Psoriasis in all of the typical places. Ankles, knees, elbows, scalp. Spots on legs and torso. Hands, wrists and fingers. Finger and toe nails pitted and also patches under the nails. love those right? Like you smashed them with a hammer or slammed them in a car door? Several swollen fingers and joints. Foot pain best described as walking on half of a golf ball that is on fire. Hip pain that radiates from deep within down my right leg. Elbow pain as well as that wonderful tennis elbow feeling that comes and goes. Neck and back pain also. Feet and lower legs also feel hot at times and I get shooting, stabbing out of the blue white hot pains in my feet and toes. Left shoulder was repaired about five years ago. The rotator recovered, but the rest of me never really did. A mechanic for some thirty plus years. The body is not built for this profession. Anyway… since the shoulder I have been behind a desk. What scares me now is the fact that even typing is becoming more and more difficult. They frown upon the middle finger single digit poke I’m doing right now lol. There may be more but I am starting to feel like I’m complaining and that is certainly not me.
It’s not complaining to share the symptoms that are bugging you. It can help to know that others are going through the same things and also just writing these things down can be useful in terms of clarifying what is going on in your own mind.
Wondering what’s happening with treatment … I guess the main way forward lies with treatment decisions, including physio perhaps.
Don’t worry about that finger! If you get a handicap tag, there’s no room to advertise the 25 plus symptoms. When people give you the look seems like that symptom could come in handy. 
My list sounds just like yours. I was a boiler and commercial air conditioning journeyman for 36 years. I think there’s a thing called deep Koebners that might apply to people who do heavy mechanical work. If you have muscles or tendons that get athletic damage, I think the Psa zooms there. Confused by the normal inflammation repair and doesn’t shut off.
I seriously had to stop everything heavy. It just got worse and worse.
Sorry you’re dealing with all that.
@Dot you’re not kidding with the Koebners or with tendon damage. I switched biologics in late December so I’m in that gap waiting for the new one to kick in. I carried a couple of laundry baskets upstairs over the holidays and you’d think I’d been in training for the shot put. My forearms and elbows swelled up and were so horribly painful that while sitting through a play I had to make an impromptu sling for my left arm out of my winter scarf! Two days later and it was all better–until the next time.
I too think you’re onto something there, Dot.
First I’ve heard of Koebners Dot. Very interesting. My PsA has been so much worse since my rotator cuff surgery. You may find this interesting as well. I recall when my Mom was first diagnosed with arthritis - years later would learn likely PsA even back then…
A stay at home Mom who kept an immaculate house and loved to fiddle in the garden. One day she badly sprained an ankle. The ankle injury never seemed to heal. I remember her seeing several doctors before finally being diagnosed. Other joints quickly followed. Then the skin breakout was unbelievable. She would suffer with this the rest of her life. Having psoriasis I certainly have experienced Koebners(trauma leading to a new “spot”) I hadn’t known there was a name for it. So perhaps I’m not going crazy. It’s not in my head. This is a real thing. It even has a name.
Absolutely not, you are NOT imagining this or going crazy. This is not in your head! But I hear you: I remember feeling the same way myself after years of feeling awful while all the doc could offer was “lose weight, exercise, rest more, we all have sore feet, menopause … blah blah blah”. After enough of that, I stopped complaining, figured I was crazy and continued to imagine I was suffering.
You’ve come to the right place, Ritchie! We’re glad that you found us, and we hope that you will be too.
I started with a knee surgery at 50. My knees were bad at 32. I woke up, after surgery, with outrageous knee pain and shortly after had tennis elbow that wouldn’t go away, swollen everything, the bones disintegrated under my thumbs, my forearms were on fire, back, neck, knees still bad, crooked fingers that felt like someone hit them with hammers, rotator cuff tears, chondritis in the ribs and I felt like I was falling off my feet, I have fallen probably a dozen times, legs get unstable because of the tendons. Oh, and migraines and IBS. I was about to have two more surgeries and my rheum talked me out of it. I think if there is Trauma, everything goes berserk. I don’t know if deep Koebners is still a theory, but it’s sounds like the deal.
I’d have to really have to think about any other surgeries. Wow, it does sound crazy to start thinking about all the symptoms. It does feel like complaining. That’s why I keep coming back to this site. Everybody here gets it. I take Otezla as I have had either no response or serious reactions with about 6 biologics. It helps but still have most symptoms, some at a somewhat lessened severity. Especially helped fingers. Good luck Richie.
I so appreciate the information and support Seenie. I am glad I found my way here. I only wish I had “Googled” sooner.
Oh Dot…Such a rough ride for so many of us. Oh yes. The migraines. The burning forearms and shins. That feeling in fingers and toes best described as "smashed with a hammer"
I have been on Otezla for about 1-2 years now,please forgive the range as my memory is no where near what it was ( med side effects?) Otezla combined with Enstillar foam has helped my skin. Not clear, but smaller smoother patches. Dr. Recently changed me to Feldene when downing handfuls of Nabumetone where no longer helpful. The switch helped initially but it was short lived I guess- or I’m flairing for whatever reason. Thanks for the info Dot. Keep up the fight.
Hello Richiej3! I haven’t been posting or responding much as of late but to see another mechanic just like Dot I have to respond… I am a millwright and electrician so I relate to what you’re going through and Dot is right on about the Koebners and the effects our careers can have on us. I came very close to loosing my job when pSA reared its ugly head. Unable to reduce hours, job tasks or anything it continues to be a struggle for me daily but I have had a good run with Humira (fleeting lately) after failing dmards and enbrel and am only 42. I am now a single mom (pSA 1/2 to blame for that too) trying to keep up with with everything can get exhausting and mentally challenging when you see how easy others make it all happen. I just wanted to welcome you and let you know you are not alone by any means many of us really get it and we all need to “get it out” so never worry about seeming like a complainer here. It keeps us all sane!
Thanks Rachael. I cannot even imagine being a single Mom and dealing with this. Wishing you peace and strength.
Yes, smashed by a hammer…I also describe that feeling in the fingers as being crushed in a vice grips!!! (Or whatever that thing is called.)
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