Finding the Magic Formula

When I was little, I used to believe in fairies, magic, and pots of gold at the end of every rainbow. Somehow, when we grow up, we lose that sense of wonder and excitement in mystical things. Magic gets explained with slight of hand tricks and that pot of gold never seems to be found. When you live with psoriatic arthritis, finding that magical mix of medications, exercise, and sometimes dumb luck can be just as elusive as that pot of gold.

What is the magic formula for psoriatic arthritis?

With the days of “take this and you will feel better in the morning,” now firmly rooted in the past, it’s time to look forward and accept that there must be a multi-faceted approach to managing psoriatic arthritis. PsA is not a simple disease, it is complex and so must be our approach to managing it. But this begs the question, what is the best mix of meds, diet, movement, and rest?

How do comorbidities complicate things?

Chances are, if you have psoriatic arthritis, you are also managing multiple other diseases. Maybe it is fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis. Or perhaps it is a thyroid condition or endometriosis. Many symptoms, such as back pain or fatigue, overlap and it can be very difficult to sort out what symptoms belong to which disease. Furthermore, complicating things are environmental factors such as weather, stress, and even access to medications.

How do we find the magic formula?

So when you are juggling all these balls, trying to keep everything in the air without dropping these delicate orbs, how do we find that magical formula? You know the one I’m talking about. The magical formula that gives us more good days than bad. How do we find the perfect mix of everything to give us the best chance for a good day?

I wish the answer was simple. In a perfect world, I could give you a nice, neat 5-step-plan to achieve optimum health with PsA. Wouldn’t that be a great article! But the reality is that you and I both know that it isn’t that simple. We know that as much as we’d like there to be, there really is no such thing as a simple plan for psoriatic arthritis.

So what do we do?

We test, we tweak, and we track. Over and over again we make changes to our meds and monitor our progress. We pray that our doctors are knowledgeable enough to know what symptoms are part of our PsA and what belongs to any number of our other conditions. We up certain dosages and spend hours trying to interpret our bloodwork. All the time trying desperately to find the right mix.

Can I live "well" with psoriatic arthritis?

I used to think that I could “live well” with my psoriatic arthritis. But for me, I don’t think I will ever actually live “well.” But maybe, if I find the magic formula, I might just be able to live better. Better than I am now. Better health, better healing, just... better. That, I can accept.