Time to diagnosis

That's a tricky question.

Looking back, I likely had PsA symptoms going back to my late 30s and early 40s. I just didn't recognize them for what they were. But I wasn't diagnosed with it until age 47. I had a bad bout of bronchitis that resulted in chest pain that would not go away. That's what ultimately led to my initial diagnosis. But even then it wasn't clear because all my blood test levels were, and still are, within standard range. It took an MRI showing inflammation in my right wrist and hand for my new rheumatologist to confirm the diagnosis and start me on Humira.

It took about 40 years for them to finally diagnose me. I swear they don’t know what their doing half of them, sad but true

I hate to say I agree but my experience with PsA has lead me to believe that a great many doctors know less than I do. The good ones are few and far between.

So this may be just hopeful handwaving but how do they (I) know that I really have PsA? It's all based on a "clinical diagnosis" which means there is no real test for it. From what I read here, every one of us has different symptoms and some may, or may not resemble mine. So how do I know?

Yes, fatigue seems to be a common thread among us, beyond that... I have some soreness in my fingers but that's the only joints affected. My big one is the pain in my tendons. By mid afternoon my legs and sometimes my arms throb and become tender to massage. This is manageable during the day but impossible to sleep with. With no sleep, the vicious cycle begins.

But is it really PsA?