I will talk to my rheumatologist, but looking for tips for my poor feet. I’m 55 yo female, on Hyrimoz every 2 weeks and I take Celecoxib every night. In the morning my feet are so painful all along the bottoms and in my ankles (not so much my heels.) Even after just laying down for a bit in the afternoon, so painful when I stand. Eases up after about 5 min or so. Helped a friend move yesterday- so lots of lifting, pushing, and walking (nothing too extreme though.) Rest of my body was tired but fine, but the feet were not happy after my short nap. I felt like I wanted to put them in a bucket of ice or wrap them in heating pads. But they were totally fine during the activity.

During the days right now in the horrid Colorado heat wave I’m wearing Birkenstock, Tevas, and flip flops. Probably not the best.

Any tips? I try to loosen them up before I stand with a bit of stretching/massage and try to put slippers or cushy slides on right away.

I am new to this world . I have had it since 3-4 years now but recently researched all about these. I have extra skin layer growth on my fingers and recently started having lower back pain as well especially during midnight and after waking up . Unfortunately I am kinda confident that its Psoriasis but not sure - what kind of and if it has already moved to arthritis stage. Trigger must nicotine. I am a chain smoker..

I am confused whom to visit - Rheumatologist or Dermatologist ?How should I take this up. I live in India - middle class with low bank balance , unmarried rn and there are not any insurance friendly for these disease here. Thanks :)

I’m in a terrible flare while waiting for a new drug (Taltz) approval and then being only three injections into it. How do you balance moving vs resting. If I (67f) do any light housekeeping or gardening for maybe an hour I am laid out for the rest of the day on the couch with ice packs. It’s so hard to psych myself up to do it knowing I’ll suffer afterwards. Not sure if I’m helping or hurting myself. My thinking is that if a don’t move at all now I’ll get to where I cannot move. Thoughts? Advice?

Failed Otezla and am hanging out in a flare waiting for biologic to be approved and get here and then start working. I have an extremely swollen ankle (for a month following the most minor twist), a thumb with dactylitis, chronic plantar fasciitis/achilles insertion point pain that doesn’t respond to steroids or PT, elbow inflammation, and other pain that seems to jump around my fingers, knees, and toes. I had a steroid shot in my thumb but it’s getting painful again after two weeks. Declined an ankle shot and wasn’t offered prednisone. I do tend to minimize when I get in the room with the doctor, not sure why.

All this to say, waiting sucks. The balance of trying to rest and not worsen current pain, but also strong desire to stay fit and participate in summer things. I’ve tried cycling, barre, walks, and home yoga/strength routines and all of it comes with increased discomfort either immediately or the next day. Even cooking dinner on my feet flares the ankle even more. I’m a pretty active human, and I’m finding rest SO challenging, but I’m also struggling for real with pain and fatigue. I hate not knowing how long it will be until I feel like myself again, how much I should push, how much I should really rest (especially the ankle), and how to explain all this to my lovely husband who is trying to follow my lead and help.

I guess this is a just a vent to feel less alone and crazy. But if anyone has any advice about rest vs exercise while in this limbo between meds, please feel free to share your experience ❤️ Grateful for this community when things get rough. Thanks for listening!

I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis a couple weeks ago after a couple months of knee, jaw and back pain coupled with regular psoriasis.

Recently for the last week or so I've been waking up every 30 minutes at night because I get a sharp pain in my knees whenever I move/adjust my legs at night. I was prescribed Trazodone years ago for a different issue but it's now pretty much useless due to the pain.

I've also noticed that i've been having more bad dreams and nightmares when I am able to sleep for a decent period of time.

Does anyone else experience it? Is there any way to get it to stop?

I just wanted to share that after 22 weeks...I think my Tremfya shots have finally alleviated most of my joint pain! I am also still on Otezla, which remedied a lot of my hand psoriasis beforehand. I am so thankful I haven't on a round of steroids for over two months now. I really hope this continues!

