Does anyone else have....

[CarenVC]

pain in the ball of their feet? My toes are so swollen as is my left hand and fingers. I can barely get out of bed in the morning. Today I had to buy men's shoes in a size 10. I'm usually a size 8 in women's. This started 3 months ago. I need crutches to walk long distances. I also can't make a fist. I've been tested for so many things. Everything came back normal. I do have psoriasis on my scalp, have had it for 9 years. The past few months, I have small spots on my torso. My father has is on his elbows. I bought this cream over the counter and with long time use it does work. T-Gel did work on my scalp but stopped after a few months. I've been to 2 doctors and neither of them have diagnosed me. They also haven't diagnosed my father. I do know this is what I have. I need something to take the swelling away. Here is another question. Has anyone had to quit their jobs because of this pain?
Thanks for your time.

[RichJ]

hi carvern
sorry i can't help much but welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you

have a good day all

richard

[Dulane]

It sounds very much like PA to me. If you have insurance, ask to be referred to a rheumatologist.

Tell him that you suspect PA, because you already have P and several classic symptoms.

I did not have insurance, so I went to a natureopath. I had a battery of blood tests, that wasn't cheap, but within 6 weeks she diagnosed me and I know thats what I have. And then she set up a therapy routine that has been very helpful and I have definitely been able to lessen the symptoms.

Yes, people have looked into disability options, but I'm sure it takes a long involved route, and you have to be pretty bad before you'll get OK'd, I think.

There are others here who could answer your questions better than me, because my PA is not disabling.

[docmks]

pain in the ball of their feet? My toes are so swollen as is my left hand and fingers. I can barely get out of bed in the morning. Today I had to buy men's shoes in a size 10. I'm usually a size 8 in women's. This started 3 months ago. I need crutches to walk long distances. I also can't make a fist. I've been tested for so many things. Everything came back normal. I do have psoriasis on my scalp, have had it for 9 years. The past few months, I have small spots on my torso. My father has is on his elbows. I bought this cream over the counter and with long time use it does work. T-Gel did work on my scalp but stopped after a few months. I've been to 2 doctors and neither of them have diagnosed me. They also haven't diagnosed my father. I do know this is what I have. I need something to take the swelling away. Here is another question. Has anyone had to quit their jobs because of this pain?`

Welcome to the boards! We're glad you're here. I think you'll find a lot of good information and support here. I know that I have been so glad to be a part of this organization since the time I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis (PA) and Psoriasis (P) about three years ago.

I am answering your questions because I wake up every morning with severe foot pain. That can be caused by several things in PA. One is a heel spur. PA is famous for causing inflammation and tendon and ligament attachments as well as in joints. One response the body has to that inflammation is to make new bone. So, bone spurs (or osteophytes, if you want a big word to use to a doctor) develop around some tendon attachments. Several tendons attach on the heel bone, or calcaneus. One is the achilles tendon, that attaches on the back. Another is a tendon leading to a structure called the plantar fascia, that runs down your foot. When it is painful to put weight on the ball of your foot, you may have a heel spur on the botton of your calcaneous, like I am describing. Also, you can get inflammation in the plantar fascia, and the pain will radiate down your feet. In PA, it is not uncommon to get inflammation in the smaller joints of the feet (and in the fingers, too). All of this is consistent with what you are describing, though obviously the next step is to find a GOOD doctor who is familiar with PA to get you properly diagnosed.

How to do this? I don't know where you are located, but you need to find a rheumatologist who is familiar with PA. The website here has a listing of doctors (not as an endorsement) but more as a way of locating doctors who treat people with P and PA. That can be accessed from the homepage of this site. What kind of doctors did you see initially? Did they provide any type of diagnosis?

THere is no cure for PA and P. That's the bad news. The good news is that a lot of progress has been made to slow down the mechanisms that cause the inflammatory process through medications. We do have people here who have had to change jobs or even in some circumstances go on disability. BUt there are as many people, I believe, who have been able to bring the PA under control, and to control the pain of PA, through the use of medications. But you need to get to a knowledgeable doctor soon to prevent actual joint damage. Concerning your heel, I have this problem, and I will occasionally get my heel injected. It is painful, but it helps a lot. And so far I've only had to do this once a year.

I hope this is helpful; I am sure others will be along to welcome you soon. Let us know what other questions you have and how we can support you.

All the best,
MK

[SandraJean]

Hi,

I just wanted to welcome you to the boards. I'm sorry to hear about your foot and that you have to use crutches to get around. MK really did give you alot of good information and I agree that if you can to try to get to a rheumatologist to have him look at it. There could be many reasons for this, but if you have psoriasis, there is a percentage that you could develope psoraitc arthritris. Sometime pa is hard to dx at first as it's not alway quite visiabel in the beginning.

Hope you keep posting and let us know how you make out.

Sandy

[wannabeok]

Caren,

I can understand how you feel. I had to go to my regular doctor and demand a referal to a rheumatologist. All I say is that to get anywhere I had to tell the doctor what to do. Also, I was told that there is a national shortage of rheumatolists, so sooner is better than later.

