I started with psoriasis when I was 14 and then with psoriatic arthritis when I was in my late teens/early twenties. I had many treatments at first i.e. tar baths, coal tar cream, ultra violet light treatment 3 times a week, which helped a bit, but not a lot. The arthritis was not diagnosed until I was in my fifties. It has caused me many problems, and I have had it just about every joint. The worst being my back and my feet and hands. It causes agony when you have it, but fortunately it does come and go. At the moment I only have it in one wrist, and one shoulder, but I have to be careful of my back all the time. The best way I have found is to keep the joint warm and support it with a bandage if possible. My triggers seem to be stress and cold. The worse bout I had was after my Mum died, which was a very stressful time for me.
My skin has improved a lot over the years, but the arthritis has got worse, I have also developed an ectopic heartbeat over the last 4 years, which has landed me in hospital a couple of times, and am now wondering if its connected to the psoriasis. It will be interesting to hear what research says in the future.
I hope my story will be of help to others. I find it interesting to read other peoples' stories and to know I’m not alone. Thank you.
Submitted by a 65 year female living England