Diagnosed This Morning

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.

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.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Psoriatic-Arthritis.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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CathyD Moderator
Hello <inline-mention user-id="3288061" username="billh"/> ! Welcome and thank you for sharing with us all. A new diagnosis is a LOT to take in, and you definitely have a lot going on there. How you are feeling is completely understandable. Hopefully I can share some information with you that will be helpful! This page on the "basics" of PsA may be a good place to start with piecing all of this together: <a href='https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-basics/' target='_blank'>https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-basics/</a> I am sure you'll recognise a lot of the symptoms there. You should be able to click through to read more if you are particularly interested in any of them. Additionally, I thought you may find some comfort in these words from one of our contributors: <a href='https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/dear-friend-newly-diagnosed/' target='_blank'>https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/dear-friend-newly-diagnosed/</a> You are not alone on this journey. This community is here for you. It sounds like your medication may be hydroxychloroquine/Plaquenil? If so, and if you're interested, we have some information on this medication, in this article under "antimalarial drugs": <a href='https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/medications/traditional-dmards-how-well-works-side-effects/' target='_blank'>https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/medications/traditional-dmards-how-well-works-side-effects/</a> We have a fair few members who are on/have been on this medication, so feel free to use the search function to look for others' experiences with it. I will stop there as I don't want to overwhelm you with information, but please reach out if you have any questions or would like information on anything else. How is the diagnosis settling with you now it's been a few days? Sending gentle hugs!! -Catherine, Community Moderator
1. billh Member
 Hi CathyD... You are correct that I am on Plaquenil today. It doesn’t seem to be doing much for the pain at this point. Especially in my hands, wrists and feet. I am to wait until first of August to allow a full three months for the Med to be at its best strength. Still fighting many other issues at the same time...totally exhausted mentally and physically
2. CathyD Moderator
 I hear you, <inline-mention user-id="3288061" username="billh"/> . There's the symptoms and then having to cope with the symptoms. Chronic illness can be incredibly draining. Sorry to hear you have so much going on at the moment. Unfortunately a lot of these medications can take a while to feel any/the full effects. I am on a different DMARD (methotrexate) and I can certainly empathise with having to wait to see results. Hang in there and remember that we're here for you on this journey. -Catherine, Community Moderator
billh Member
CathyD. Do you know what the HCL-B27 antigen means to me by having it? All of a sudden I am hearing I am very likely to develop additional autoimmune diseases. I now have PsA and Hashimoto Thyroiditis
1. CathyD Moderator
 Hey <inline-mention user-id="3288061" username="billh"/> , I know a little about HLA-B27 in the context of psoriatic arthritis, but I am by no means an expert! My understanding is that it increases the risk of a person developing certain rheumatic diseases (including psoriatic arthritis). I was able to find this journal article which lists these conditions in "Box 1": <a href='https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1079257/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1079257/</a> Addionally, people with the gene may be more likely to experience particular symptoms of a disease. For example, in psoriatic arthritis, HLA-B27 is associated with uveitis (<a href='https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-symptoms/eyes-red-pain-vision/' target='_blank'>https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-symptoms/eyes-red-pain-vision/</a>), enthesitis (<a href='https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-symptoms/tendons-ligaments/' target='_blank'>https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-symptoms/tendons-ligaments/</a>) and spinal involvement (<a href='https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-symptoms/spine/' target='_blank'>https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-symptoms/spine/</a>). Of course, having the gene does not guarantee these symptoms or any of the associated conditions. There are people with the gene who do not have any of the conditions/symptoms, and likewise people with the conditions/symptoms who test negative for HLA-B27. The final thing that I thought may be of interest is this article on why autoimmune diseases seem to "collect": <a href='https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/answers/autoimmune-conditions-collect/' target='_blank'>https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/answers/autoimmune-conditions-collect/</a> I would encourage you to discuss this more with your doctor - they should be able to give you much more information on this subject, and speak to your specific case. I would be really interested to hear their thoughts on this! -Catherine, Community Moderator
Jake Community Admin
Hi <inline-mention user-id="3288061" username="billh"/> - I simply wanted to check-in to see how things have been since you last shared here? How have you been managing with your symptoms? Thanks, - Jake (Psoriatic-Arthritis.com Team Member)

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