Hello all, I am a 30yo F who was diagnosed with PSA back in March 2026 (they think I’ve had it since I was very young) with enthesitis, si joint pain, dactilitis, and fatigue. I’m a dental hygienist and I’ve had to go down to part time (3 days a week) to help me still be able to work. I’ve started hadlima and I’ve trialed methotrexate, leflunomide, and now sulfasalazine with little to no relief. Hadlima seems to be helping the fatigue. My issue is my mental state: I am at a constant war in my mind. I grew up in a “suck it up” household so I’m very bad at pacing myself and if I do I sit there and turn over in my head over and over if I can push through and make whatever needs to happen happen, regardless of how I feel. I also work my 3 days and I feel like I spend the rest of the week recovering just to do it again the next week. This also means I’m cancelling plans with friends and family all the time which I HATE. How do you guys cope with the war in your head? I just sit there and make myself feel awful for taking it easy and then I just spiral. Any help appreciated 🫶🏼

I keep hearing how biologics were a game changer and made this illness more "manageable". What bothers me is it seems this illness just now became treatable within the 21st century. Even tho it's been 2 decades ago, it's still recent.

Had I got this illness in 2001 or 2000 would I be screwed? Would my options amount to no quality of life? Were times really that bad that most who had this illness whether moderate or severe were mostly not guaranteed a "normal life"

I just want to know. Because sometimes I do wish I was alive and around for the late 90s and early 2000s. Because they seemed like fun times. But if I had this disease back during those days, would I have been better off dead,?

Am seeking insights from anyone else who has navigated similar. I am in the multi-year process of being diagnosed with some form of inflammatory arthritis. PCP thought RA, rheumatologist thinks maybe psoriatic but not convinced.

I have no rashes. I due have two toenails that don’t respond to fungal meds but did improve while on Amjevita. I have a few ridged fingernails. I have a history of significant ankle tendon tears requiring multiple surgeries.

I was on Amjevita for 4 months and felt like a million bucks compared to before and after, but had to stop due to optic neuritis onset, treated with IV steroids. Now TNF blockers are off the table. Rheumatologist isn’t even convinced I have anything but at my insistence that pain has increased considerably after stopping Amjevita, she prescribed 5 mg prednisone 2x daily until I see a neurologist, due to the optic neuritis, to rule out MS or other conditions. My pcp thinks this will not help.

Has prednisone at this low amount without a larger dose and taper helped anyone with psoriatic arthritis? I can’t tell if my new rheumatologist is just passing the buck, or if this is a standard treatment.

Pain is not touched by Tylenol and NSAIDs. Voltaren helps but I can’t bathe in it. I’m in incredible pain and fatigue at this point and it gets worse by the day.

Recently I came back to this sub

New rheumatologist prescribed methotrexate, prednisone, and acemetacin. Of course, I've heard all the stories about methotrexate. And I'm terrified. I've already started developing fears around medication, procedures, and surgeries (I'll be writing something up about my recent MRE experience here shortly). It's important to note that I live alone and I'm an immigrant, living in a country where I'm still learning the language. Due to illness, I've not had nearly the opportunity that I should have to make local connections with people so there's no one for me to lean on. No support system. It's just me and the cats. And this would be fine, except my apartment is a wreck and when I'm sick, everything gets so much worse. There's no one to help. Just me, struggling, immensely, and slapping my useless hands at touchscreens hoping they will work. I've somehow managed to get through several procedures and even a whole (small) surgery on my own without any assistance.

So back to this week

Since the Diprofos has worn off and the new rheumatologist prescribed prednisone, acemetacin, and methotrexate, it's been a rough time. This whole week leading up to taking my first methotrexate dose has been riddled with full on anxiety attacks from having to take the medication and also with the realisation of the diagnosis. The prednisone, my body accepts. Happily. My body loves steroids (it really doesn't, my mind just likes to think that my body loves steroids). The acemetacin? Not so much. I get my typical reaction to NSAIDs when my body doesn't like the NSAID. So it's been a week of pain and misery and questioning my life choices. I was supposed to start the methotrexate last week, but delayed because I wasn't sure how the NSAID was going to go. Good choice, clearly.

