The Difficulty Of Sharing Psoriatic Arthritis Pain Management Plans

Discussing the management of psoriatic arthritis can be difficult. When it comes to pain management, it isn’t as easy as telling someone to ice and keep their leg elevated for 20 minutes.

Pain management plans vary. Some include prescription medications, while others may be more focused on technological or natural therapies, or they could be a mashup of many forms of relief products and treatments.

A look at my own pain management plan

My PsA management plan is void of prescription medications. It is not that I am anti-medicine or anything like that, but that I experience adverse and allergic reactions to most drugs. With that being said, I spent the first decade of my PsA life battling medication side effects and reactions without the relief I reached in the second decade with natural and alternative options.

One plan does not fit all

Pain management is not a one size fits all kind of deal. There are so many factors to consider. After learning that there were five types of psoriatic arthritis, I finally understood how so many people with the same diagnosis and treatments could have such a vastly different experience from another.

Expecting the same pain management plan to work for all psoriatic arthritis patients is unrealistic. It is like telling me, an overweight and 50 something woman, that I will feel like I am 20 if I squeeze my body into an itsy bitsy bikini! That same bikini may look great on a toned and fit a 20-year-old, but it will not work on mine!

The differences in the areas we experience pain and the damage that occurs all require different remedies.

Not everyone has access to the same treatments

We do not live in a utopia where everyone has access to the same pain relief. There is no going and requesting what you want and receiving it at no cost. There is money to be made in pain relief products, whether they are pharmaceuticals, natural products, or high-tech treatments.

Insurance only covers so much. In regards to my pain relief plan, very little is covered by my insurance provider. My insurance provider only covers a few chiropractic adjustments annually.

The rest of the treatments and products that lower my pain come out of my pocket.

An effective pain management plan is complex

Many people, especially those who do not live with debilitating chronic pain, assume that all you need is one or two good medications, treatments, or therapies. I wish it were true! However, the reality is that an effective pain management program consists of a plethora of pain-relieving tools. And to be truly effective, it needs to be flexible to adjust to varying types of pain and flares.

My psoriatic arthritis pain management plan consists of over 50 different products, therapies, and treatments. Sharing that I relieve pain with cannabis is not enough. I use many strains in various forms, depending on the season, my current pain levels, and what is available. I also use PEMF therapy to combat inflammation surrounding my spine.

Although I use one device more than another, I use the other when another health condition requires that I decrease the level, but not the duration of therapy. Exercise is also an integral part of my PsA pain relief efforts. With that said, I never know when other conditions will require an extended amount of bed rest.

Listen to others, but listen to your body

Some day I will provide a complete list of everything I use to prevent and reduce chronic pain from psoriatic arthritis. But for now, I can tell you this: while I use and do a few core things, much of my plan fluctuates with my body’s needs.

It is good to talk to others. Learning what helps them may help you find that missing puzzle piece from your own pain management plan. Just remember that you may not have the same experience.