What are your most common PsA symptoms?
It can change over time, but I'm curious to know: what are your most common psoriatic arthritis symptoms? What symptoms do you struggle with the most daily? How do you deal with them?
My daily challenges are fatigue and enthesitis. Some days the fatigue is enough to keep me at home in my pjs all day. Most days it is more manageable, as long as I'm realistic with my expectations and budget my energy accordingly. The enthesitis is tough to deal with, as I can't take anti-inflammatories. Gentle movement such as swimming, is helpful, as long as I'm cautious not to overdo. Monthly myofascial release massage also helps my tendons. It keeps my muscles from getting so locked up, making movement less painful for my tendons. As far as medications: Orencia and sulfasalazine help some, but not as much as I'd like. I also take low dose naltrexone at night, and it helps a lot! I sleep better most nights, and my pain is less overall. Before taking the LDN, I would have said that Complex Regional Pain Syndrome was a huge daily struggle for me. The LDN has pretty much eliminated the CRPS!
I am so sorry to hear the you've been met with the awful medical attitude of requiring severe damage before being prescribed treatment. It is an absolutely awful thing to have to accept, that poor hair care is dictated by a need to see us suffer first. I find it especially hard to stomach, because in most other areas of medicine that approach would be met with absolute disgust due to the risks to the patient!
My Doctor seems to think the Rhumatologists are hesitant to put people straight onto the biologics because of the potential risks like cancer & other illnesses we could get from lowering our immune systems to such degree. Maybe? But I also think they are just not believing what we actually have. The last one I went to said that yes he agreed that I had PsA when all the others did not! I was relieved because I thought finally I can get the right treatment!! How wrong was I😔
After he trialled me on sulfasalazine which he reluctantly prescribed to me in my first visit and then I had a very bad reaction to it anyway he said he wasn't going to trial any other DMARDS as I would probably react to them anyway. He wrote a report to my Doctor & in it wrote that on the day I had no inflammation!!!! Seriously!!!!! Does he have xray vision? No! So how could he see synovitis in my ankles, elbows, knees! Nit to mention the swelling in my back & neck & the pressure in my head that never goes away!!! How dare he say that!! For some reason they think that unless you have a big red swollen joint or joints then your PsA isn't active!!! Like the other one that said I couldn't have PsA unless I have Sacroililitis!! I think they all need to go back to university!! I'm actually thinking of not going back because he's not going to offer me anthing & just take my money!! My Doctor wants me to have a genetic test done so I can prove to them I have it & get them to give me the medication I so desperately need! Im holding off on trying the biologics
(found out they only work by being injected!) I will see if a genetic test is affordable & go from there. Untill then more opioids & xanax to keep me alive😮💨 Thank u all for your support. Ingrid
Thanks,
! I've been taking LDN for about 5 months. My PCP started me at 0.5 mg/day and gradually increased it every 2-4 weeks. I've been at my long-term dose of 3mg/day for almost 3 months now. The gradual increase worked well for me and deterred any side effects. I started feeling a little relief after only 3-4 weeks, and the improvements increased with the dosage. Before LDN, the nerve pain was crushing, and the affected areas (ankle, and wrist) would swell a lot and get very hot and red. All of that is completely gone. I can deal with everything else much better now without that additional pain! I hope this information can help someone else who lives with CRPS. It has reduced the PsA pain as well, but not as dramatically. 
That's amazing,
! I'm so happy for you!!💓 I hope this will be the start of a wonderful journey of finding more relief for yourself! Thank you so much for sharing with us, I hope you're having a lovely weekend💕 - Abigail, Team Member
My main symptoms are pain in my fingers and toes and not just the joint. They soft tissue aches. I also have chronic throbbing pain in my lower and hips.
soft tissue is awful. Hard to get relief 
It really is tough to get some relief, How are you managing at the moment?
- Clair ( Team Member)
I'm currently in physical therapy for my hip and back occupational therapy for my hands. It's been really helpful. 
, it's good to hear that the physical and occupational therapies have been helpful! I saw an occupational therapist for my hands too. They gave me some exercises to do which really help with stiff/swollen fingers, and some compression gloves which also seem to make a difference. Hoping you continue to find these therapies helpful! Please keep us posted if you can. Warmly, -Catherine, Community Moderator
