Friday, May 6, 2011

Psoriatic Arthritis: A REAL Diagnosis at last???

In January I was sent to a new rheumatologist. Dr Youngblood sent me for a series of xrays, blood tests, urine tests, and frankly that was January so I'm not sure what else! I finally had my follow up appointment today. She was very nice and spent a lot of time with me. She had immediately thought what previous doctors had misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, peripheral neuropathy, and other miscellaneous  diseases, disorders whatever, as an inflammatory arthritis. The tests were to determine what type. 

The test ruled out lupus, which was another doctor's first instinct, and after tons of research mine too. But, lupus is in the inflammatory arthritis family. The tests did not determine which type of inflammatory arthritis, but confirmed the existence of general inflammatory arthritis. Including inflammation, of course, bone spurs heavily in my feet, ankles, sacroiliac joints, spine, and knuckles. The ones in my hands aren't so bad but there is also the presence of osteoarthritis. The bone spurs in my spine are creating bridges and fusing my spine together. Nothing that sounds like any fun! Apparently my elbows are showing early signs of psoriasis, which is why she thinks it is psoriatic arthritis. If it is not psoriatic arthritis, she said it is something close. She says there are too many possibilities to maybe narrow the diagnosis 100%.
Dr Youngblood prescribed new medication. Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.Sulfazine EC is also an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Plus, I have to start taking flexeril 3 times a day for rib spasms, trust me those are no fun! I'm not sure what treatment happens for the bone spurs, but this is a start. I go back in two months.
So lets all cross our fingers (if you can) and hope first, this diagnosis is finally accurate, and, second that the treatment helps. :)

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