Health Boards
Tue-29-06-2021, 09:42 AM
I've been reading on this Forum for a while now, it was Caroline who told me about this Forum, so thanks Caroline! And now I'll introduce myself. My name is Yvon and I come from the Netherlands.
I have psoriasis since I was a child and I got physical complaints when I was 38, I am now 48 years old.
Complaints like back pain, terrible fatigue, painful knees, all my joints hurt, at least the attachments/tendons.
Hospital in and out. I got diagnoses like fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and the worst "it must be psychological go see the psychiatrist".
Last year the pain became so bad, that I once again went to visit the general pratitioner, who wanted to send me away again, she said that it would be muscle overload. At my insistence, I was referred to the rheumatologist (the fourth), this time a rheumatologist who specializes in psoriatic arthritis.
During the first conversation he immediately confirmed my own suspicion, I also have psoriatic arthritis. He found it unimaginable that I was sent away so much in those 10 years because the signals for PsA were obvious.
Because here in the Netherlands it has to be demonstrated on the basis of redness and swelling and possibly confirmation via an ultrasound and this was all absent with me, I could only get the nsaids/painkillers.
This didn't work and I kept calling the rheumatologist, also because I got an unbearable nerve compression in my neck. Then they did an MRI of my neck and pelvis. It showed that the vertebrae were inflamed, deformities on my vertebrae and there were many spots on my pelvis and sacrum that indicated that there had been inflammation in the past.
In a week I will start with Methodextrate by injection, which I am not looking forward to. But Mtx is also the first choice in the Netherlands for treating PsA, only if that does not work well or you get too many side effects, you can switch to biologicals such as Humira. That's an insurance story here. While research here in the Netherlands indicates that MTX does not work sufficiently for PsA.
Anyway, I hope it will work, because the pain is driving me crazy. And in the meantime, I enjoy reading this Forum, to read your experiences. It's nice for me to see so much recognition, then you're not alone.
I have psoriasis since I was a child and I got physical complaints when I was 38, I am now 48 years old.
Complaints like back pain, terrible fatigue, painful knees, all my joints hurt, at least the attachments/tendons.
Hospital in and out. I got diagnoses like fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and the worst "it must be psychological go see the psychiatrist".
Last year the pain became so bad, that I once again went to visit the general pratitioner, who wanted to send me away again, she said that it would be muscle overload. At my insistence, I was referred to the rheumatologist (the fourth), this time a rheumatologist who specializes in psoriatic arthritis.
During the first conversation he immediately confirmed my own suspicion, I also have psoriatic arthritis. He found it unimaginable that I was sent away so much in those 10 years because the signals for PsA were obvious.
Because here in the Netherlands it has to be demonstrated on the basis of redness and swelling and possibly confirmation via an ultrasound and this was all absent with me, I could only get the nsaids/painkillers.
This didn't work and I kept calling the rheumatologist, also because I got an unbearable nerve compression in my neck. Then they did an MRI of my neck and pelvis. It showed that the vertebrae were inflamed, deformities on my vertebrae and there were many spots on my pelvis and sacrum that indicated that there had been inflammation in the past.
In a week I will start with Methodextrate by injection, which I am not looking forward to. But Mtx is also the first choice in the Netherlands for treating PsA, only if that does not work well or you get too many side effects, you can switch to biologicals such as Humira. That's an insurance story here. While research here in the Netherlands indicates that MTX does not work sufficiently for PsA.
Anyway, I hope it will work, because the pain is driving me crazy. And in the meantime, I enjoy reading this Forum, to read your experiences. It's nice for me to see so much recognition, then you're not alone.