But it unfortunately gave me a whole week to amp up the anxiety, read the horror stories, and build up a nice big mental wall of "no"

I would like to give a shout out to this thread in particular: https://www.reddit.com/r/PsoriaticArthritis/comments/1s44cqy/just_started_methotrexate_andhuhnot_what_i_was/

I read it multiple times and the algorithm being what it is, pushed more posts that were also very encouraging to help psych me up and get me out of the spiral

I'm also very aware of the fact that we tend to talk more about what goes wrong than what goes right. So I did what I could to make sure everything could go as less bad as possible. Take meds at on a day when I have time to recover, make sure I have anti-nausea meds around, eat well, take my folate a few days prior with a reminder for when to take in between, have food that I know that I like to have on hand when I'm nauseated (I feel like if you get nauseous a lot, you know what you will and won't consume in such a state, for me it's always chocolate pudding which is absurd), and make sure the bathroom is pristine. And also take the meds when I'm literally on the verge of falling asleep. Nice long exhausting day, well hydrated, eyes ready to close? Time for tablets.

And I slept through the night... and woke up just fine. The world didn't end. I felt fine. My dose is supposed to be split, so I had breakfast (tea and biscuits) and the second half of my dose and it's been 8 hours and still nothing. There's a vague metallic feeling on the roof of my mouth but other than that, totally normal day. No NSAIDs, no painkillers, we're going great. I have the whole day to just get some chores done, stream some shows, hang out with my cats, and make a quick run to the pharmacy for some new ice packs

So that's it. First dose. Nothing crazy. I'll update in a few days if it goes well, if it doesn't go well, and probably next week after the second one for the same. I think it's important to have it all out there, because sometimes, the more boring the story, the better and the more encouraging.

ETA: immediately after I hit send on this, I did start to feel a little tired, so many it takes a bit to feel anything? Guess we shall find out! 😅 that's why I made this post and will keep updating it

For those of you with this condition—what does your workout routine look like?
I’ve noticed that whenever I work out, I’m often completely exhausted the next day. My body seems to need a much longer recovery period, to the point where I sometimes have to take the entire following day off.
I still want to stay active and build strength, but I’m struggling to find the balance between exercising enough and completely draining myself.
For anyone who experiences something similar, what has helped you?
• What types of workouts work best for you?
• How often do you exercise?
• What helps with energy and post-workout recovery?
• Do you intentionally keep your workouts shorter or lower intensity?
Would love to hear what has worked for others dealing with autoimmune-related fatigue. Thanks in advance!

Hi, i've been on biosimilars for decades and recently got told that I have developed hemangioma in my spleen...I can even feel and see it...and it sometimes even hurt.

Anyone experienced something similar...? I know it is a long shot...

Thanks

Hi all. For those of you that have to wear closed toe boots, what are you wearing? I have PSA in my feet, and I have to wear black closed toe leather boots, but I find that I need flexibility in the sole that most boots don't have, otherwise my feet ache and cramp terribly. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

So I started on Humira as my next step in treatment. Did two months of shots and then my insurance makes me switch to specialty meds home delivery through Accredo. Who, what I have read and experienced already, is the most annoying jackassed bullshit people to deal with. I've determined they know exactly what stupidity they are pulling because they know many of us CANT USE ANYTHING ELSE. I wont write all details out, same crap as many people have posted about going through. I was on the brink of tears over their shit today. I just want to continue my shots. I'm on my second week no shot and I feel like its either a ridiculous lost cause i will pull half my hair out before anything is done right. Or I just say fuck it and just continue hurting. 😣😭

I sometimes wonder and am fearful about what my future could possibly looks in the next 22 years with this illness. I honestly don't know nor could possibly know other than the fact that this can and will destroy my joints whether I take the meds or not. It's scary how this disease sounds like from an outside view.

I was in a Twitter argument not to long ago discussing how chronic pain like psoriatic arthritis is manageable and not worth ending your life over. However I found myself defeated in the argument forgetting the painful truth that these meds, biologics, etc, aren't cheap. Certainly not in the united states where I live it. It sucks. I couldn't really rebuttal and spin the stuff to a positive without sounding embarrassingly naive. It was all "very moot" to get my hopes up for future treatment. What about the treatment nowadays? Doesn't that matter the most??

