What advice do you have for people experiencing grief over a new diagnosis?

In my experience I found it helpful to go ahead and grieve. It is a normal reaction. Then, do all you can to help yourself. Meds, rest, changes in daily actions may help. God has a purpose for you. He will help you.

Hello , I'm with you just go ahead and grieve. I have had psoriatic disease for over 5 decades now. My kids were 17 months apart and there were days I didn't think I could go on. You brought up some great points , face your diagnosis and life with PsA head-on. I had to develop an action plan, so I started by writing down questions for my doctor. Control what you can, such as eating right, exercising, and taking your medicines. We say this all the time, reduce stress, and one of my favorite things that I learned later on in life was to avoid people who are not supportive. Great question!!! Diane (Team Member)

For me I was doing OK until the second joint in my right thumb became severely damaged. Asked my rheumatologist about joint replacement, he said no can do it can only be fused. I left extremely down, guys don't cry. Depression turned to anger then determination, it's healthy thing to do.

After 9 years of being diagnosed I still find myself often forgetting my limits. At 38 years-old I find myself often depressed about my limitations and often experience myself grieving for who I once was and what I could once do. It’s hard to explain to my family and friends that I can’t experience certain things with them. For example we recently went camping with a group of friends and I forced myself to stay strong for the three days we were there hiking, tubing and having fun. However, they couldn’t understand why right after I had a big flare and could barely move for a week. People misconstrue age with arthritis. I have tried explaining PsA to others many times over the years. I often feel I need to hide my illnesses from others to feel accepted. My heart goes out to others who struggle with accepting it themselves too.