In February of 2016, out of the blue, I started having body aches and pain that eventually led to my inability to walk without a rolling walker. After a short stay in the hospital, physical therapy, and close physician follow-up, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases can cause your immune system to attack healthy cells in your body by mistake and it can affect many parts of the body.
Collectively, autoimmune diseases are among the most prevalent diseases in the U.S., affecting more than 23.5 million Americans. They are more common among women, and while some are more prevalent among white people, others are more common among African-Americans and Hispanics. Some autoimmune diseases are life-threatening, and most are debilitating and require a lifetime of treatment. There are treatments available to reduce the symptoms and effects from many autoimmune diseases, but cures have yet to be discovered. Since most autoimmune diseases are rare, patients can often spend years seeking a proper diagnosis.
I remember asking, "why is my body failing, how can I live the rest of my life like this, and what am I supposed to do now?" Convinced that my life was over, I begin to slip into depression.
Like many others diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, I was eager to know which one I had and what the treatment would be. Many months passed before I got the official diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis.
Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that occurs in some patients with psoriasis. This particular arthritis can affect any joint in the body, and symptoms vary from person to person. Research has shown that persistent inflammation from psoriatic arthritis can lead to joint damage. Psoriatic arthritis is manifested by painful, stiff and swollen joints. It can affect any joint in the body, and it may affect just one or more joints.
In my case, both of my hip joints, knees, upper, and lower back was affected. I experienced stiffness early in the morning that escalated to painful movements in the evening. After approximately a month of physical therapy, I began taking Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) and Methotreaxte. Methotrexate is called a DMARD, which stands for disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug. It works by curbing the body’s out-of-control immune system response that causes psoriatic arthritis disease progression, stops damage to the joints, and may even put the disease into remission. This meant weekly injections for a minimum of 6 months.
After experiencing several flare ups, Embrel, another weekly injection, was also added to my regimen. Embrel is a biologic, that works by blocking specific inflammatory pathways made by immune cells. This reduces inflammation caused by autoimmune diseases. Doctors prescribe biologics when DMARDs, alone, aren’t enough to treat RA symptoms.
Although, my psoriatic arthritis has been fairly controlled for the past two years, I still experience days when I have difficulty walking due to stiffness and pain. I am unable to tolerate a lot of stairs due to persistent knee pain and I have since lost the inability to fully flex my hips. This autoimmune disease, like many of the others, will be apart of me for the rest of my life. As my body remains in a constant battle with itself, I will continue to do everything that I can to help it out.
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