I was wondering at what age did everyone start having symptoms, to when they were diagnosed and how old they are now?
I’m pretty sure my symptoms started when I was a kid, I had pains in my wrists that kept me up at night.
Then as an adult, around 21 to now my neck has been very painful. I thought it must have been stress. My lower back started hurting when I was 27.
I was just diagnosed with axial PSA at 29.
Thank you in advance for your responses, I know it may not be easy to really pinpoint when it all started!
Well I was 12 the first time I remember putting my back out. I was 13 when I stated wearing orthotics. The tendinitis in my hands started by 16. 21 I developed a chronic pain condition after an accident. Went to my first rheumatologist in my late 20ies was told to live in pain and loose weight and quite my job. Lest feeling helpless. My first patch of psoriasis was diagnosed in my early 30ies. 35 was in a car accident. Since then I have had so joint problems and ankle and shoulder pain. It took my over a year to get my gp to send me back to a rheumatologist Then it took another year to be seen. At 38 I was diagnosed with PsA.
I was started on sulfasalizine then moved to Mtx pills then Mtx injections. And last week started Humira. I’m hopefull to be pain free one day
In between all that I have 3 special needs children. So life is never dull
Started getting Psoriasis on my elbows when I was 12 ish which slowly got worse and covered most areas of my body by the time I was about 25. Had my ankles bandaged quite often when I was a kid from about 7 or 8, cant actually remember any accidents just the pain and the bandages. Tendon problems first in my wrists from just after my first son was born 27 years ago. P continued to expand and get worse, shoulders wrists and ankles regularly caused me pain. MCP joint of my little finger swelled and caused pain from about 2004-5 Started to used NSAIDs as advised by GP, all blood test came back negative. Had swellings of several toes especially right big toe. Referred to rheumatologist in April 2011 due to foot swellings, and diagnosed with PsA
I was diagnosed at age 36. I have had joint issues since my early 20's, lots of tendinitis from "overuse", especially in my wrists. Ankle pain, knee pain. A touch of psoriasis since forever, maybe 10years old or so, and I can't remember ever not having Raynauds. Had back surgery at 25 years old for herniated disks. Don't know if that was unrelated. There was no accident.
I was diagnosed very fast, as I had sudden swellings of different fingers, that were excruciatingly painful. It came and went a few times, I went to the doctor, was immediately referred to a rheumatologist, and diagnosed on my first visit.
My PsA symptoms started when I was 35 or 36 yrs old, the same time I was diagnosed with Psoriasis. I was not diagnosed with PsA until I was 42. I think going undiagnosed is a serious problem and part of the reason why I have had so much trouble over the last couple years.
I was born with deformities in my ankles the doctor's called a "packaging problem". I am still not sure what that means. They casted me shortly after birth. I wiggled out of the casts. The doctors put them on tighter and after screaming for a few days my mother brought me back to the doctors. They removed the casts and I had gangrene in both feet. From then on they put my shoes in the wrong shoes in the hopes of straightening them out. I still have bent ankles. I developed rashes in childhood but no one knew what it was. I also had multiple falls with broken bones and ruptured tendons. At 21 I went to a dermatologist for the first time and was told the rashes were psoriasis. I had multiple tendonitis and bursitis and pulled muscles. I took myself to Rheumatology at age 50 and was diagnosed with PsA. I started the biologics. My symptoms were really not difficult until I went through menopause and took a desk job. Prior to that I was so athletic I really had few flares.
Mine started with severe uveitis at age 5, out of nowhere. I gained a cataract, had surgery for it, developed glaucoma, and dr's planned for me to go completely blind in both eyes (only happened in one eye). At age 7 the psoriasis broke out full body thanks to going off prednisone (for my eyes) too quickly. At 8 I started having stiff fingers and toes which worried the docs at Mayo Clinic who took a wait and see approach (I was an inpatient there for my severe psoriasis).
At 10 I couldn't get out of bed and was diagnosed with JRA (the only dx at the time for kids with arthritis) by the local pediatrician who had to get out his giant, thick medical reference book to make sure his hunch was correct. Then I was sent off to the pediatric rheumatology clinic in the local big city, Milwaukee, WI, where I spent the rest of my childhood visiting until I went off to college and changed to an "adult" rheumatologist in Madison, WI. I've never been without a rheumatologist. I've known mostly great ones, and only one horrible one. I've been very lucky to have informed, caring rheumy's my whole life.
There was debate during all those years whether I had juvenile onset PsA, or JRA. PsA was thought to be so much less severe than RA, and my disease was very severe, but with minimal deformity. Over the years as the understanding of PsA grew, some of my dr's started calling what I had PsA vs. JRA. Now it's obvious that's what it is, but at the time, PsA was not considered to have severe eye involvement, be so symmetrical (PsA was considered to be more asymmetrical), and full body (I've never had less that almost all of my joints affected at the same time). So my dr's didn't know what to make of me. I was always an interesting "teaching case" for everyone to crowd in and look at, at the various teaching hospitals / clinics I visited.
I'm 42 now. I've had a few remissions, but in general my PsA has stayed about the same my whole life. Severe, full body, eye involvement, and minimal deformity.
Looking back I remember several episodes of tendonitis that required cortisone injections in my early 30's. Back started to hurt a lot about 35 and it was ignored and chalked up to having kids and my be related to that. Finally saw a general doctor for routine stuff and I mentioned my back problems. She ordered the HLAB27 test and hand and foot xrays and that was that! Bingo!!! I think it was tough for them in the beginning as I don't have any skin or nail problems. At first it was thought to be AS or RA, but my Mom has PsA. I was officially diagnosed in 2012 (at 42) and did three months of MTX then on to Humira for the last year or so. Now about to start 2nd biologic, Stelara.
I was diagnosed at 36. My mom and I were discussing my childhood and both think that I've had it at least since I was four years old. My ankles, knees, or wrists would swell, and she'd assume I'd hurt them somehow (I was a very active, very adventurous child!).
I remember having a few sporadic symptoms in high school at age 16 & later during college. I was diagnosed after persistent symptoms at age 23. I am now 26.