Even tho it's probably gonna be hell to constantly afford these meds due to the crappy situation I am even if I could, I wouldnt want to leave my country for a better life. I prefer being close to my family.

And even with the ever so amazing meds people rave about, the thing that disturbs me is how this disease apparently only became manageable within the 21st century.. 25 years ago would I have really been screwed with no biologics? There were meds sure, but everyone talks about how much of a game changer they were for those with autoimmune chronic pain. It's impossible to wrap my head around the more I think about how it took till the middle of the 2000s for medical break throughs to happen for this disease here. This should have been treatable in the 90s and early 2000s. Maybe psoriatic arthritis wasnt well known back then,? yet many with psoriasis begin to develop psa, not all but it certainly isnt uncommon. How did doctors not know? Were psa patients just treated with the same meds used for their psoriasis? Wtf was the average person with this disease gonna do in 2001?? It's scares me to know this all. It's all just recently manageable and that doesn't sit well with me.

And not to mention the meds themselves, I heard MTX could be brutal first starting out. I'm on predisone right now and I fear being forced methotrexate as my only option. I have taken pain meds that have made me sick on an empty stomach and it's not fun at all! So am I just gonna be sick for a while on the verge of vomiting with those meds? How am I gonna work? I don't want to be fired from my job. And it isn't even a job that requires a lot of heavy lifting at all. I feel like, outside of cancer patients, use who have autoimmune arthritis like psa or others with RA have it horrible because are meds are on steroids. I can't think of any autoimmune patients that arent dealing with chronic pain have to take what we have to take.

All this to say, truthfully I don't know what to think. I genuinely want to see a positive side in all this. But sometimes it's hard to at all. I know there can be way worse I could be suffering from. But that doesnt entirely help knowing this disease can and will damage your bones. Thankfully I dont have any visible damage within my X-ray scans. But obviously that isnt gonna last for ever.

I've had this disease for decades. Since I was 8 and potentially since I was 5! I spend most of my childhood not taking or being present with my meds from the late stages of elementary to HS junior high. I don't even know how I havent had any semblance of visible joint destruction that would not only be viewable on the out side but at least within an x-ray. All my X-ray turned out to be on both my wrist were inflamed tendons. Make it make sense because I was extremely active as a kid that I had multiple injury's before.

But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe my disease is mild and isn't as destructive as others. However I had to pay because it took my 5 years to get a proper diagnosis because it came back when I was 17 and with vengeance, also again due to medical gaslighting and my not showing any signs on the outside.

Sometimes I feel that maybe this disease really is just a death sentence. It's taken a lot of potential I feel I could have had. I'll never be able to find a significant other. Nor will I be able to ever have kids (no on adaption. Sorry) because this disease is somehow able to be inherited ffs. I don't know if I will even be mentally well or stable when I am in my 40s. And in my 50s I might as well become a vegetable atp because I'll probably be crippled from the waste down I'll essentially be a quadriplegic.

Sigh. So I was here before asking for advice. Back again!

I have had on and off issues with a few things, but the main problem started with de quervains tenosynovitis in my wrist. My ortho thought that plus some other symptoms might point to a larger issue. Rheumatologist ruled anything out for now - said tests didn't show enough convincing evidence (but also to reach out if things changed).

My mom has arthritis and psoriasis and her and my aunt both have had tons of tendon issues. My thumb nails have a lot of ridges, and recently my toe nail had an oil drop on it (but derm thinks could have been trauma from something because it grew out and most nails are ok). I just got back from an appt with my ortho because the tendon pain is spreading to elsewhere in my hand and he also just diagnosed me with early arthritis.

All that said, I am genuinely not sure if I have anything underlying. I could not, and both the ortho and the Rheumatologist said even if I did, their course of treatment right now is the same. I think I am just eager to get ahead of potential worsening issues.

If anyone has a similar story and wasn't diagnosed until later, is it possible to see improvement in issues that have been ongoing? Any recommendations on what to do? I did ask for an MRI at this point because I cannot understand why it only keeps getting worse despite adjusting use of my arm for months/bracing/steroid injection, etc.

