Psoriatic arthritis?
I'm looking for help. I'm not sure if what I have is psoriatic arthritis and when I went to my GP about it, he said "Well, let's hope that doesn't happen again. we'll take x-rays and here's some prednisone." Gee, thanks. The prednisone didn't seem to help any more than aspirin. It was two main episodes of the knuckles in my middle finger down into the hand itself getting tender, warm, swollen and mobility diminished greatly over the course of the day. By the end of the day (each day, one hand went on Friday, the other on Monday) I couldn't lift, hold or basically use the hand for the weakness, pain and tenderness. By the next morning, it was tender but the main event was done. While they haven't been THAT bad since the initial flare up, I am still getting episodes of pain, limited mobility and swelling. I've had psoriasis for over 20 years and there is no apparent reason for my hands to suddenly start hurting like this. Especially like this. I'm pretty good with tolerating pain, through pregnancy, several abdominal surgeries, etc. I've only ever ranked pain as a 2 or 3 on those little signs the docs have, this was easily a 7 or 8. Any ideas? I'm already considering a new doc, the guy I've been seeing just seems to like prescribing pills without coming to conclusions first and this was the last straw.
, oh goodness, that sounds very painful. So sorry you've been struggling with all of this. Unfortunately, psoriasis is a risk factor for psoriatic arthritis - around 30% of people with psoriasis will go on to develop PsA. Have you had any thoughts on seeing a rheumatologist? They have the specialist knowledge that is required to recognise, diagnose and manage psoriatic arthritis (and other autoimmune diseases).
We have a few articles that I'm hoping will be helpful. The first two look at how PsA can affect the fingers (and toes): https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-symptoms/joints-fingers-toes and the hands: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/hand-symptoms The third article has some important information for navigating the diagnostic journey: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/diagnosis-trouble - in particular, knowing that PsA may not show in an X-ray or blood tests can be useful, especially as some doctors seem to have a tendency to dismiss patients based on the results of these assessments.
I really hope this information is helpful, and that others will chime in here with their thoughts and advice. Please feel welcome to reach out with any further questions. We're here for you on this journey. Warmly, -Catherine, Community Moderator
