PsA - One year from onset.
One year ago, I suddenly developed psoriatic arthritis from out of nowhere. Sure I've always had varying degrees of dandruff on my scalp and flaking skin in and around my ears, but I believe a viral event triggered a full-blown arthritic onset that I've been dealing with ever since.
My GP couldn't make head nor tail of what was going on, and to this day, says that what I believe was the trigger (the viral event) and the onset of the symptoms were purely coincidental. That is, my body was dealing with something I had not realized was going on until the full arthritic onset. Saying this didn't help, but he did do one thing right, and that was to refer me to a rheumatologist.
Meeting with a rheumatologist for my psoriatic arthritis
The rheumatologist was able to quickly deal with the symptoms and my blood inflammation markers began to reduce from above 17 to less than 1 over a short period of time. However, throughout the last year, I have experienced many flare-ups and my various medications were also playing havoc with my memory and physical wellness to the point where I haven't been able to go back to work.
He has been adjusting and changing my medications, but the side effects have continued to be debilitating, but slowly reducing in severity. He said that settling on the right medication will take time and that I would need to be patient. Other therapies such as meditation, exercise, dietary changes, and plenty of hot baths have also contributed.
Trying to stay positive
Being generally a glass-half-full type of guy, I know that I will eventually find a way to manage my PsA and get back to work and something like a life I had before onset. It also helps to have a supportive family who understands what I'm going through.
I know that 1 year in is early days yet, but I just wanted to put it out there that it's not all doom and gloom and that there is hope.
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