Fatigue and PSA

Posted Tue 1 Feb 2022 22.50 by Katherine

Hi, I have getting confusing messages about my diagnosis from the rheumo nurse I see. I think there is the underlying inference that she is unsure as to the correctness of the diagnosis. I have requested that I go back to my rheumo to discuss it with him. Anyway, I am quite lucky in that my pain is currently relatively mild and sporadic which is maybe what is creating the doubts in the rheumo nurse. However, one symptom that is relatively constant and not mild is my fatigue. I appreciate there are others who have worse fatigue but I suppose I just wondered if anyone else has fatigue as one of their strongest symptoms? It has also been suggested that I may have fibromyalgia as well but at the moment that feels more of a speculative diagnosis and I don't really have pain that fits that diagnosis. Also, do others have pain like mine that can be mild and sporadic? For example I only had a handful of occasions last year where I suffered stiffness and pain in my hips. The other areas I suffer from pain is my thigh, my inner knees and my heel. Again I only had heel pain on a handful of occasions last year. Pain in inner knees was more a heat sensation and both that and my thighs were more of a persistent symptom but started to become more here and there symptoms with less severity towards the latter part of the year. I also had my knee give way on a few occasions and this happened at the weekend with extreme sharp pain. I don't know if this is kind of presentation is common in the early stages of the condition? I have no swollen joints but have psoriasis on my skin and in my nails. Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.

Posted Mon 7 Feb 2022 15.29 by Samuzza

Sounds a bit similar to my situation. Hand rash and fatigue are causing me the most problems. I’ve had skin rashes since I was a kid. Cleared up late teens, then problems for 10 years. Early 30s started with a wee rash, which came and went, on the palm of my right hand. Disappeared for about 6-12 months during COVID lockdown before getting quite bad (both hands, all fingers) from September last year. Had biopsy and diagnosed with Psoriasis in January. Also, have some mild joint pains (hands, feet, lower and upper back). And really fatigued; lacking motivation to do things I was enjoyed. Can PsA come and go over very short periods, i.e days?

Posted Sat 12 Feb 2022 08.40 by Katherine

Hi Samuzza, Sorry for not responding sooner but I didn't get any notification there had been a reply and just happened to log in today. I am sorry to hear about your situation. I think fatigue can be a hard symptom to manage in itself. Have you actually been diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis?

Posted Mon 14 Feb 2022 17.54 by Modjim14

Hi Katherine, I have extreme fatigue too, I was diagnosed with PsA in 2017. I had the same pains and issues which concerns yourself thinking I was maybe misdiagnosed. For me the fatigue is probably the worst it really is debilitating some days, I have migrating pains which can be in my left elbow for so long then it's somewhere else. Although recently the pain has been lingering in certain places for a long time my right knee has been a highlight past two years, I had pain in my right Ankle for over 5 years up until recently it has been a lot better. It's a very strange condition , i also dont have much swelling anywhere apart from during my hands some days. Pain and stiffness is what affects me and the dreaded fatigue. It can be very difficult to get motivated but I just do things for 20 to 30 mins at at a time then have a break. Best to pace yourself, I used to work as a chef but had to give it up due to constant flare ups when I was busy, too much for me now looking to retrain as something else. Lower back cause me issues from time to Time, its usually the sacroilliac joints it affects. When they see psoriasis in your nails I think that is a major indicator for it I had it there and my scalp it raises the chances its PsA. I hope this helps James

Posted Mon 14 Feb 2022 22.15 by Katherine

Thanks James. It is good to hear that there are other people out there that have similar experiences to me. It is just very hard to make treatment decisions with this doubt. I have got an appointment through to see the rheumo at the end of March which is good. Sorry to hear about your job. I am lucky that I work from home and have a pretty understanding boss. I had to take a day off sick last December because of the fatigue and she was very good about it. Hope you manage to find something else.

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