My PsA diagnosis journey

By kb69

Last Updated:

1 min read

I had a nasty trauma, in 2004 and onwards, until 2006. I then started with symptoms of extreme fatigue, painful lower back. The tiredness increased, and now both knees, and hips, one elbow, and lower back/pelvis.

Due to me being a Nurse in the NHS, for 32 years, I tend to try and continue, no matter want. But something kept wiping me out, I got Graves. Treated for that, but joints got worse. Have only just been diagnosed, still very raw, and am very shocked. I get a very fuzzy brain, struggle when exhausted, from long days at work. My words come out wrongly, it has caused, many rows... I get confused and angry easily.

Started prednisone... then the next stage .. just need some reassurance, please...

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Lori.Foster Community Admin

HI @kb69. I hope prednisone brings you some relief. As a nurse, I am sure you know that steroids are not a permanent solution. You will probably want to find a medication you can take regularly that slows the progress of PsA. I hope you get reassurance from members of the community. PsA is a strange disease. It impacts everyone differently. So, medications that help one person might not help another. Please keep that in mind if you here anything negative. One person's experience will not be your own. <a href="https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/advice-newly-diagnosed/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Here</a> is a wonderful article from our editorial team with some tips for people who are newly diagnosed. <a href="https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/newly-diagnosed-advice/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Here </a>is another article with advice from our advocates. I hope this helps. My mother and my sister both had/have Graves disease. It can be a challenging disease, but if you stay on top of it, it is very manageable. The difficultly will be in determining which symptoms are due to PsA and which are due to Graves. Unless it is clearly, PsA, it is often best to see both your rheumatologist and your endocrinologist first because untreated Graves disease can spiral quickly. I hope you are able to bring both diseases under control and that you soon feel less overwhelmed. My heart goes out you! - Lori (Team Member)
minelcannucciari Community Admin

Hi <inline-mention user-id="3294260" username="kb69" class="bp-suggestions-mention"/> , thank you for sharing your experiences. I'm glad you have a diagnosis and hopefully, that'll be a step in the right direction as you start treatment and hopefully get some relief. I wanted to let you know that I shared your story with folks in our Facebook page and a couple had some words of encouragement to share with you. Here's a link if you'd like to read: <a href='https://www.facebook.com/PsoriaticArthritisDotCom/posts/1285374158515105' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>https://www.facebook.com/PsoriaticArthritisDotCom/posts/1285374158515105</a>. Wishing you the best, Minel (Team Member)