Good morning Y’all!!
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted but here it goes.
Its been a year since I took myself off all the meds Otezla, tramadol, hydrocodone, etc, and heres a summary of my past year. In Oct of last year I was overweight(300 plus), In pain, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, liver and kidney number were shot from the meds and I turned 50 not a good month for me. I needed a change so I started by joining a gym, I stopped all the medications because it wasn’t getting me anywhere the pain was constant and I felt stuck.first step I changed was my diet by getting a nutritionist as well as a trainer through Lifetime Gym here in Texas. I won’t lie it sucked the first couple of months between the pain and the injuries from pushing to hard I almost quit a few time but I didn’t I fought through the injuries and by February of this year thinks changed. I started noticing less pain especially at night I wasn’t tossing and turning and I was able to get a full night sleep for the first time since diagnosed with psoriasis arthritis four years ago. I recently had my bloodwork done and I’m no longer type 2 diabetic, liver and kidney number were normal and I wasn’t in pain, sure there are those mornings I’m a little stiff but nothing like It use to be. I’m not telling anyone what they should or shouldn’t do but for me I was sick and tried of the cycle of medications,doctors visits and the pain and I had enough I took my life back and It was kinda nice. I will be 51 in a few weeks and I’m good I go go gym 2 to 3 times a week i’m still eating right and again I’m not telling anyone to stop taking meds but for me it’s working. I’m pain free for now with no sign of psoriasis. Have a blessed weekend folks.
wow, what a great journey you’ve shared! Congratulations on all of your progress! I am now 60 pounds overweight for my 5 ft 4 inch body, all of this since I was diagnosed 3 years ago. I swear, I think the simponi aria helped me to put on weight for some reason, although my doctor says it isn’t that. I am now on Otezla, which can cause you to lose weight evidently, but not for me! I am trying to up my game with exercise by buying an elliptical that I can do sitting in chair. Standing for any length of time is too painful on my joints in my feet- the mid foot joints for me have “severe bone erosions”, I suppose because the doctor wasn’t treating me for psoriatic arthritis for a long time. Anyway, thanks for your post, I am inspired to try again!
@Grizzwall is wonderful that you’ve had so much improvement. You’ve really put a ton of work into improving your health. That said, I would encourage anyone looking to make major changes, including med changes, to work with their doctor. The truth is that the disease modifying meds slow progression of joint damage. That plus a healthy diet and exercise can make a big difference.
It’s fantastic to hear that you’ve got your life back.
Foregoing meds is not for me, time has shown that I gradually get erosions even while feeling pretty well on meds. Maybe the rot set in during the long period before treatment began, or, more likely, PsA is still destructive though to a much lesser degree when the disease is well-controlled. I find it shocking that my feet - which have never been swollen and continue to do their job satisfactorily - nonetheless show erosions 7 years after diagnosis. Same in other joints, some of the damage has happened below the radar. So go careful, that’s all.
Regardless, the key thing here is that change can come, really, really stunning change. All the moaning I do … yet overall I’ve got my life back too and it’s wonderful. Don’t despair, Newbies.