Newbie

Hey Julie!

Welcome to the community!

It can feel very lonely living with chronic illnesses sometimes, but you are definitely not alone - we are here for you. So glad you found us 😀 If you feel like talking about how you are feeling will help, please do feel free to share here. I hope you will find this community a support.

I thought you may be interested in reading this article on the emotional impact of living with PsA: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/the-emotional-impact-of-living-with-psoriatic-arthritis/ And I'm not sure if you are aware but we have a sister site for psoriasis, which you can find here: https://plaquepsoriasis.com/

Please do stop by anytime you need to chat. Sending hugs your way!

- CathyD

Hello Julie!
I just wanted to piggyback on what CathyD said -- I'm really glad you found us and hopefully you will connect with others who will make this (seemingly never-ending) journey a little less lonely....

Anything in particular happen to stir up the emotions? Sometimes I find I go through cycles....and, for me, frustration is the common thread through all of it. If you need to vent, we're here.

Hello Rebecca,

You are so right about the never ending journey with having PsA and Psoriasis. I just recently started having pain in my right lung so I went in to see my Primary Care Provider. Was told I have Costocondritis, wwhich is a new symptom. It seems every few months or so that this disease keeps changing on me, and its very frustrating.

The hardest part of this disease is that it causes chronic pain, so I am not as active as I used to be, and my Rheumatologist will not prescribe Physical therapy until the PsA slows down a little.

It does scare me a little to because I have a comorbid called Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and so I cannot take any pain medication containing an opiate or it could kill me. The NSAIDs I am on provide little relief for pain, so I suffer in silence. I wonder what else this disease will do to me because it has already caused so many problem's.

Oh, Julie, I"m so sorry to hear that - - I truly hope this current "flare" calms down so you can at least get a little bit of relief.

I always say that until you've had chronic pain, you can't possibly understand the toll it takes (and full disclosure - I don't have PsA/P - I have a different type of chronic pain condition but I do have arthritis as well)...the toll it not only takes on your physical well being but your mind! Some days I feel like a frayed live wire! And people don't get it.

Since you are so restricted with the pain medication situation, are there any complementary treatments that you'd consider (if you haven't already, of course) or be able to try with your doctor's approval? I did try acupuncture for a while - and it was wonderful. But really expensive. I didn't continue with it mostly because of the cost.

I truly hope you don't get any more surprises coming your way...