Did anyone else on here never experience psoriasis but suddenly develope PsA? I was 59 years old and developed psoriasis under the fingernails which lead them to the fact that I had PsA instead of osteoarthritis in my fingers. I had visited a tanning bed at least once every two weeks for about the last 15 years and was wondering if this is what kept it at bay since the problems started when I stopped doing that?
Oh yes, me! I had aches and pains for years. At age 59, finally got sent to a rheumatologist, who agreed that I had an inflammatory arthritis. She looked at my nails and commented on the pitting. It was so subtle, I hadn’t noticed. I also had “fungus” in my toenails. Dermatologist confirmed psoriasis, and voila, I have PsA.
Welcome to the club. Nice you’ve joined us, but sorry you’ve had to.
I too had the ache and pains then psorasis.
I had one spot of psoriasis on my knee, since I was a kid. That was really it. When I was 36 years old, the joint pain started. Although with all of the tendonitis that I had as a young adult, it does make me wonder, if that was really the start, and it just got worse after my second child was born.
Had they done imaging of your hands? They should have been able to tell the difference between osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis.
Me,too! I never realized I had Psorasis. My hands …actually my fingers, were damaged within a six year period and the doctors ( I think I saw six Rheum before a Dermatologist finally diagnosed my problem) finally told me they think it’s this condition. However, because it went untreated for so long, my hands are extremely deformed. Now they’ve recommended ENBREL but I’m so fearful of the side effects and wonder what good it will do me now? I have a lot of inflammation and pain but it seems helped by daily use of 3 mg of Prednisone …it’s just weird. But, yes…I didn’t have skin patches…aside from some cracking on my heels but I thought that was a common thing for lots of people.
My fingernails were terrible for years …curved in so I needed surgery to remove the outer edges on several, yet nobody ever said I had Psoriatic disease! And I had a build up under my nails…plaque?
i never noticed anything then around 2009 and the loss of my wife to cancer my entire body went haywire and then by some little known luck a Dr at the vet hospital had done extensive tests on me from xrays to lab work to bone scans and what was od is i have always known it was some form of something and since it has pretty much destroyed my life. there are days i go out in the yard do an hour or so of yard work simple things picking up sticks and riding the rider around well about 2 hours later i am worthless can't walk can hardly move and it lats for a few days. so answer to your question i only had a small area on the back of my hand that had psoriasis
ME. I got the soreness then the derm found psoriasis under my nails. &^@#$
My fingernails started to fall off, had so many nail scraping s to prove a fungus always came back negative. Finally after screaming at my primary that fingernails do not fall off for no reason ! Sent me to a thyroid dr. Who diagnosed me. When I think back on it I have had swelling and aches and pains but was told it was just getting old. You are not alone !
Hi,
I had a weird toenail (never thought anything of it) and just before the first major flare some spots in my scalp and behind my ears, then wham it hit. Now I have some very subtle pitting. I though I was the only one, I'm sorry that you've all suffered but I'm glad to hear I'm not alone
Nora, thanks for posting this blog entry! It’s so interesting to see all the people who had similar experiences. Clues that were missed. Dots that never got connected. I’m wishing that, many years ago, I’d screamed at my primary like Libby did! Fungus that doesn’t go away with repeated treatment isn’t fungus. Achy and sooooo tired at 45 doesn’t mean take ibuprofen. Etc. etc.
It says something about paying attention to our intuition, and being assertive with our docs.
Look after yourself!
I had a small dime-size patch on my arm that developed around age 40, oh, maybe a year before the joint pain started. Never had any skin problems at all until that time. And at the same time, on my two baby toe nails which developed what I thought was a fungal infection but wasn't of course. Never had anything before like this. It seems the psoriasis starts up in a new place when I under extreme and sustained (a month or longer) stress, not normal stress. I developed a big patch on my shin when my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Stress like that. Once it develops or takes hold on a part of my body, it never really goes away. It may ebb and flow from time to time but it remains a problem. I now have three parts of my body that are affected - 3 periods of extreme stress in 15 years (on my arm, my shin and now my hands). You're not alone.
Yes me to - also in my fifties. In hindsight I did have the occasional very tiny amount of psoriasis - some flakiness around my nose/ears that could have been anything. Since PsA started I have had some really techicolor nails.
