It's been a long journey
I started having symptoms in my early 20's, maybe even earlier. I took NSAIDs for decades. People told me I was too young to have the pain I was describing. Massage helped, but of course, is not covered by insurance. The birth of my second child at 31 kicked the symptoms up another level. That's when the lower back pain started. I still only got NSAIDs from my doctor.
After moving and finding new doctors did I get referred to rheumatology. It took many negative bloodwork tests and 4 years to finally get my doctor to try a biologic. The first one didn't seem to help much. I started having severe lower back pain. In addition, my hands were going numb at night. I thought my swollen hands and feet were due to my blood pressure medication. One knee would swell and then the other. I've also been vitamin D deficient.
A psoriatic arthritis diagnosis
Two months ago things finally fell in place and my doctor diagnosed me with psoriatic arthritis at the age of 52. I'm now taking methotrexate and a different biologic. I'm hoping to find the right combination to get some pain relief and prevent long-term damage.
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