No one wants to be diagnosed with a chronic illness like psoriatic arthritis. The condition has many downsides that affect your quality of life, but receiving an accurate diagnosis is still a silver lining.
Before receiving a diagnosis, you deal with the early symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, like joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. You don’t know what’s causing your symptoms, but you still have to deal with them. Psoriatic arthritis leads to permanent joint damage over time if the condition is left untreated. Receiving an accurate psoriatic arthritis diagnosis means the chance to get ahead of your condition.
Receiving an accurate psoriatic arthritis diagnosis allows you to breathe a sigh of relief. Your doctor can finally help you put together a treatment plan. You can learn what improves your psoriatic arthritis symptoms and what makes them worse. By taking action, you can slow down disease progression and ensure you live with minimal complications affecting your quality of life.
This psoriatic arthritis silver lining is important. It’s easy to feel down when you receive a chronic illness diagnosis. It may feel like life as you knew it is over as you shift into a new state of being, but it doesn’t have to be that way! You will learn that walking, swimming, and biking are great low-impact exercises to maintain your weight. You will make a list of healthy foods that alleviate your symptoms and avoid foods that lead to symptom flare-ups.
Once you work through your initial feelings about receiving a psoriatic arthritis diagnosis, talk to your doctor about actionable steps to stay ahead of your symptoms. These may include physical or occupational therapy to improve your range of motion and strengthen your muscles. You may also need to take an anti-rheumatic medicine to address inflammation and pain. Over time, these treatments can reduce your psoriatic arthritis flare-ups and improve your symptoms.
If you don’t yet have a diagnosis but suspect you may have psoriatic arthritis or another chronic health condition, talk to your doctor right away.
