Tips for Getting Diagnosed: What to Look Out For

I am so glad you found a good one. They are far and few i between. I have had a high inflammation since I was in my early 20’s and I’m 57 now. I didn’t start getting treatment for it until 4 years ago and it’s still a battle with doctors.

I looked at reviews of immunologist/rheumatologist in my area. A lot of the doctors I read about seemed to miss the diagnosis until the effects from it became irreversible. I found one doctor who I read did some serious testing and leans on the side of caution. I waited 3 months to see her, but after a 2 hour, incredible thorough appointment, I realized why. She knew I had it that day, and while the tests weren’t the most conclusive (my bones looked mostly fine in X-rays, but my inflammation levels were incredibly high.) She just said that we caught it early (granted, I am 25.) I have it in my hands and my hips—the hips are worse, and she could see it in the X-rays, but I play piano for a living and she took my concerns about my lively hood very seriously and got me on treatment immediately. She gave me options for treatment and I got to pick what worked best for my life. Seriously, the best doctor I’ve ever had.

Be your best advocate. If you believe you have it and you have done all your research and gathered your facts, don’t let the doctor tell you that you don’t have it. A lot of the doctors don’t understand Psoriatic Arthritis. I had one doctor diagnose me with me, I moved to another state and a doctor there said I didn’t have it and took me off all my meds. I had to be my own advocate. I called the National Psoriatic Arthritis foundation and asked if they could recommend a specialist in my area and they did and he has been a fantastic Doctor for me now. They are a great resource.