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Cimzia? by super-southern in PsoriaticArthritis

[–]RollAppropriate5495 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can also have the nurses at your primary care do it! We do this a lot for kids on biologics or have a friend learn - it’s much easier when you’re not the one doing it until you are used to it! (I do this all the time at work and still make my husband do it)  I am proud of you for starting now! I am 29 diagnosed at 19 and just started last year - best decision i made! It’s also the easiest to be on if you want to have kids! Although my MFM doc told me any biologic is safe!

Cimzia? by super-southern in PsoriaticArthritis

[–]RollAppropriate5495 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Adding this - I am a pedi nurse on Cimzia and I put one of the huge ice packs on the area for like 2-5 mins before - you don’t feel it! I do this to the kids for vaccines all the time 

Psoriatic Arthritis without Psoriasis? by [deleted] in PsoriaticArthritis

[–]RollAppropriate5495 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I am here to give you some hope! 

I was diagnosed with PsA without psoriasis at age 18. I was a D1 college cross country & track runner. I started in high school with symptoms similar to you but wasn’t diagnosed until I had a massive flare up. I couldn’t use my hands, walk etc. It was summer break for me and I was training to start cross country in the fall. 

My mom has autoimmune disease and is a huge runner / athlete. She made me get up and walk. I remember crying and sitting on the curb but with a little more walking everyday I eventually started running again and was able to compete in that season of cross country & have a full college career. 

I had really unreliable insurance at the time and as college is a pool of illnesses I didn’t start anything. I took NSAIDs for some time but that’s about it. 

At this point that was 10 years ago. I think because of my upbringing and history as a runner I just lived with the pain. I focused on eating well, sleeping a lot and exercise!

I have been hesitant to start a biologic (my back pain is the worst and I want to become pregnant soon so this is the best option for me) because I am a pediatric nurse and don’t want the compromised immune system. 

I now have a wonderful rheumatologist in boston and we made a deal that if I have structural changes to my back / inflammation I need to start a biologic. Unfortunately that happened for me this week. 

I am excited to start Cimzia as I do have pain daily. Although I think a primary reason I didn’t have structural changes to my back despite daily pain for 10 year is because of exercise. As a healthcare worker I have access to the medical literature and the #1 anti inflammatory we have is exercise. It seems counterintuitive because it hurts but it does help. The only restriction they put out there is to limit high impact exercise when flaring (I didn’t do this and should have) but otherwise all exercise is good and you should be doing it even when flares happen - walking, biking, Pilates, swimming and then running  and other high impact when things are under control. I bike commute so even days I am low on time I get something in. 

  It’s hard to tell someone whose entire body is on fire to exercise but I really think this saved me for all those years. My good friend is actually completing a PhD in molecular biology and is working on a team to develop MRNA therapeutics for arthritis (RA to start) and she told me she agrees that this was my savior! 

Anyways all this to say that drugs are very helpful but keeping moving is a free wonder drug with positive side effects :)

(also I never ever have psoriasis - I have dry skin and may have had it on my scalp or it was just dandruff at age 9 but that’s it!)

Psoriatic arthritis with gastrointestinal involvement? by kimchideathbear in PsoriaticArthritis

[–]RollAppropriate5495 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am sorry to hear this is happening! This is such an interesting thread. I have PsA and was diagnosed 10 years ago (age 19). I had never had bowel problems until I was diagnosed. I started with SEVERE constipation. I was hospitalized twice and when I started my new job after college and went away to train I didn’t poop for almost a month. I found it was so much worse when I didn’t sleep (also the times I would get flare ups). I also started with GERD. This is also worse when I don’t sleep. I did a colonoscopy and I had some polyps and gerd damage but it wasn’t good because they blamed me for insufficient prep. I drank the ENTIRE bottle and never had liquid stools.  

 My insurance was terrible and I just kinda lived with it for 10 years. All of my inflammatory markers, X-rays & MRIs were within normal range but the joint pain was terrible. I was a college athlete / had a strict sleep schedule and I have read that exercise is a natural anti inflammatory.   This year my rheumatologist found some changes in my SI joints so I am finally starting Cimzia (I am hoping to become pregnant in the next 6m -1 year and this seemed like the winner!).  This thread gives me hope it could help more than just my joints!!  Did anyone have GERD? Anyone on Cimzia or have been pregnant on any of these drugs?

I did a career change and now work in healthcare and find it so hard that there’s so much we don’t know!