Living

Fatigue is a cruel beast that wreaks havoc in the lives of those of us who live with a chronic illness like psoriatic arthritis. It has no respect in regards...

The worst mistake I made while attempting to come up with an exercise program since being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis was trying to force my body to do what it...

Obviously, getting out of bed is probably the biggest struggle every single day. That is a given. But I am constantly surprised at how, even with medicine, there seem to...

Once upon a time going to the doctor meant that I just needed to list my symptoms and share how I have tried to treat them. That all changed after...

National Volunteer Week is April 23-29. This is a great time to help those in the psoriatic arthritis community in many ways: mentoring, starting a support group, getting involved in...

I used to think of my chronic conditions solely as my problem and not something that would also affect my family. While they slept, I was the one up all...

Prior to being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, I loved driving. I had the freedom to go wherever I wanted when I wanted. In the beginning of my chronic life, the...

You know you have psoriatic arthritis when you visit your rheumatologist more than you visit your family. Eventually, you really come to know and trust them, and this is especially...

Our family’s psoriatic arthritis story does not begin with me. It starts with my son who was diagnosed at age 4 with psoriasis and age 5 with juvenile psoriatic arthritis...

After being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, I expected to experience some level of physical pain on a daily basis. I also expected that I would have to make some changes...

Every caffeine aficionado knows a cup of Joe is so much more than freshly grounded coffee beans and boiling water. The unmistakable aroma of a morning coffee breathes life into...

I didn’t file for disability after receiving my diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. I had left the workforce 4 years prior to being a stay-at-home mom and we were living well...

Prior to being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, expressing my pain level to nurses and doctors was easy. The chart that rates pain on a scale from one to ten, with...

Before becoming chronically ill, every day was filled with some sort of activity. Some days were designated for cleaning or shopping, while others were filled with running the kids to...

When I was first diagnosed I felt like my life had been put on hold. Instead of moving forward in life, I waited for my doctors to prescribe a magic...

Dear family and friends, I know it has been painful for you to watch my independence decrease since becoming chronically ill. Trust me; it has been no walk in the...

Living with psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia is a lot like the movie Freaky Friday. In the movie a mother and her teenage daughter awake on a Friday morning and discover...

As with any unexpected hardship in life, a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) made me question, why me? What have I done to deserve this? Why did this happen to...

For most people vacations provide an escape from their everyday lives. It’s a time when they don’t have to follow a rigid schedule or stress over deadlines. It’s a time...

It seems like from symptom onset to getting some relief is spent in a never ending waiting game. Often, the first symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are simple to brush off...