To those who weren’t diagnosed with psoriasis first:Were you diagnosed with Fibromyalgia before PsA?
What a great question,
! I hope that some of our community members who were diagnosed with Fibromyalgia prior to PsA can chime in with their experiences for you. Was this your personal experience? And was the Fibromyalgia a misdiagnosis or were you diagnosed with both?
I did also want to share this article from one of our advocates. While she wasn't diagnosed with Fibromyalgia first, she does have a diagnosis of both, https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/symptoms-fibromyalgia. Also, we do have this article about the difference between the two (and why they're often misdiagnosed, https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/clinical/fibro-difference.
I hope you can get some helpful feedback from the community here. Wishing you a gentle day! -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)Thank you so much.
I was diagnosed first with fibromyalgia in my late 20’s. Then in my mid 30’s I was diagnosed with sjogrens. I also developed facet arthritis and early onset degenerative disc disease in my late 30’s. In my early 40’s I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. In my late 40’s-early 50’s I started getting rashes on my hands. They would peel and bleed very painful. Then I developed rashes under my eyes it was horrible. Was referred to a dermatologist she did allergy testing. Nothing then she diagnosed me with psoriasis. I was put on Acitretin . While I was working about a month after starting it my thumb started hurting and swelling. It was Huge by the time I got off. I went to urgent care and even though I had no cut or scratch etc… I had developed an infection inside of my thumb, which needed lanced and soaked several x a day. The doctor said the new medication I had been taking had probably caused it. He told me he was almost positive I had psoriatic arthritis and sent me to a rheumatologist ( I had stopped seeing one several years earlier) I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. I developed it the less common way by getting arthritis first and then developing the psoriasis many years later. Some of the arthritis I had at that time my Primary had attributed it to osteoarthritis. I did also have that but I also have the psoriatic also.
Wow,
, you have had quite the medical experience starting in your late 20s. As you point out, it is less common, but is possible to develop psoriatic arthritis before (or even without) the skin symptoms of psoriasis.
How unfortunate that the medication that was supposed to help the psoriasis ended up causing an infection in your thumb! That sounds like it was incredibly painful.
How are you managing currently? Is your PsA and psoriasis feeling fairly well managed? How about the other various conditions you're managing?
Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
Right now my psoriasis keeps wanting to pop up on my face, under my eyes, in front of my L ear, behind both ears, scalp, neck and my hair line on back of my neck. My arthritis has been bad, fibromyalgia too. I’m having another nerve conduction test tomorrow. Checking issues in my neck and elbow.
Hi beadbabe61. I find it interesting that you were diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in your 30's. I had the same experience (now 73yrs old). I also have had facet arthritis starting around the same time with chronic radiculopathy. Right now I have severe facet disease with a large synovial cyst compressing the L5 nerve root. Hoping to avoid surgery.
I'm curious. Did you possibly have a problem with biceps tendinitis and/or frozen shoulder? I'm finding that my medical history is very similar to others with psoriatic arthritis.
You're the first person I heard of that had DDD at a young age. Thanks for sharing that.
I haven’t had that yet…. My facet arthritis is also severe. I’ve had surgery for spinal stenosis, several years later I had a 4 level fusion in my lower lumbar . I’ve also had a single fusion in my cervical.
It started in my lower lumbar and has just worked its way up my back. When I was younger people would tell me degenerative disc disease was normal…. Yea but not when you are in your 30’s. I was constantly asked by doctors if I had injured my back ever. Which I had not. Now I just hurt all the time.
