Hey there! I've just been recently diagnosed with PsA. I've been dealing with Psoriasis for about 5 years now. I also struggle with Alopecia (autoimmune hair loss). I woke up a couple of months ago with knee swelling and pain. Within 2 days I couldn't walk. My GP sent me to an orthopedic who said oh you must have a meniscus tare in your knee. So I ended up having surgery in early November and while he was repairing the tare he noticed all this inflammation. He was sent to a rheumatologist who immediately put all of my symptoms together and ran a bunch of blood work. So here I am. Still in extreme pain and still on crutches. He's starting me on Humira and hopefully I'll get some relief soon!
Welcome to the group! Your story sounds pretty familiar. My rheumy was just recently telling me about a patient who had multiple knee surgeries, before getting a referral to the rheumy, so you're way ahead on that one. That's fantastic that your doctor is starting you on biologics right away. . . Early and aggressive treatment is ideal.
Of course, I'm wondering if the meniscus tear was just what was found when they did scans. You didn't do it in your sleep, so how did you wake up in that condition? Inflammation. The meniscus tear may have been an incidental finding, rather than the immediate cause of your knee pain and swelling.
Did your rheumy also explain that autoimmune diseases tend to run in groups? In other words, if your immune system is not functioning correctly, it may do it in multiple ways. Hence, the alopecia and PsA.
Thanks Stoney! Yeah that's exactly what he said. The tear was just something they happened to find. And yes, he did tell me autoimmune diseases run in groups. :)
Hi, welcome to the group. Similar to you I had PsA for about 5 years before being diagnosed. Very frustrating. I hope the surgery went well.