Ugh, my feet!

General Blog
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Long time no post, y'all, and I wish everyone a happy mid-October. Getting much cooler here in west Texas.

This PsA thing has been not terribly troublesome for a few months, but I've been having some foot troubles. A friend has been prodding me to see the rheum for a couple of weeks, and I will make a call tomorrow.

I don't know if this IS part of it. But I thought that I must maybe have a stress fracture of some sort in my right foot. The weird thing is that the pain varies. It's the top of my foot, mostly, but it's usually accompanied by other pains in that foot -- toes, outside of the foot, up into my ankle. Noticeable, noticeable swelling. Toes are swollen and painful at times.

I've told myself my weight is up, I'm holding fluid, I probably have a stress fracture... and then it started doing new things yesterday and today. Spread to the left foot and ankle. Hit me today in my left heel. Oh CRAP that hurt. Went away after a while. Until it did I seriously did not know how I would ever, ever wear a shoe with a heel in it again. Like getting electrocuted.

Tonight it's calmed down a bit, but I am swollen and my dang right foot hurts.

I have only had very transient symptoms before. You could say I'm a mild case? But I am in a period of intense personal stress -- both my aging parents have big issues, cancer, dementia -- no other family to help, and I'm working full time and trying to manage -- you know, stuff. And all I can think is that stress is maybe affecting me.

You want to know something not very ha-ha funny? I have always been very proud of not catching many respiratory or tummy bugs. Now all I can think is, SEE? My immune system kicks so much ass, it's evidently now kicking MY ass.

All joking aside, I'm fairly alarmed here. (Kudos if you catch the movie reference.) Also feeling pretty stupid, if you want the truth: DUH, yes, PsA can hit your feet, woman. I took some pictures. Will see about uploading one.

Glad this space is here to let us all vent some of this. I've been a rainy-weather poster here, only popping up when things get dicey, but it's time for me to start paying more attention.

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Hi Janissa,

Good for you for keeping your sense of humor! I cracked my rheumy up when I explained to him the tortured mental gymnastics I go through to explain away my symptoms. At the end of last winter I was in bad shape and I kept finding it hard to get my trousers over my hips. I, of course, immediately berated myself for consuming industrial quantities of cadbury mini eggs. I didn't want to accept that while I had visible swelling in my fingers, thumbs and toes that I might also have swollen hip joints, too. No, that couldn't be it. Must be the chocolate!

I feel for your feet. My fourth toe on my right foot just won't go back to its usual size. So now I embrace its deformed pudginess. And my right thumb joint has become the barometer for my disease. When it's swollen I tend to be a little easier on myself because if a tiny little joint can get so inflamed then there's no reason that my hips couldn't swell up such that my pants don't fit.

Sorry that you're seeing the direct link between stress and your disease. And I hope you find some good solutions for your parents. Elder care is TOUGH.

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Janissa, your friend is right. Get thee to the rheumie! I know what that all feels like, been there. Got the erosions. The story (sorry if I’ve inflicted this on you before) –
http://discussion.livingwithpsoriaticarthritis.org/profiles/blogs/listen-up-take-notes
I can also sympathize with the stress of eldercare. After several years of aches and pain and escalating eldercare crises (the most stressful period of my life) my Mom died on the day they discovered my foot erosions. My world imploded.
My disease attacked the joints of the mid-foot (my toes were only slightly affected). Atypical presentation for sure, but it happens. Last week, when I was at the PsA clinic, I witnessed my rheumatologist teaching the resident. He emphasized to her the importance of taking foot pain very seriously, and I was the proof of that.
Run, don’t walk to the rheumie. :wink:

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Janissa, I’m just looking back at your profile and your previous posts. What kind of treatment are you on at the moment? When was the last time you saw your rheumie?

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Hi Seenie -- I haven't been on any treatment yet. I had been doing all right without -- Tylenol if needed (allergic to aspirin and NSAIDs), and had a very bad reaction to gabapentin about ten years ago, so wasn't able to take that. I really felt okay, honestly, nothing unbearable. I had to reschedule my last appt, but have one coming up next month. I will call and see if they can get me in sooner. Of all things, my foot got better today -- confusing as all get-out -- but the swelling is still there, and it isn't painless, just not as bad as previously. Anyway, we'll see what he says when I get in there. -- Now going to read your link!

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My latest foot fun with the PsA has been swelling in the pad of the ball of my foot. Last weekend my foot was so swollen you could see the foot pad squeezing up between my toes! Ice water soaks are a great friend. Fortunately I am better now.

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Hi Janeautiu -- thank you for your comment! Oh man, I have bursitis in my left hip right now, and I'm cringing for your hips. At least I think it's bursitis. It was dxed by an ortho doc two years ago in the OTHER hip as bursitis, so anyway. I find humor to be decent medicine, although I hide behind it a lot. Still, it beats crying, know what I mean? A friend once cut out a cartoon and gave it to me -- it was a picture of a doctor at his desk, sign saying "Gerontologist," and the nurse coming in to say, "Your 92-year-old is here. He came with his parents." That's probably going to be me. *g*

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I have had SEVERE hip pain with the PsA. I thought bursitis as well. As a matter of a fact hip pain so severe I begged to go to the ER is what finally resulted in my first visit to a rheumatologist. Before I was diagnosed I thought I was crazy. One day my wrist wouldn't move and the next it was fine and my knee was swollen and then later that day I would have an immovable shoulder.

My doctor told me that the pain and inflammation skipping all around the body was classic PsA symptoms. There are certain joints, like my knees, hands and feet that are common problems, but sometimes I still get a wild wonky shoulder that makes me cry or an elbow twice it's normal size. All part of the autoimmune dysfunction fun.