You may feel like your entire life changed without warning after getting diagnosed withpsoriatic arthritis.
And you might havea million questionsabout managing psoriatic arthritis, or you may feel completely numb.
And throughout your experience, you could encounter challenges that you did not anticipate.
Klaus Vedfelt / Getty
SELF spoke to four people with the condition to find out what they wished someone had told them.
Heres what they think you should know about managing psoriatic arthritis.
Finding a care team that makes you feel comfortable, heard, and validated is essential.
Many people with psoriatic arthritis see a rheumatologist to treat their condition.
She also speaks freely with her general practitioner about monitoring for psoriatic arthritis comorbidities, such ascardiovascular disease.
Finding a doctor you like can take some time.
Finding the right treatment can take trial, error, and persistence.
There aremany treatments availablethat can control psoriatic arthritis inflammation and minimize joint pain and damage.
Sometimes this happens, which understandably can make you feel hopeless.
Although Quinns current medication has effectively treated her psoriatic arthritis for three years, she cant help but worry.
I still wake up every day wondering if today is the day it stops working, she tells SELF.
(Treatment options includebiologicsand immunosuppressants.
Keep in mind that your treatment options may change over time based on new research and newly available therapies.
Talking to your insurance company can feel daunting when youre already dealing with so many other health-related things.
But Pellegrin encourages people not to give up, because she has had success in getting her medications approved.
(They also have advice on their website for how to appeal an insurance decision.)
Know that needing to rest doesnt make you lazy.
One of the less-discussed challenges of living with psoriatic arthritis is dealing with other peoples reactions.
Riese teaches pre-kindergarten, which can be exhausting enough on its own.
People will comment Oh, I wish I had time to take a nap.
Or people might say napping is lazy, but sometimes I dont have a choice, Riese tells SELF.
Connecting with people who have psoriatic arthritis can help you feel understood.
The value of advice and empathy from people who know exactly what youre going through cannot be overstated.
Thankfully, its easy to connect with others through Facebook groups or other social media platforms.
I haven’t completely accepted that Im technically disabled, she says.
But the advocacy and the volunteering gives me something to do and makes me feel useful, Seretti explains.
Be mindful of your limits whenever possible.
(Tasks might be sending an email, buying milk, or putting away one bit of clutter.)
That way, even if her psoriatic arthritis prevents her from doing bigger tasks, Pellegrin feels proactive.
It’s been a hard lesson to have grace with myself.
Additionally, she doesnt push herselfto be activewhen shes not feeling well.
I finally realized that I could say no.
I should not feel guilty for listening to my body, she says.
Chronic conditions dont go away.
