too many problems getting on with it. I spent Fatigue is the biggest problem especially in
a year travelling around South America not the evenings, my son wants to play but I just
long after I was diagnosed which was fine don’t have the energy. Sometimes while
although a years worth of medication took up
a lot of space in my backpack.
I have days when
I’m falling asleep
at my desk
Since I’ve had it in my hands though I’ve had
to slow down considerably, I’m generally quite
active, I enjoy gardening and DIY but I find I
can’t work on those things for as long without
suffering afterwards.
playing with my son (he’s 4 years old) he’ll
catch a finger or my arm at the wrong angle
I’ve also stopped scuba diving, all the fiddly which is unpleasant but my son always gives
things early in the morning with cold fingers me a kiss to make it better.
is too painful so I haven’t been for a couple
of years. The Methotrexate is working quite I also think the tiredness and pain shorten my
well at the moment though so I might give it temper sometimes and I think my wife would
another go soon.
agree!
How is your working life affected?
How do you feel about having PsA?
I have days when I’m falling asleep at my
desk, not too often though. My boss is aware
and sympathetic if I say I’m struggling, which
really isn’t very often, I prefer to keep it to
myself and grit my teeth.
When I was a kid, about 10, a friend of mine
woke up one day, tried to stand up and fell
over. He had arthritis, although I don’t know
what type and I think he doesn’t suffer with
it now. He had quite a lot of time off school
and at the time I thought that was amazing,
Luckily, if there’s anything particularly although I was happy at school more time off
strenuous to do I can normally leave it until would’ve been nice. I feel really stupid for
the afternoon when I’m generally less achy.
thinking that now and I haven’t even taken
any sick leave because of my PsA.
Do you keep active or struggle with Recently I’ve been through quite a difficult
exercise?
period. I came off my medication for three
months so that my wife and I could try for
I cycle to work which is usually fairly pain free another child, thankfully everything happened
although often uncomfortable, I suffer most quite quickly so I was able to go back onto
with pain in the morning but I can usually take my meds after four months but it took at
a longer ride home without
a n y least three months for them to kick back in
problems. I also try to swim once
properly. I wasn’t sleeping well because of
a week which helps a lot. Keeping
the pain and for the first time I felt
active helps, things seize up if I’m
that the arthritis was a real
inactive for too long. I used to go
disability.
on day long cycle rides but I
find that my wrists aren’t up to
it any more.
How does PsA impact on
your family life (kids, outings,
weekends, etc)?
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