Just Another Hurdle Living With Psoriatic Arthritis
The longer that I live with psoriatic arthritis, it becomes very clear that just when I think I’ve gotten over one hurdle, several more pop up behind it. Lining the track of my life with one obstacle after another.
The hurdles and challenges of psoriatic arthritis
If I can get an accurate diagnosis, then I can get treatment. I used to think that getting a name and a diagnosis for the symptoms I was experiencing was more than half of the battle. I fought my way from doctor to doctor and took every test thrown at me.
A diagnosis was my goal. If I can just get over this hurdle, then I will be in the clear. I will finally be on the path to feeling better. Somehow, I figured that if I could figure out what exactly was going on, then I would be able to get treatment and move forward.
Treatment hurdle: Finding the right one
If I can just find the right treatment, then I’ll get better. Once the diagnosis hurdle is jumped, all my initial thoughts about the ease of finding a treatment and getting better go right out the window.
Every new treatment is a new hurdle, followed closely with tiny side effect hurdles, each one bigger and more difficult than the next. Finally, my new hurdle is to not only be able to access treatment, rather, but it is also finding the right treatment plan.
It is not longer about just getting treatment. Rather, each hurdle is at a different fork in the road. Whether you are looking into alternative, holistic, pharmaceutical or a combination of treatment choices, finding the right treatment can take years.
Once you’ve landed on it, your body may change and you might find yourself right back to square one. The hurdles don’t end with diagnosis or even treatment, they just continue on and on.
Support hurdle: Getting others to understand
If I can just get my support system to understand. Emotional and sometimes physical support and understanding are key to really thrive despite psoriatic arthritis. Once we’ve gotten over the hurdles of diagnosis and treatment we need to tackle the hurdle of finding a good support system.
PsA affects every facet of our lives. We must have an employer and work colleagues who understand what it means to live with a chronic illness. We need friends and family members who understand and know that we aren’t simply being “lazy.”
Nor do we find any delight in having to cancel plans for the millionth time. Getting over this hurdle can feel like another life long process. We think that if we can just find people who understand, then our lives with PsA would be so much easier. But if we are lucky to find them, then often our disease places new and unexpected hurdles in our way.
Disability hurdle: Applying for disability
If I can manage to win my application for disability. Perhaps you’ve reached a point in your psoriatic arthritis journey where work is no longer an option. Whether you are in need of short term or long term disability, this hurdle can is a giant one.
Navigating the paperwork alone is a full-time job. Not to mention the social and emotional stigma that goes along with it. You continue to tell yourself that if you can just make it over this hurdle, then you can focus on managing your disease for the rest of your life.
Somehow you talk yourself into believing that if you can get over this hurdle then there will be peace. But deep down you probably know that all there will be is just another hurdle. The race just continues on doing our best to get over one hurdle after another.
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