Control Issues While Living with Psoriatic Arthritis

I have been told, perhaps on more than one occasion, that I just might have some control issues. When it comes to my psoriatic arthritis - the assumption just may be right. I do my best to keep as much of my psoriatic arthritis management within my control.

So much is out of our control when we live with PsA

This means dietary changes and educated decisions. Of course, this is all said and good on paper because it always seems the majority of my symptoms are outside of my control. As someone who has been called out on said "control issues," feeling so out of control causes me to have severe and intense anxiety.

I can’t control my doctor, my family, or my friends

As much as I wish this wasn’t true, this has been one of the most difficult things to accept. I simply can’t control the thoughts, actions, or feelings of anyone- especially those of my doctors, family, and friends.

No matter how much I wish it were different at times, I can’t change how they see me, treat me, or even if they value me as a person or not. I can control who I allow to be in my life.

I can’t control if my insurance actually approves my medication

Yes, I know this is a major hurdle for most of us. Access to proper treatment is a total cluster - insurance, money, meds, all of it.

When the ultimate deciding factor of approval doesn’t lie within our own aching hands, the resulting stress and frustration are enough to send our over-alert bodies right over the edge. It isn’t fun, but I definitely count those endless phone calls and medical records as within my control and, therefore, a blessing to me. I can control how well I manage my records and nag my insurance.

I can’t control how quickly the pharmacy processes my medication

237 calls later, my new medication is finally shipped. Seriously, 237 calls. I sometimes wonder if I had only made 236 calls, would I still be waiting on my medicine? Maybe. Strike that, probably.

I can’t make them process my medications any faster. I can make sure to ask questions, complete all the forms quickly, and always remember to follow up with a phone call.

I can’t control how my body responds to medications

This one is by far the most frustrating for me. We finally get our hands on our medications, then wham, a random rash appears, or we have some hitherto unknown reaction, or we wait and wait, and nothing happens.

All so frustrating. And completely outside our control. I can do my best to manage my diet and cut out inflammatory foods, avoid products with allergens, and try to get my daily physical therapy completed.

Feeling out of control with psoriatic arthritis is beyond frustrating

One thing that I’ve learned in living with my disease, and pretty much all of life, is that while there are an infinite amount of things outside my control, there is one thing that will always be within my control, and that is how I respond to the myriad of things I can’t control.

I know that many of us know that, but in my experience, with all the brain fog and amid the general PsA party, I often forget. So here is your daily reminder: Control what you can, let go of the rest, and always remember to be kind to yourself and others.