Living

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...

Motivating your family to help with household cleaning can be challenging. For people living with psoriatic arthritis, it can be difficult to ask for more help, or even tempting to...

I have seen hundreds of memes and blog posts asking those who don’t live with chronic pain to put themselves in our shoes. However, it is impossible to fully understand...

When I’m asked, “Are you okay?” I often find myself saying, “I have arthritis,” which downplays the severity of my psoriatic diseasediagnosis. This gives the impression that my shoulders or...

Prior to being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, I worked out stress free. While I enjoyed having company while exercising, I didn’t NEED to have someone there. Since my diagnosis of psoriatic...

I spend a lot of time at Disneyland. While I always expect to have a magical visit, I never expected that thrill rides would better provide lessons about living with...

Living with psoriatic arthritis isn’t easy. I risk increasing my pain level with everything I do. I have to laugh when someone suggests that I just don’t do the things...

Most people think of a dinner out with friends as a relaxing outing; however, it is anything but relaxing for someone who lives with a painful chronic condition. Instead of...