Doing All The Right Things Does Not Guarantee A PsA Flare-Free Life

Do you want to know what frustrates me? It is aiming to do everything right to avoid a flare and still end up suffering.

First, let me clarify what doing everything right means. With no cure, there is no “right” way to treat psoriatic arthritis but there are things that many deem as the "right thing" to do to avoid flares. These include eating certain foods, pacing, exercising, getting enough sleep, using mobility aids when necessary, etc.

Flares can't always be avoided...

Even if I followed everyone’s best advice to the letter, I would still experience flares from psoriatic arthritis. I will listen to friends and family as they share what they think could have prevented my flares, but I also remind them of the following points...

Progression is real

Psoriatic arthritis is a progressive illness, meaning it gets worse over time. How fast and to what extent it progresses differs significantly between patients.

So while it may appear that someone is doing everything right, they could be experiencing a period of remission or have been living at a particular level for so long that they have learned to function well. Either way, at some point, the disease will progress, and flares will return.

Body changes

Since being diagnosed with psoriasis, fibromyalgia, psoriatic arthritis, and endometriosis, my body has gone through some significant changes. And I am not just talking about weight! Something I noticed soon before diagnosis was many new allergic reactions and sensitivities.

I suddenly found myself allergic to foods that I had eaten daily as a child. The worst was discovering that I was allergic to most antibiotics. Every year, a new allergy or sensitivity is added to my ever-growing list.

Allergic reactions and sensitivities to foods and medications were just one change. Another way my body has created issues with how I treat symptoms and pain is that drugs become ineffective after a few months and sometimes weeks. I cannot predict when my body will reject something that it once accepted.

Other health issues and injuries

It is hard to find someone who only has psoriatic arthritis. Most are like me and have multiple chronic conditions. Like PsA, none are curable, and each has its own agenda. Life becomes a game of dominoes. Each tile represents a pain source or symptom.

One by one, I line them up by addressing and treating them. Then BAM! Without warning, a new health issue or injury jumps on the table and knocks the tiles down.

Living with it is bad enough

To be clear, I do not use these reasons as an excuse not to do the “right” things because those things make my life easier in the long run. But friends and family need to understand that blaming someone for a flare is not appropriate.

Being told we are at fault makes it worse. While some things can be done to decrease pain and symptoms, a psoriatic arthritis patient could do absolutely nothing wrong and still suffer a severe flare tomorrow. How do you respond when someone that does not have PsA tries to “teach” you to avoid flares?