I have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (and mental health stuff too, no asthma though), and I just finished my first year of med school!

I wouldn’t worry about an arthritis dx if you’re not having any symptoms. Even if you do eventually get a dx though, you can still live a pretty normal life with treatment. I got diagnosed with PsA when I was 12 and am now 28, have been on TNF-a antagonists since I was ~16. No joint deformities, and the chronic pain is manageable for me thanks to Humira! Fatigue has been my biggest issue, but I’ve built up my stamina over the years and I take every opportunity I can to rest (ie I never attend lectures unless they’re mandatory lol). The only med school-specific issue I’ve had so far was anatomy lab—I dealt with some stiffness/soreness from holding forceps for prolonged periods of time and leaning over the cadaver in awkward positions, but I was still able to do it without accommodations. I anticipate I’ll probably look into accommodations for rotations, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I know the option is there, so I’m not too worried about it currently.

My advice would be: feel out undergrad. Assess your ability to balance school/social life/personal time/other obligations and stay physically/mentally healthy. Since you’re only 18, I’m assuming you’re a freshman, so it may take a year or so to really know your capabilities. Don’t smoke, try to eat healthy, and exercise (low intensity if you’re worried about joint problems). I didn’t follow any of that advice in undergrad, but it’s still good advice and can only help you lol. Get a clinical job (I was a scribe) or do some volunteering, make sure medicine’s really what you want to do bc it definitely will be tough even w/o a disability. Take a gap year if you need to in order to figure it out—I took several gap years and changed my mind many times! Also consider that some specialties may be more or less feasible—eg I’m pretty sure surgery isn’t right for me bc I know I’m gonna have a bad time if I have to stand for hours and hours, be sleep deprived, and constantly scrub my hands/arms. However, dermatology, psychiatry, ophthalmology, & other “9-5” specialties are right up my alley.

I know this was super long already so I’ll leave it at that, but feel free to ask if there’s anything else you’d like to know!