Greetings Everyone!

Hey there!

Just introducing myself and saying hello. I'm 31 years old, an actor and voiceover artist living in New York City.

Was diagnosed with PsA in 2005. Did methotrexate and Humira ... experienced stroke-like symptoms as a side effect of the Humira and ultimately had to discontinue treatment, despite experiencing a huge improvement in my pain profile. Currently I am self-medicating with ibuprofen and hoping that my liver and kidneys will forgive me some day.

About two years ago, I started to experience real trouble with mobility. Debilitating pain in my knees, ankles and feet. Basically, I can no longer walk without limping, stairs are an impossible task and I find it difficult to stand for more than 10 minutes.

Living in New York City, where it's a completely pedestrian lifestyle and being an actor - where I need to be on stage for 3 hours or at a television studio for 18 hours ... it's really, really started to impact my life in a big way.

I went to see an orthopedic surgeon in addition to the rheumy that I have been seeing since 2005. After some X-Rays and MRIs we discovered a few things. Firstly, my left knee joint has completely disintegrated ... there's almost nothing left there. And the right one is not looking much better. I am going to need a total knee replacement, probably in both very soon. To make matters worse, they also discovered that I have a coalition in my left foot - completely unrelated to the arthritis - but it's an extra bone, that I was born with, that has now essentially pushed my foot bones, heel, ankle and everything else connected to it out of alignment.

Talking about winning the orthopedic lottery.

I am a pasta loving Italian and come from a big family of yellers and eaters. I know that being overweight didn't cause my arthritis, but it is not helping matters. The surgeon suggested that I lose 80-100 pounds in order to set up my new replaced joints for success.

I am currently seeing a nutritionist/health coach - but I am really struggling with losing weight. For some reason, I am really having trouble connecting the fact that what I put in my mouth could eventually contribute to me walking again, feeling better and more importantly - walking around the city I love and working. (Come see me on Broadway in 3 years with my new bionic knee!)

So, I am looking for support, encouragement, tips and tricks, stories from anyone else who also had joint replacements about what I can do before, during and after to set myself up for success, and just a place to vent. Sometimes I feel like my body has just thrown me under the bus, but I know that's not a healthy attitude to have. We're in this together and we've got to take care of each other.

Anyway, that's me. So, hello!

Welcome! I’ve had inflammation in my knee for quite some time, and started having hip pain that was problematic last year. So far I’ve lost twenty pounds, but could definitely use to lose about twenty more. It won’t cure me, but it will ease the strain on my joints. Good for you that you are working on this.

I don't comment much but really connected with your post and I'm right there with you, as are so many others here!!!

"real trouble with mobility. Debilitating pain in my knees, ankles and feet" ... YES Some days I struggle just to stand up!

Knees disintegrated, needing total knee replacements soon --- YES

"trouble connecting the fact that what I put in my mouth could eventually contribute to me walking again, feeling better" -- YES I could feel so much better if I lost the weight, so what is my problem???!!!

" Sometimes I feel like my body has just thrown me under the bus" --- YES

Am I as young as you are--- NO, NO, NO, LOL!!!

"We're in this together and we've got to take care of each other. " YES, YES, YES

You have come to the right place. Everyone here is so full of information, and we are all going through the same things, just at different stages. It is so nice to come here and read and learn and know that we are not alone! Glad to see you!

Right you are. We are in this together, and we've got to take care of each other. Let me start by saying welcome (again!), and how sorry I am that you have to go through this at your age. That's a bummer, bigtime. It was bad enough at my age: my symptoms (fatigue, aching) started when I was forty-ish, and got worse with every birthday. I retired at 55 and celebrated by getting two total knee replacements. (Kind of like some people retire and buy and sports car, or retire and go on a cruise...ha ha ha) I was diagnosed with PsA at 60, when erosions appeared in my feet. I've since had one hip replaced and the other is on its last legs. I'm now on Enbrel. And you know what? I'm feeling better now than I've felt in about 15 years. My knees are strong, flexible and pain free, as is my hip. My feet, not so good right now, but I have faith that this too will improve. And you need to have faith too. I'm not saying joint replacements are easy, but they are generally very successful if you work hard at the rehab. You can do it, yes you can.

As for your weight problem, had you ever considered that this, too, might be a symptom of your PsA? Might you be self-medicating with food in response to pain and depression? Looking back on it, I was quite lean and fit until The Symptoms (fatigue, depression, aching joints) invaded my life. And if you read the scientific literature, there is a connection between PsA and being overweight. They suspect it's just one more wonderful benefit of our abundance of TNF-alpha flooding our bodies. (There's also a connection between PsA and depression, but that's a whole other story.) One thing that I can tell you is that since starting Enbrel, my depression has lifted, my cravings for carbohydrates has taken a nose-dive, and my appetite is much more under control than it has been for years. Don't know why, but I do know it's so.

Question for you, MizMarbs: your ortho has said you need a TKR, but what is your rheumatologist's plan for your PsA? What are you going to do to try to prevent further damage to your joints? Yes, weight loss would be good, and I'm not saying you shouldn't give it your best shot, but don't underestimate the terrible damage that this disease can do to your body. Not a pleasant warning, but an important one.

OK diet. Many of us have found that a low carbohydrate diet helps control our PsA symptoms. Sadly, symptom control doesn't mean that the disease is under control, but it does make life with PsA a bit easier. As well, there are supplements that some find helpful for symptom control. There's a whole section of this site devoted to Complementary Therapies. Silly me, why am I telling you that? You probably found it long ago.

Your body has thrown you under the bus ... yup, I can certainly relate to that. Mine has done the same. And after all the time, money and effort that I spent feeding it right and dressing it pretty, it's JUST NOT FAIR. But life isn't. You're in good company here.

So glad you're here with us, MizMarbs, even if it is under the bus! ;-)

Hi MizMarbs, I’m glad you found us here!
I’m around your age and totally relate to feeling like you’ve been run over by a bus!
I wish I had good diet tips to share. What seems to work for my husband hasn’t been working for me, and we eat really healthy. I am really starting to see that there may be a weight and Psa connection.
I hope you get a lot out of this community, it’s really great!

Hello MizMarbs! Welcome to what has been, for me and many, a wonderfully supportive and helpful community. Everyone will give you hints, tips, advice, friendship and support. No one will offer you a panacea.

Listen especially carefully to the moderators. They fulfill that role because of their significant experience and ability to dole out advice and suggest resources like no others. A prime example is the comment you’ve already received from Seenie who asks about your rheumatologist’s plan to fight your PSA. Orthopedic intervention is only a piece of the puzzle!

You’ll find a lot of folks have made dietary changes to try to decrease any additional inflammation in their bodies from food–hence the low carb/no carb and gluten free references. Some avoid red meat, others don’t touch dairy. The lesson is there’s no one right way to deal with any of your symptoms, but you will want to find your own way to address them all over time.

We’re all in this wild ride together. Buckle up!

Hi, Welcome to the group. I am confident you will find the support and encouragement here that you may need.

I am so, so sorry to hear of your recent struggles with PsA. Many of us here have similar issues and I know I've felt like I'd been run over by a bus many times. I'm in the process of finding meds to help with stopping the damage. I'm not there yet either.

So glad you are here :)

Sorry I just re-read your post and see you said “thrown under a bus” opposed to run over a bus. LOL forgive me, some serious exhaustion over here :wink: