't move at all. I don't use that finger to grasp small things. This is my "ugliest" finger and the surgery was much worse to recover from :(

3nd finger to go was left hand, middle finger joint nearest tip of finger. Again Dr fused the joint (no bending) and the recovery was terrible, very painful

4th finger to go was left hand, middle finger 2nd joint from tip of finger. New doctor. She put in a full joint replacement, as if in a knee or hip. Sounds great, but took the most physical therapy, and doesn't work as well as the silicone one.(doesn't bend as far, and sometimes hurts a little) The dr was very excited about this surgery, it was considered experimental because it was so rare.

So... for me the silicone implant was the best. If I need another jt replacement, I will fight for that. Fusion is the WORST pain in recovery and of course the joint doesn't bend at all after that.

The full jt replacement doesn't function as well as the silicone and was longer recovery - more fun for the doctor than for me

It is worth doing the surgery when the pain is too much, afterwards, there is basically no pain in the joints :) I will try to sent a pic of my left hand so u can see how they look (If I can figure out how)

Sorry to be so long winded, but docs don't always tell you all your options or details, so hope this helps

CHARGER73 said:

Thanks for all this great input. I am really excited about this new chapter in my life and everything seems to be falling into place. I am not going to let this PsA get in the way.

Diane, the joint replacement sounds intense, did it give you relief?. Did you see the pics of my fingers I posted? My right pinky that is bent hurts non-stop like a toothache.

I am so glad I found you guys here. It has been a rough week. I have missed work since last Thursday. This NE,Ohio weather is being nasty to me.

Brian


Brian, I had joint fusion done on the DIP (last joint) on each pinky. Best decision ever. They were bent at 45 degrees. I could straighten them manually, but the joint was weak and always painful. Recovery was awful, but once the fusion healed I regained a lot of use of my hand, and it made my hand stronger. I was always protecting and babying the last 2 fingers on each hand, and so I was straining the rest of my hand doing things like carrying bags, etc. With the fusion I could use my whole hand again. My hands are very small, and joint fusion is better on the smaller hand joints.

Oh, and once I healed, no joint equals no pain.

CHARGER73 said:

My right pinky that is bent hurts non-stop like a toothache.