I’m 19 years old, but I’ve had psoriasis since the age of about 5. Until recently it’s only been an occasional rash on my elbow. Around 6 months ago I started noticing these bilateral elbow pains. I went to the doctor and they diagnosed me with Psoriatic Arthritis. Recently, due to problems back home as well as where I’m stationed at the moment, I’ve been under a great deal of stress. It seems as though the more stressed I become, the worse my psoriasis becomes. I now have outbreaks on both elbows, my abdomen, and my entire scalp. Also, since I’ve been stressed, my Arthritis has gotten worse. It’s in both elbows, my knee, and my back. Do you think they’re related to my stress? If so, why? Please use sources as well as I’d like to further research this myself.
Ok allow me to reiterate: I’m not looking for what can cure it. I’ve already been prescribed medicine. I’m wondering if it is directly related to my stress levels.

For the past 15 years , I have been living with psoriasis. I never really gave much thought about psoriatic arthritis until the past 2 years ago when I began to gradually start experiencing joint pain in my hands , knees, as well as my back ( although my hands are often more afflicted by the pain than any other part ).
Most of the joint pain in my hands have been located in the 2nd joint of my middle and ring fingers . Not so much in my left hand as it is in my right hand. My fingers are constantly swollen and it’s getting to the point where i suddenly drop things for seemingly no reason. My b/f gripes at me- says i’m trying to break my blackberry when in fact it literally falls out of my hand because i lose my grip without realizing. I’ve complained multiple times about the pain in my hands ( it hurts to hold a broom, to write … even to the point where i dread tying my childrens shoes.).
I don’t have health insurance and honestly i can’t afford medication – let alone going to the doctor right now. I was wondering if anyone out in this big big world has psoriatic arthritis and could tell me if my symptoms seem to be on track so I know if i really should try to see a dr or just try to cope with the pain. My b/f seems to think it’s carpal tunnel but – none of the symptoms match like i’ve seen of psoriatic arthritis. It has me very worried. I was also wondering if there happens to be a support group / community of people who live with this that i might join to speak with?

My husband was diagnosed with this a few weeks ago and we live up in Sequim, WA where it rains less, but still very damp. Does anyone know????

I suddenly developed swollen knees over the last 3 months – they have disabled me. I am 32. Can I take a job which requires constant walking? Or am I going to destroy the joints? The pain I can deal with.

If you’d seen me 5 years ago you wouldn’t believe me now..We were the ken and barbie couple w/ 2 beautiful girls, country club life…yada yada yada. NOW?…My husband is a dead beat dad, nowhere to be found, perhaps on the streets and addicted to CM. I stayed at home w/ our girls for 13 years so I have nothing to fall back on career wise. My inlaws are wealthy…yet the greediest ppl you’d ever meet and refuse to help us in any way. The only family I have is my mom who has been in the mortgage industry for over 30 years…so, you can only imagine how much she’s able to help us. I’m also unable to work due to an illness I’ve had for almost 5 years…psoriatic/spondilatic arthritis, which has taken me for everything I ever had in good health. I love my girls and they love me but I feel like I can’t go on 1 second longer like this. I’m only a $1 shy from being homeless. What can I do to help myself and my girls? (this is only a short version of a very messy situation that goes on)

at xmas i took really not well my back went then i felt pain in my finger joints and my knees i was totally freaked out went to the doctors he told me id be out of work for 3 months. Anyways i ended up being reffered to rhematology doctors who asked lots of past medical questions like do i get rashes in the sun i said well in the last few years i have been getting prickly heat and have become allergic to the sun and i also developed asthma over the past 2 years. He also told me that every year at winter i had attended the doctor who took blood test because i complain of the same thing in which i don’t remember prob cause the symptoms disappeared. He did blood test to test me for arthritis and xrays a mri on my back which showed 3 slipped disks and i am only 30, in the last 2 months i have developed psorisas on arms elbow and legs which i have never had in my life. The doc now says it could be psoratic arthiritis in which the tests have not showed but they said i should go back in a few months to get it checked. I am so worried and felling a bit low at the though of living my life like this can any1 give me any information. I am still in pain with my knees and back could it be somthing else.

I recently took my second set of shots on Stelera on 3/26/10 and since this past weekend I’m in full blown psoriasis out break. I was on Raptiva and Enbrel for the psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis until they took Raptiva off the market.

Sterela was meant to replace these other drugs and be the new treatment. I’m so disappointed and have no clue what to do. I’ve tried every drug and creams on the market to treat this disease and nothing but those two drugs I was previous on worked. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? My Dermatologist is out of town and saw his PA this week and she had nothing to offer me but cream for the itching.

My throat is swollen all the way around and bright red. if I rest for a while the pain is low and i just feel like somthing is caugth in my throat. After moving my head around or talking for a while or swollowing food or drink the swelling gets worse and the pain becomes worse. I have taken several different antibiotics for this and it had been flaring up every few weeks for several months. I have no fever, but I am short of breath, my mind is cloudy and i have pitting edema in my ankles and i am tierd. I have already had mono. I also have psoriatic arthritis and aparently asthma. I have been to two different docotrs about this and both gave me antibiotis after looking at the reddness. I feel like the readness is only a result of the hard time I have swollowing. My voice has changes as a result.