Welcome

Hey.

Have you ever fallen into an open sewer hole? One day you're going about your life, packing school lunches and writing grant proposals, thinking about the news and the grocery list, and then... suddenly... you're in free-fall? You can't get a hold on anything to stop your descent, because the walls are clammy and wet (and your hands hurt like hell). You're in the dark, slipping, and calling out for someone to throw you a rope. But strangely, nobody knows what the rope looks like.

Welcome to my last few months.

I'm just like you. Well maybe I'm more liberal and more fond of Swedish Fish than you. But I'm just like you. It started with some pain in my knee 15 years ago. "Bursitis", I was told. "You'll always be able to predict any weather changes - you're lucky!" I was told. Gee. Two years ago I started noticing that those weather changes were happening every morning when I got out of bed, and every time I sat at my desk for too long. I was walking like my grandmother at the age of 39.

So, I did what most of you would have done... I took an Advil and went on with my busy life.

About a year ago I started noticing pain in at the base of my thumb. This pain avalanched into my wrist, my elbow, my shoulder. Soon my ankle wanted in and my good knee decided to party with my bad. And now I'm diagnosed with this disease... Psoriatic Arthritis. It seems that my years of scaly skin have something to do with this pain. I'm just starting this medical journey - and thought I'd take you with me.

Who are you? You're my friend. You're my husband. You're my mom. You're my psychologist who specializes in pain and in so many unexpected things more. You're a random person on the street with some embarrassing scaly skin and an ache in your ankle. You're the fourth doctor who doesn't listen, and you're one of the many who does.

This blog will be a place for me to document what I'm learning about this disease as I struggle through it. I hope it will help me. Maybe it will help others. Welcome.