Did you have little to no symptoms when diagnosed with PSA?
I was wondering if it is a real matter to catch PSA early so much symptoms only start to show up. Considering my current situation, when i am being diagnosed with PSA due to some blood work and symptoms and a questioned psoriasis by a dermatologist(they literally put a question mark on it), i am not much sure about whether there is a need in methotrexate treatment i was prescribed. Even though x rays came out to be fine as to what radiologist suggested(haven’t yet shown those to my rheumatologist), i feel strange come ‘n go pains located more or less in same places(right hand middle and pointer finger, right foot big toe, elbows), that mostly resolve as an apparent discomfort, rather than pain. My most noticeable symptom is fatigue- constant tiredness, not relieved by lack of stress, good sleep or change of diet or even my location which goes on for months. I was wondering if anyone had same or similar situation and it really did turn out to be the beginning- as of what i call symptoms i may feel to fit into what i read about the disease. That is much concerning. Thank you for your attention.
If you got diagnosed with PsA early on, with few to no symptoms, you are among the lucky few. Most of us had to suffer terribly for a matter of years before finally getting a diagnosis. The pain you are experiencing in your joints, in absence of radiological evidence, is likely synovitis, inflammation of the synovial lining of the joints. And this is often one of the first signs of joint involvement in PsA, and it can become quite painful. The decision of whether or not to go on MTX, or any other DMARD is one that can only be made by you, ideally after discussing it with your rheumatologist. If you feel your symptoms aren’t severe enough to warrant treatment with MTX, then you should have some sort of plan for dealing with your disease until such time as you feel DMARDs are needed.
I seem to have also been diagnosed quite early (at least compared with what I hear from a lot of people). I am 44, long term back pain with arthritis visible on scans but only started to suspect inflammatory arthritis when I developed tenosynovitis in my middle finger which did not respond to treatment, then had a flare of pain and fatigue at Christmas (knees, wrists, hands, spine). It lasted a couple of weeks. I only have mild psoriasis (not diagnosed, just a few red flakey bits on my face and bad dandruff). The biggest indicator for me has been the morning stiffness. Every morning I wake up feeling like someone has poured concrete into my veins. It takes 30 minutes to an hour to start moving properly. Since diagnosis I have had more and more frequent flares, so I am very glad to be being treated quite actively. If I were you, I would ask your rheumatologist to explain why you've been diagnosed and the benefits of early treatment.