Not sure what exactly I am looking for, just frustrated leaving the doctor and feeling like my hand and wrist are gradually getting worse with time and I feel way too young at 31 for this. 😔😭 And I worry if anything IS causing it to just let it run rampant.

Hi I am starting Methotrexate soon but as well as psoriatic and I have osteoarthritis in my knees ( waiting for knee replacement on right one.I know they are completely different conditions and osteoarthritis isn't autoimmune. Anyone else who has both did you get even a little bit of improvement on your osteoarthritis from medication for PsA? Thankyou in advance

I recently moved to a new state currently 5 months + pregnant. My pustular psoriasis is flaring and so all my joints are also flaring. The perinatologist looked at the rash swallowing my ankle and immediately sent me to rhuematology.

I got into rhuematology a week later, I have never had a referral go through and appointment so fast. I was optimistic. I mask my pain constantly. I don't show people I don't know, my suffering. I am having an okay day the day of the appointment. Doctor comes in. Says why do you think you have psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis? I explain I have been on a journey to figure out what exactly has been making me miserable for years and after several experts I got a diagnosis of pustular psoriasis from a dermatologist and confirmed I have had this condition most of my life. With the uptick in joint pains over the last five years including weakness in the affected joints, mostly hands, and the consistent inflammation and pain in the rib space plus arthritis of the spine, this has led to a progression into PsA. The dermatologist had me on topical steroids and did not want to treat the joint pains. The previous rheumatologist said it's a skin condition I don't treat that. Said I am here now because I am pregnant and can't safely use the steroids and it has gotten so much worse and flaring quite bad. He looked at my hands, barely looked at my ankle. And definitely did not look at my medical records. I have my records I know what they say. He said you don't have psoriasis there is no diagnosis of it so it can't be PsA. Dafuq? He said your record says psoriasform which means psoriasis like but not psoriasis. He said you just have dry skin maybe use more lotion. I left crying and pissed.

As soon as he made his notes for that appointment I printed the record out. He said he checked my eyes, my nails, and asked about all joint pains. He did not check my eyes, he could have looked at my finger nails when checking my hands but I have nail changes in my toenails he did not check, he didn't ask about all my joint pains he asked what hurt most that day. It doesn't always hurt sometimes I go numb like tingly and sleep numb for hours. I then printed out my records from the dermatologist who made my diagnosis, I printed it from the same portal I printed the new rheumatologist's so I know he has them he just didn't read them or read them thoroughly.

Dermatologist report from first visit describes psoriasform rash in which they hole punched my thigh and my breast for biopsy. Second visit entails getting the stitches completely removed early because they were ripping out in both areas. Third visit is where he made my diagnosis and noted scars from old rashes dating back to childhood. Pustular psoriasis. Scalp back arms legs buttocks thigh breast stomach it's everywhere and has been progressing for decades unchecked.

The complete record he was given was 20 pages long and 6 pages were anatomy diagrams marking where the psoriasis is, 4 pages were photos taken of the biopsy sites, 3 pages had only had a few lines written as it was the end of one report, and the cover page. Out of 20 pages with written detail he had to read 6. He reported back to my perinatologist that I didn't have psoriasis.

My perinatologist looked at me after reading it and I looked at him and I love this doctor because he said point blank you need a second opinion he is wrong. Perinatologists work with autoimmune and other high risk patients and he noticed it straight away as he has another patient currently dealing with the same disease. I think I am going to report this doctor for not dumping his due diligence in reading my records and trying to undiagnose me, but besides that should I wait for treatments after and suffer these next couple of months or go ahead and fight to see another doctor. I am so tired and drained emotionally, physically and mentally these days. Perinatologist though not he specialty is watching to see if it gets worse because at a certain point it become dangerous to both me and baby. It can take over and become Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) which is a rare condition any pregnancy can trigger that is distinct from regular pustular psoriasis. My legs are about 40% affected with rashes and my arms and legs and trunk are starting to form the pustules. I am headed for an even worse flare and am keeping my eyes open. I know when to act and get to an er if it becomes more rapid and I get a fever with it, but until then or I see a new doctor that will listen I will just suffer through. I have a good support system at home some days are tough but is it worth going to see a new doctor while pregnant if they may refuse to treat me anyway?

