This is minor, but I have never been at all prone to bruises: I just don’t get 'em. Yesterday, I doinked my knee with a chunk of wood (unintentionally, lol), and now I have a pretty fair bruise there. It doesn’t hurt at all, but it’s doing the blue-yellow thing. It’s about the size of a hen’s egg, but two-dimensional. Do PsA or the meds to treat it (enbrel, mtx) make one more susceptible to bruising?
P.S. I added an avatar/picture. It is of the actual Kutya, a mutt taken off the streets of San Juan who found his way, more or less legally, to New England. He’s crazy, but he’s a good boy.
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Prednisone and NSAIDs can both cause easy bruising. Honestly, I’m a bruised up mess right now, and am just finishing up a steroid taper. I keep finding new bruises with no memory of any sort of injury.
But you DID injure yourself. Why are you surprised that you’re bruised?
That said, a quick search yielded this from the Arthritis Foundation - http://blog.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/serious-arthritis-symptoms/ It does mention methotrexate in addition to the meds I already mentioned.
Yeah, I hadn’t thought of the NSAIDS. I am on the max dose of naproxen sodium each day. That’s probably it. I take so any d----d many pills these days, it’s hard to think of them all.
Yes I bruise up like prized boxer. Dog scratched my thigh yesterday afternoon just from excitement, the bruise is now covering a third of it this morning in shocking purple almost black!
The most COMMON cause just happens to be the disease. Every person has their own unique experience with psoriatic arthritis flare-ups. Something may cause a flare-up in one person but not in another. That’s why it’s important to track and log the triggers that set off your symptoms. Show the log to your doctor. Finding a link or pattern between certain activities and your psoriasis flare-ups can help control your outbreaks.
Common psoriatic arthritis triggers include the following.
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Skin trauma or injury: This might include cuts, bumps, bruises, scratches, scrapes, or infections. Prevent injuries by being careful when cooking, gardening, nail trimming, and shaving. Wear gloves and long sleeves when doing an activity that could potentially cause injury.
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Dry skin: Dry skin can cause a flare-up. Aim to keep skin hydrated with moisturizing lotions and creams.
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Sunburn: While sunshine is good for psoriasis, getting sunburned is not. Always carry a hat and sunscreen.
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Stress: Relaxation and stress reduction tactics such as yoga and meditation can alleviate stress and anxiety. Consider joining a psoriasis support group.
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Alcohol: In addition to potentially causing flare-ups, alcohol can interfere with the effectiveness of certain medications.
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Climate: Cold, dry weather that sucks the moisture out of your skin can worsen symptoms. Drying heat units also strip moisture from your skin. Additionally, the season’s lack of sunlight can trigger flare-ups (sunshine may improve psoriasis). Minimize your time spent in the cold and use a humidifier at home to add moisture to the air.
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Excess weight: Extra pounds can stress joints. Additionally, psoriasis plaques can develop in skin folds. People with psoriasis are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, which can be triggered by an unhealthy weight. Talk with your doctor about a diet and exercise plan.
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Smoking: Quitting might help clear your skin (and it’s good for your overall health anyway).
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Gluten: Research has found that this protein, which is found in some grains including rye, wheat, and barley, can aggravate psoriasis symptoms.
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Common infections: Thrush, strep throat, and upper respiratory infections are all potential triggers for a flare-up. See a doctor for treatment if you think you have one of these health conditions.
We tend to forget that in order to have Psoriatic Arthritis, one has psoriasis. Just because the P symptoms are the more easily controlled, doesn’t mean that disease is gone. The Koebner effect is Huge: http://www.papaa.org/articles/koebners-phenomenon Not to mention the P causes all manner of problems including bruising. If this is happening excessivley It may be a result of you meds… Not that the meds are causing it, but rather your meds are a bit behind the disease…
Injuries, even quite minor ones, do seem to trigger broader PsA problems for me. My worst flare seems to have been brought on by my having stabbed myself in the hand with a paring knife just over a year ago. Still, what are we to do? I’m hoping that the simple strain of effort will not trigger a similar problem going forward. I won’t accept that a risk-free, do-nothing life is my only option. A couple of days ago, I worked my butt off, and today I feel fine. I think I’ll draw my conclusions from that experience. The sort of caution which avoids, allegedly, all risk is not for me.
Like the mutt after whom I am named, I may be a little crazy, but I’m a good boy.
Its all relative isn’t it… I’m reminded of story that circulated around our ER for awhile. Guy comes in with a nail through his hand from a “nailer” They asked him what his pain level was. he said a three. The triage nurse said how can that be, mine is a five just looking at it. The guy said no, I had a five once. Nurse asks him what that was. He says well, I had nature call hunting last fall, and was squatting in a pile of leaves when suddenly a bear trap snapped catching the family jewels. Nurse said that sounds like a ten. he says noooo, the Ten was when I got to the end of the chain trying to get out of there…
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The Reverse Keobner effect on psoriasis can also be welcome. Or it was to me when I had it so bad in my teens.