[crimekate]

Caren - Ditto to all who said that you need to get to a good rheumatologist who is familiar with PA. This last bit is important - PA is relatively rare -- I saw 4 rheumatologists (6, actually, in my lifetime) before I found the one who was able to diagnose it.

Why don't you include in your next post your general location/ region/area. Perhaps someone here can recommend their doc. It takes forever to get in to see a rheumatologist, and you don't want to waste your time waiting to see someone who can't help you.

I hope things get better for you soon.

kate

[CarenVC]

It's nice to meet everyone and thank you for all the information. I live in upper westchester NY. I know of one rhumy. and all I hear are bad things about him. I have been taking 4 aleve a day which is really helping with my butt getting out of bed in the morning. It does nothing for my feet. I start work tomorrow, yeah another school year. Can you hear the joy? :~) I told my school district that I will try and see what I am able to do and go from there.

[ttiben]

I would like to welcome you to the boards, I am sorry its under these circumstances. Your story sounds almost identical to mine. I noticed a few swollen toes about 6 months ago along w/ painful feet in the morning. My family doctor said it was PA but he wanted me to go to a rhumey to get an official diagnosis. I have had P for many years (about 15) on my scalp and other "less noticable" places since I dont live in a nudist colony. I have also had one to three fingernails that would get P from time to time. When my toes swelled I got P in every one of them all 20. That has never happened before. I started Enbrel two weeks ago and it has helped immeasurably. Its almost like a miracle drug. So there is help. Again, welcome. This place will make you feel less alone and be a good source of information as well as support.

[gimazz]

Hi and welcome. I too am new but do suffer from the same pain in the ball of the foot. I do have p and pa and when I am suffering I take celebrex which works well for me. Flare ups are painful but hopefully won't last long. I would see a rheomotologist and see if he'll diagnose the problem. Good luck

gina

[Dulane]

Welcome Gina,

Glad to meetcha.

:)

[PJ66]

Caren,
Hi and welcome! Your feet sound like mine. You have already gotten a lot of good advice. Hope you find a good rhuemy soon.
Polly

[Shioda]

I have had the same pains. Toes, fingers, and the balls of my feet. The good news is that there are things you can do to make it go away!! Yay!! I take prescription naprosyn/ naproxin 500mg a couple of times a day when the pain is really bad, and that helps a lot. I have also taken methotrexate, and humira at times. I have found that most over the counters don't do much for me, so I hope you see a dermatologist and a rheumatologist to get you help. The meds on their own won't solve the problem though; from my experience, you need to combine that with good sleep, good nutrition, and exercise, and you may see a complete remission of the disease.

The biggest problem is that the disease can lead to a big snowball effect. Because of the pain, you hurt to much to exercise. Because you are not exercising or feeling good, sometimes you seek pleasure with unhealthy food... etc. Try to get the snowball rolling in the other direction.

[jperng]

I do I do.. first I thought it was the shoes... since I am usually on my feet all day at work. Than I had 2 days off, I wasn't doing anything at all on the first day and my feet hurts. Thinking I am recovering from the pervious day. Second day it hurts more. I am pretty sure this is somehow PA related. Just don't have a soloution. It hurts.. and it hurts... and it hurts....
ack... I hate pain.. :rolleyes:

[CarenVC]

I made an appt. with a rhumey but it's not for another month. I did work this week. I am still taking 4 aleve a day. The only thing that is doing is making my left hand open and close, oh yeah and letting me wake up without much fatigue. My boss told me I can park in the handicapped space for now. I got it in writing so if I get a ticket, at least I have something to show. The school just doesn't want a law suit if I fall going into work. I'm keeping up with the kids. As of now I think I can still work, but we'll see. When I go to the appt. I will ask about all of the "wonderful" drugs you are all talking about. The worst part is the psorisis because now it's on my neck and it's around the tattoos that I have on my shoulder blades. So much for showing them off ever again. Also I do excerise with my arms (considering my hands are weak. I've been dropping almost everything I pick up) and I walk a little now on the tredmill. No where near what I was doing in June. I also did my first high kick in 3 months. It hurt the hell out of my feet but I did it. Thanks again for your help.

[vmars]

I can so relate to your story, it is almost identical to mine. My pa started as a reaction to Fifth's disease. I was in agony, every joint in my body ached. I was taking 12 extra strength Tylenol a day just to function. I went to the dr 4 times before I was sent to a rheumy. My first visit she dx pa. I started on diclofenac 75 mg 2x a day. That took care of the pain and inflammation. It took me almost a year to agree to mtx. I tried Plaquenil first but was allr=ergic to it. I was lucky in that mtx and diclofenac have worked wonders for me...I am now almost totally pain free ( I take 1 75 mg diclofenac a day, I sometimes miss a day but not more or the inflammation comes back, I also take 25 mg mtx weekly)

All the tests they did came back negative for pa, but my rheumy and dr were sure that it was. Be persistent!

Good luck, there will be better days ahead!

[CdnPA]

Wow ... does that sound familiar. I also have the pain in the feet and hands. For the past 2 weeks I haven't been able to wear any rings since my fingers are swollen and I don't wear shoes at work at all. I have a desk job so my feet are elevated all day which seems to help. Get to a rheumy and get diagnosed so you can start to get better (or at least get moving easier).
Good luck!!!