How did you get your Psoriatic Arthritis Diagnosis

I was having a lot of symptoms for 7 years prior to being diagnosed. I had horrible pains in my back, my joints would hurt all the time, I would be very stiff in the morning, I was sensitive to heat/sun, and I would pay the price if I spent a day in the sun with my kids. I finally had an inflammatory panel ran and my ANA and C-reactive protein was through the roof. I was referred to a Rheumatologist, and he ran even more labs and was very thorough and went through all of my history. He did tell me at my visit it was leaning more towards lupus just based off of our discussion, but I had psoriasis for about a year prior to that as well. My labs for lupus and RA were negative, but he said between my labs and my history I he diagnosed me with Psa. I have been seeing him for almost 2 years, and my health has improved a lot. I am not perfect and I still have bad days, but working with a Rheumatologist has been the best thing for me. I hope you are able to get answers!!

Morning stiffness that improves with movement is a classic sign. It might be worth pushing for that rheumatology referral regardless of blood markers, as PsA doesn't always show up there.