The 7 Psins (Sins with a Silent P) of Psoriatic Arthritis

Ah, psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The autoimmune arthritis that no one seems to know about, let alone take seriously. If it had a mascot, it’d be a ninja—sneaky, unpredictable, and constantly attacking in ways you never saw coming.

Since every good chronic illness deserves a list of grievances, I present to you: The 7 Psins (yes, sins with a silent P) of Psoriatic Arthritis. Because let’s be honest, living with PsA feels like a constant test of patience, pain tolerance, and whether or not you can fake being fine when you really want to scream.

1. Joint pain

Let’s start with the obvious. PsA doesn’t just pick a joint and stick with it. Oh no, that would be too predictable. It prefers to play musical chairs with your body. One day, your fingers feel like they got caught in a car door. The next, your knee has decided it's starring in its own drama series. And if you thought you could just walk it off, congratulations! You just earned a first-class ticket to the Land of Regret.

2. Tendon pain

As if joint pain wasn’t enough, PsA also attacks your tendons and ligaments. That means your feet, heels, elbows, and anywhere else tendons exist (spoiler alert: they’re everywhere) can suddenly feel like you overdid it at the gym… except you didn’t go to the gym. You were just living your life, minding your business, and suddenly—BAM! It feels like you ran a marathon when all you did was stand up to get a snack.

3. Brain fog

You ever walk into a room and immediately forget why you’re there? Or try to have a conversation but halfway through, your brain just... logs off? That’s PsA brain fog, my friends. It’s like having a bad internet connection in your own head. Thoughts buffer, words disappear, and suddenly you find yourself staring at the fridge like it holds the answers to life’s biggest mysteries. Spoiler: it doesn’t.

4. Fatigue

Imagine you sleep for 10 hours, wake up, and still feel like you got hit by a truck. That’s PsA fatigue. No amount of rest seems to refill the energy tank. Coffee helps, but only so much. It’s the kind of exhaustion that makes you question if you’re secretly a phone stuck at 1% battery life—except plugging yourself in doesn’t work, and naps are just a cruel joke.

5. Unpredictability

PsA is that unreliable friend who says, “Let’s hang out!” and then ghosts you. You never know when a flare is coming, how long it will last, or which body part will be the next victim. Planning anything in advance feels like gambling. Will you feel okay that day? Or will you be glued to the couch, trying to remember what life was like before your body declared war on itself? Who knows! Spin the wheel and find out.

6. Lack of effective treatments

You’d think with all the advancements in medicine, there would be a surefire way to treat PsA, right? Ha! Not even close. Treatments range from “maybe this will work” to “good luck with those side effects.” Biologics, DMARDs, NSAIDs - pick your poison. And if you’re lucky enough to find something that helps, there’s always the possibility that your body will eventually decide it’s bored and stop responding. Yay, fun!

7. The best-kept secret

Sometimes I feel like no one knows about PsA. Out of all the autoimmune diseases, PsA is like the forgotten middle child. Most people have heard of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or lupus, but mention PsA and you’ll likely get a confused stare. Even some doctors treat it like a footnote in the arthritis world. It’s hard enough to explain that arthritis isn’t just an “old person’s disease.” Now try explaining that your skin condition is attacking your joints, and see how many people believe you. Spoiler: not many.

The final Psummation

Psoriatic arthritis is a relentless, sneaky, and downright rude disease. It messes with your joints, tendons, brain, energy, plans, treatment options, and, to top it all off, it’s so unknown that half the time, you have to give a full medical lecture just to get people to understand what you’re going through.

But here’s the thing—those of us living with PsA? We’re warriors. We deal with pain, exhaustion, and frustration on a daily basis and still find ways to keep going. So whether today is a good day, a bad day, or a PsA is ruining my life day, just know that you’re not alone.

And if you ever need to explain PsA to someone, feel free to send them this list. If nothing else, at least they’ll know why you’re constantly tired, sore, and trying to remember what you walked into the room for.