Hi everyone, I’m brand new and know so little about PsA. It ONLY took 7 months, 5 doctors and bunches of tests to finally get a diagnosis, and I still don’t want to believe it. I am curious if anyone else has PsA and MS, because I am so scared of taking yet another medication.
Welcome! I’m so sorry you have another disease to deal with! 5 months is really quick for a diagnosis. I don’t know much about MS… maybe someone else here will.
Welcome waysiek! I’m glad to hear that you had a pretty rapid diagnosis. Not so great that this is in addition to MS. My only suggestion is to work closely with your neurologist and your rheumatologist on what meds are best for you.
Well that just stinks BUT there is some GOOD news (I Hope) Finally lo these many months ocrelizumab has finally been approved. This is one of several humanized monoclonal antibody meds designed to target CD20-positive B cells. It has not only proven to be effective for MS but PsA as well. As the approval only came a few weeks ago, I’d be all over my docs about it. This is pretty exciting stuff (to me)
The cool thing is that Within 5 years, despite the fact alemtuzumab,which you prolly have experience with - or one similar, was working pretty well to treat MS. approximately 50% of patients got another autoimmune disease (like PsA) This med prevents that while at the same time treating both te MS and PsA
I’m glad you found us, while at the same time sorry you had to come looking 
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Thanks tnlamb.
Wow, you know a lot about MS treatments. I didn’t realize Ocrevus was effective for PsA also, but its side effects scare me
Thanks Stoney. I didn’t think 7 months was quick for a PsA Dx. My MS was diagnosed over 20 years ago in less than a month. I have so much to learn about PsA.
Thanks Cynthia. I have had MS for over 20 years, so I know a lot of about it, but don’t know anything about PsA, so I have a lot to learn.
Some people it’s taken years and even decades to get a diagnosis. My mom was diagnosed after at least 15 years of damage. I was diagnosed super fast, but that’s not typical. And looking back, I’m thinking that most of my overuse injuries in my twenties were actually the start of this. I was diagnosed at 36 years old, when things suddenly got worse and more textbook. Except for the blood work, that’s all normal.
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