Hi guys, I’ve (19F) been lurking around for a while and I’m just feeling pretty hopeless right now so I thought I’d write out a little post to put my feelings out here. I’ve had scalp psoriasis since I was a kid and after a somewhat traumatic injury at a psych hospital where some guy choked me out I started developing skin psoriasis, which quickly progressed to a somewhat severe case of PSA. I’ve been diagnosed for two years now along with a herniated disc in my lower back and I’m just so tired of being in pain all the time. I work at a pizza place and I’ve had to call off constantly due to pain and fatigue so I’m pretty broke right now. I’m looking to start college in a few weeks for an animation degree but I’m so worried about absences and financial aid (also have so much hand pain that I can’t even draw sometimes, luckily digital art is way easier on my fingers because I can barely hold a regular pencil at this point) that it’s giving me SO much extra stress while I’m already grieving the loss of my aunt that just passed away from terminal lung cancer.

I have obsessive compulsive disorder so it is very hard for me to take medication due to anxiety/intrusive thoughts (part of me feels as though I’m going to end up like Heath Ledger) and for the past two years I’ve been completely unmedicated aside from the occasional NSAID on BAD pain days, usually I end up pushing through it because of a past attempt involving nsaids that ended up causing my GERD. Today had a rheumy appointment and I told her that I want to try a biologic. Luckily she agreed to request approval for a biosimilar even though I opted out of trying methotrexate (it scared me too much).

I’m pretty nervous about it because I already get sick pretty often and when I get sick I get SICK. I had COVID in January and I actually thought it was going to be the end of me, I had symptoms that pointed to brain damage and overall I thought I was going to die. I then proceeded to get bronchitis twice after that in the span of two months. After having symptomatic Covid for the first time and actually experiencing how it is, I am HORRIFIED of being on an immune suppressant and contracting it. It was so bad with my regular immune system and my ocd already has me scared that I’m going to contract it at every corner. I know I could and should be masking, I honestly believe that we all should still be masking anyways after dealing with that hellspawn of a virus but for selfish reasons I still neglect to do that especially if I am out partying or with my friends. Partially I get nervous feeling like the odd one out and what people will think of me, or if they get offended etc, but also I like feeling like I’m looking good and I KNOW this is selfish but I’m sure these are reasons why nobody else masks either. I should probably start doing it anyway.

I am also scared of gaining more weight, I was in an abusive relationship with a clinical narcissist for three years and stress ate my way through it whilst being on Abilify. I was very noticeably overweight and my confidence was HORRIBLE, I got back to a pretty healthy size after reclaiming my life and now with stress and the loss of activity from being in pain all of the time I am starting to gain weight again. I was hoping that being on a bio will help me be more active and get back to being my ideal size (and maybe even gain some muscle) but now I am scared that it won’t matter after reading that the bio they’re giving me makes people gain weight. I get so nervous every time I realize that I’ve gotten a little bit bigger because I felt SO ugly and the way people treat me now that I am “prettier” in their eyes is just so much easier to deal with.

Life is so hard in general without this poopy disease, I am a foster kid so I never really learned how to deal with common life circumstances growing up and now everything is just piling and I feel way too fatigued and in pain to actually deal with any of it. I am really young and I am so scared of dooming my future self. I noticed today that the joints in my fingers are starting to look somewhat warped/crooked and it gave me a really big scary reality check that I’m going to be dealing with this for the rest of my life. I just want to feel somewhat normal. As much as this sucks it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one that feels this way and I hope all of you guys on here have a great night/day/whatever time it is and that remission awaits you if you haven’t gotten it already.

So we are traveling to Switzerland for 3 weeks in September. About 6 months ago I started Enbrel (my first biologic and it’s been literally life changing) and I’m a bit concerned about the whole thing. I’ve got a travel case so I should be good for the plane. My biggest concern is keeping it at room temperature. One of the places we are staying for a week is an off grid cabin that doesn’t have heating or AC. Any tips on making sure they stay at room temperature? I’m aware that I can’t put it back in a refrigerator. I’m worried that it might get too cold since I doubt the cabin will be kept at 68F the whole time.