3 Years Since My Psoriatic Arthritis Diagnosis

I am 52 and was diagnosed in the fall of 2017. I never had any sign of psoriasis until that May. I had two spots. In June, I had a few more and was given topical meds. Then the end of June my body started falling apart.

Surgery with psoriatic arthritis

July comes and I tear the meniscus in my knee in two places and the surgeon told my husband I had “pencil in a cup.” Whoever heard of such a thing! Before ya know it I am covered head to toe with big red welts and my pain was unreal. I had Xrays and it showed I had no cartilage left in either knee. How did this happen? I was basically bedridden for 3 months until blood work was done and my C-Protein was 204. My PCP got me into a Rheumatologist.

Visiting a rheumatologist

She could not believe the blood test result and did it again. My inflammation was now 241. I need help to dress, shower, walk, etc. I figured I was dying and no one would listen to me until finally the blood work and Xrays proved what I had been saying. I was out of work for 4 months. I struggled to go back and made it 1 more yr and in the fall of 2018, I was at work crying from pain in my neck and head that just kept getting worse. The ER does a CT scan and it shows cervical spondylosis and more Xrays show degenerate spine disease.

Disability and psoriatic arthritis

My life as I knew it was gone. No more concerts and going on field trips with my granddaughters. Now I am fighting to prove I can not work. Social security disability and my long term policy say they know I can no longer do the work I have done in the past but I could do something. Now I am just so angry and hurt that after having no one listening and understanding when this disease first hit how much pain I was in. Now I am still having to prove. What more can they want? Ugh. I can’t remember a dang thing. I can concentrate on anything. Yep, I can work no problem. Maybe a job where they have a cot for me to take naps and put my feet up.

Why is it so hard for people to understand?