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Diagnosed This Morning

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By billh

2 min read

Hello!

My PsA story

I just created my account in hopes of learning more about PsA.

I was formally diagnosed 13 hours ago...but who is counting 😐. As of last September, I was checked out for inflammation via bloodwork and no sign of inflammation. I had to have bilateral knee replacements after three failed scopes last year and bilateral hip replacements last year as well. In 2014 & 2015 I had to have both rotator cuffs repaired. Since March of 2019, I have been diagnosed with 4 autoimmune diseases including Hashimoto Thyroiditis and now PsA. They ran a new blood test this round and it gave me an inflammation score of 38 (moderate). They ran another blood test that came back positive for the HLA-B27 antigen. She has started me on a medication that starts with "Hydro"...something and it will not be up to full strength in my system for another 8 weeks. She did x-rays on my hands, wrists, feet, and ankles to compare to the scan. My right foot has fluid build up, small veins, and affected nerves. I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot. The tendons in both of my elbows are a mess. The list goes on and on. My OA has damaged several discs in the lumbar area of my spine and I underwent an injection for it today.

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More about me

I am only 55...I have worked hard labor since I was 14 and I feel it caught up with me. I've never smoked a day in my life and have had less than 6 beers in my life (years ago when I was 17). I was just released by my employer last Friday and out on 26 weeks of long-term disability via company insurance. The company has filed a CPI on my behalf with social security for permanent disability. I have also been diagnosed with short-term memory loss, cognitive issues, and sleep disorders.

Any helpful thoughts?

I truly could use some feedback on how to break all of this down and make sense of it all. I truly feel like I have just been air-lifted to an island someplace and the only way off the island is through a maze. Thoughts and suggestions are certainly welcomed.

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