Could this be psoriatic?
Posted Wed 12 Sep 2018 10.25 by Jenjen (edited Wed 12 Sep 2018 15.56 by Jenjen)
Hi there. I'm very new to this forum but I'm hoping someone may be able to shed some light for me. I'm 34 and have had scalp and nail psoriasis since my teens. I have also struggled with back pain for about 10 years which a physio told me was sciatica. Last summer I began experiencing joint pain over my entire body, I couldn't walk well or move, and was extremely fatigued. I saw a rheumatologist who advised that because my bloods came back clear it wasn't RA and that due to my children having had 'slapped cheek' which can cause joint pain in adults he put it down to this as reactive arthritis. He gave me naproxen and said it should be fine with no lasting damage and pain go away within 12 months.. It's been 13 months and although the pain isn't as severe all over, I'm still getting bad pain in my feet and back. I put my back down to sciatica but the pain is in different places and my thumb has started to hurt again. In the last few weeks my scalp psoriasis has flared up too. I didn't tell my rheumatologist about my psoriasis because I wasn't aware it could be connected. Now I'm concerned the reactive arthritis was a misdiagnosis. My sister, grandad and uncle all have psoriasis too in comparison there's is much worse than mine. Am I right in thinking I need to make my rheumatologist aware of the psoriasis? And could this be psoriatic arthritis? I'm experiencing fatigue again too. Sorry for the long post. Thank you.
Posted Wed 12 Sep 2018 19.07 by Paul macbay (edited Wed 12 Sep 2018 19.11 by Paul macbay)
Hi. I'm Paul and I have had guttate & plaque psoriasis from the age of 4 and recently PSA which first started in my teens but was missed.
Hi.
From what you have described I would definitely let your rheumatologist know about the family history and your own psoriasis history. There is a graph I was shown by a PSA specialist rheumatologist and it illustrates there is a period from when you first have skin psoriasis to when you are most likely to develop PSA. If my memory serves me right you may well be in that peak time. The nail psoriasis too is one of the markers, along with non symmetric joint pain (one ankle not both for example) and a strong immediate family history of psoriasis. I've had symptoms for many years that I now realise is PSA, like in my teens I had severe heel and ankle pain that was put down to growing pains because nothing else would explain it (I have only just remembered I had this as it was 25years ago!! and it put me in that peak on the graph I mentioned). It's difficult to diagnose as can be similar to other types of rheumatic disease in the early stages. My rheumatologists have been excellent with investigating it very thouorghly before a treatment was decided on. I have just started methotrexate and it has begun to work on the joints and fatigue (skin psoriasis too) well. I just wish I was clued up years ago! Sorry for waffling on and the long long message but information is key I feel to getting the right diagnosis. I really wish you well for the future. Best wishes, Paul
Posted Thu 13 Sep 2018 10.49 by Jenjen
Hi Paul, thank you for your reply. I've left a message with the rheumatologist secretary so hoping they will contact me back soon. What you've said all makes sense to me, I often get the pain in just one side I'm having left wrist and thumb pain but not on my right. I'm also getting tingling/numbness in my toes. From what I've been reading it seems a struggle to diagnose! I'm glad your doctors got to the bottom of it for you and hope the methotrexate gives you relief for a good while!
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