I too was diagnosed with Fibro and PsA. Never had psoriasis..was then receiving Remicade by injection for about three weeks, and all of a sudden I broke out in psoriasis really bad. Was taken off Remicade and after it cleared up (took almost 2 years for scars to heal) I have never had it again....thank God! I am now on Predisone and Methotrexate. Before starting these two drugs, my husband had to lift me from my recliner and take me to the bathroom. The pain was so bad I thought I wanted to die, but still managed to go to work, asking God to help me put one foot in front of the other and get me through the day. I would then go home and fall into my chair and stay there all night and repeat the same everyday. These meds have been working very well for me, but again, everyone knows the side effects are awful down the road, so I don't know what the next step will be, if any. I am 65 yrs old, still working. This winter has not been as good to me as some.
Hope everyone feels better, praying for a cure!
Peggy
I haven’t had psoriasis anywhere or at least that’s what I thought…just prior of being diagnosed…the summer of 2010…I had small thin dark line on my big toe…then on both toes the nail was starting to lift up a bit…that’s it…I had pain in my joints that started in 2009…and by sept /2010 I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis…I believed my mother had both…and brother has only psoriasis…I’m currently on methotrexate and Humira…but it’s not working for me…I see my Rheumy in a month…so a long story short…except for the small toe thing I have had no psoriasis…just a lot of joint pain and fatigue.
I was diagnosed last September with PsA, I had the pitted nails, inflammation, etc. I'm 60 years old and never had psoriasis in my life until this last Monday when I noticed a 2" patch on my upper arm. My rheumy couldn't give me a definite diagnosis because I never had psoriasis(although my brother has it) but I guess she can now. Oh
Wow, I am so glad to see that there are others out there ! I started with osteo-arth, but my nails were so bad, I kept searching online for photos of fingers and nails, and voila ! I had never even heard of PsA, but my fingers looked just like the pictures online ! No psoriasis, but swelling, pitting,ridges and now they are going crooked.I stopped seeing that rheumy, when not only did he say it was osteo-arthritis, but when I asked where it might hit me next, he said "why do you worry about that " !!! Last time I saw him !
Yes , I have PsA (arthritis) but not Psoriasis. The onset of my PsA was sudden. Unless my symptoms were less noticeable or quiet & I just didnt notice.
In answer to the question whether the tanning bed kept away the PsA. I think PsA is triggered by something and could it be triggered by stopping tan bed use? I don't know. I know it's recommended to get out in the sun to help with the skin but in my case, sun exposure seems to make it worse. Have you returned to using the tanning bed to see if there's any improvement? It seems like many of us never had a history of skin problems before.
You do not need to have psoriasis to have PsA (arthritis)..and vice versa. With my PsA, I do not get the pitted nails. Just inflammation, swelling, and stabbing/shooting pains in my foot. Started in my foot and believe it is just in my foot, and pain elsewhere is frm the inflammation in my foot. Altho my pains are only manageable because they do not last long when they occur. It's a quick flash of pain that cripples me briefly then Im back to what I was doing. I have never had to take any pain medication for it.
I was diagnosed last yr at age 33 and like I said for me, it felt like it developed over night. I can remember the day the symptoms started, well not the actual day but symptoms just started one day, and did not develop over time. That's why for me they thought it was an injury or tendinitis or nerve damage. It was very strange. My MRI later confirmed PsA or RA as per my specialist But he has lately officially switched my diagnosis to PsA.
Nora, Oh my goodness, I thought I was the only one! Never had any skin problems however did have Plantar Facitis of foot, facet syndrome of sacral area, bursitis of hip and some finger swelling for the last 4 years. Doc said it was osteoarthritis. About 4 months ago I noted deep ridges on my nails and some pitting but wasn't too concerned until my nails started lifting and seperating along with 2 toenails. I had to tape my nail down just to work. I also noticed a weird odor to the skin on my hands that I had never noted before. When I went to the dermatologist he said this is "classic nail psoriasis" he pointed out my swollen fingers and toes and said it was PsA. Now all of the other joint issues make since except I've never had any skin lessions. I'd never even heard of this. He immediatly started talking about Humira and using words like progressive, chronic often debilitating illness. I thought I was going to pass out right then and there. That was just 2 weeks ago and I'm just starting to wrap my thoughts around this. I have an appointment in 4 days with a rheumatologist for a second opion on starting the Humira because that is such a serious drug. I'm kinda scared as I've never really been sick, I eat right and I'm a nurse, used to taking care of patients, not being one. Xrays of hands say global inflammation which favors PsA. This just can't be happening to me, I don't have the time for it and I know my body wouldn't do something so stupid as to attact it's own joints. Thanks for sharing as I don't want to be the only one that has had this happen, but I'm sorry it's you that shares this with me.