My PsA work life.

My PsA pains became obvious a few years after I first started working. I’ve always had manual jobs which involved lifting heavy objects, fitting engine parts, undoing and tightening nuts and bolts, I spent time kneeling and laying on cold hard floors.

After years of mainly elbow and finger pains I had to stop. I never understood how the other guys I worked with didn’t complain about the pain that I associated with the job.

It got to the point that I couldn’t even play darts because of the constant pain in my elbows.

I don’t remember when I first noticed the psoriasis, I didn’t suffer much but it was there, on my elbow, wrist, scalp and other unmentionable areas, I’d put on a moisturizer and live with it.

One autumn in the mid 1990s I was clearing leaves when I got sausage fingers.

Again I blamed the job, “It must be the repetitive strain." I strapped the fingers together and tried to carry on work.

This time the pain became so intense I had to see the doctor.

After a blood test I was referred to the rheumatologist and diagnosed with PsA. The drugs definitely helped, luckily I don’t seem to suffer side effects.

I got a driving job and carried on working. Sitting in the cab doesn’t help the back, I developed lower back pain, neck pain and when the pain in my wrist got so bad I couldn’t release the hand brake I had to give up working.

This year I have had possibly my worst few months since I was first diagnosed. The elbow pain is back with a vengeance, now I have chronic foot pains, and awful osteoarthritis in my knees. I get pain that hits hard then subsides in various joints.

I retired from working 6 years ago at the age of 52, due to my health.

Honestly I didn’t realise how sad I look until I wrote this down.