Went to the Rhumey on Friday and he started me on Enbrel. I asked him to classify my severity of the disease and he said on a scale of 0 to 100 he would say 75%. I have large patches on my legs, small ones on my elbow, scalp and behind the ears. Joint discomfort, etc. When I left the appointment I was so down. Is there anyone out here that has has the same rating and doing well. Remember this is all new to me.
I have the most aggressive PsA / spondylitis my rheumy has ever seen. My arms/legs did well on Enbrel, but my SI joint/back/neck/chest were still giving me problems. I switched to Remicade infusions, which worked wonders. I'm currently not on any PsA meds, as we're trying to figure out liver/kidney issues, but I'm hoping to continue on Remi SOON!!!
Different meds work differently for everyone - the trick is playing the waiting game until you find a med that works for you. The biologics can take several months to work, so patience is key!
i am glad to read this. Everything that I have read so far are from people who only have a case of it on area of their body or only on joint involved. I have been wanting to see if the drugs out here are more effective with less severity involved.
I believe there will be a break through in the medicine world to help more and more people who have this disease. We may not see it but our children will.
I was DXed 5 years ago now. Some patches of psoriasis, knees and elbows mostly. But the joint involvement is pretty extensive. Right now, I'm having trouble with both ankles and wrists, multiple fingers, and one knee.
I was on plaquenil quite successfully plus NSAIDs, but it stopped working so well. I had MTX added in almost 6 months ago, but clearly it's not working too well. I've been doing some serious research on helminthic therapy, and have pretty much decided to try it out once I can work out the details. They can't be shipped into the US.
It is hard when you and your doctor can't make it work, and need to keep trying new therapies. Clearly I'm in a similar place right now.
I had chronic psoriasis which covered a good 70% of my skin, started when I was about 12 and was really bad during my 1st pregnancy and never got better. Had the patches everywhere, and yes I mean everywhere! They were very red angry and painful , whatever lotions potions ointments and creams I was prescribed they did nothing…I didn’t let people know how bad it was as I felt so ashamed of my skin wore long sleaved t shirts with elastic bands at the wrists and another over to top otherwise I would leave a trail of skin everywhere. (I’ve never told anyone that before!) tendon problems from early 20s again began during pregnancy. Joints generally got worse it I was put on MTX July '11. Psoriasis was treated finally in 2010 by UVB light therapy and a steriod based cream Dovobet and cleared within 12 weeks. Although some psoriasis is returning on my elbows and over SI joints its managable. There is stuff out there that works, we’ve just got to find it