I have PsA, Primary Immune Deficiency Disease (PID), and fibromyalgia, so many of my symptoms overlap… I was 10 years old when I developed the first patch of psoriasis on my outer right ankle. Within weeks, I also had two huge patches on each knee. I thought I had “caught” something, as did my parents. It was diagnosed as everything from impetigo to poison ivy to a fungus…but never psoriasis! I remember as a young teen complaining about frequent headaches and chills/fever, but it was ignored for the most part and I just accepted the aches and swollen joints as part of life. I spent the biggest part of the time trying to cover up the huge ugly patches on my knees and ankle. The patches never appeared any other place on my body, but it was certainly embarrassing in a gym suit or shorts to a teenager!
When I was in my mid-20’s, I was working in Central America with a medical relief group for several years. I don’t remember exactly when the patches went away, but it was during that time. I attributed it to a healthier diet and weight. I did not have any psoriasis patches during the rest of my 20’s, 30’s, or early 40’s.
When I was 46, I contracted salmonella sepsis from a restaurant meal and became extremely ill. After 2 weeks in the hospital and great caregivers, I was on my way back. However, I never really got ‘back’… I have been sick since that time. I thought I was losing my mind because I never got back to my previous state of well-being, and numerous trips to several doctors didn’t explain what was happening. Finally, on a visit to my primary care physician, I had visible swelling and redness to the joints in my fingers. She referred me to a rheumy, who diagnosed me with PsA within 5 minutes of being in her office. I was so relieved that I was not losing my mind. This had a name now and we could finally get somewhere! But, that doesn’t always work out the way you think. After starting mtx, steroids, with little success, I moved through the biologics over the next few years, from Enbrel to Remicade. My body’s response to treatment was minimal improvement. That’s when further workup revealed PID.
Sidebar: I apologize for the long post, but I think it’s important to note that these things can be triggered (and aggravated) by stress. I’ve had two leading rheumy’s tell me that the stress to my body caused by the salmonella sepsis triggered my underlying diseases - the PID and inflammatory arthritis.
As for current day, I am on weekly immune globulin infusions for the PID, and the “boost” to my immune system to prevent me contracting another life-threatening bacterial infection, also causes my PsA to flare.
- Fatigue
- Sausage fingers/toes with redness and joint pain
- Chills & low-grade fever (evenings) followed by sweating
- GI upset
- Sensitive skin - redness, itching, sensitive to cold/heat, rashes
- Edema of hands and feet- to the point where skin splits
- Frequent tendonitis/bursitis shoulders, hips, hands, feet
- Plaque and inverse psoriasis located in various locations: top of left foot, ears, back, stomach, sensitive areas
- Rheumatic nodules on fingers, pitting/splitting nails
- Extreme sensitivity to changes in barometric pressure
- Pain - lots of it, all the time
- Difficulty ambulating more than a few hundred feet at a time due to pain in bones in feet
- Deep bone pain primarily in legs and shoulders, but occasionally in back
- Frequent muscle spasms
- Insomnia - caused by all of the above - just can’t get comfortable - and then causes #1, therefore starting the list all over again!
There are many other little nit-picky things, but these are the ones that are pretty much interfere with my ADL’s.
The hope is that after a year on the immune globulin, that my immune system will respond positively to arthritis treatment. We can always hope! That is my story and a big THANK YOU to Ben and everyone on this site that provide so much great information. It’s important to have a place to come and read stories similar to your own, especially at those times where you think you’re losing your mind with this disease!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Gentle hugs,
Sherri