Could this be Psoriatic Arthritis, Lupus, or Fibromyalgia ?

[tstarshine]

Could this be Psoriatic Arthritis, Lupus, or Fibromyalgia ?

I have psoriasis for about 12 years and I am 42 years old.
For about a year now I have a cycles of pain. Sometime I will go a few weeks without a cycle, sometimes a few days.
During the cycle I am tired, my muscles tighten and I have pain and weakness around the joints in my hands, neck and lower back.
I am always in pain to a certain extent but during a cycle it is much worse. My joints seem to pop and crack a lot more during that time.
Now there is no break from my current cycle which has gone on for about a month.
I wake up every morning with a very stiff lower back and neck for about a year but now my hands, wrists and joints of my shoulders are getting effected.
Lately when I have a cycle it seems I will get some sharp pains,even burning pain around the joint area along with the 'normal' pain of joint and muscle pain.
I feel like my short term memory is not what it should be but I have read that is from chronic pain.
As well about 2 years ago I had cataract surgery on both of my eyes; I was told I got the cataracts from cortisone injections for my psoriasis.
Over the last few months my vision in my right eye has gotten really bad, very blurry, floaters etc.
Thank you so much for your words of wisdom....

[tstarshine]

Thank you kindly for the info. At this point everything seems to hurt and the kind of pain keeps changing. I am holding on til my doctors appointment... we will see... I hope this finds YOU well...

[teacher517]

Maybe fibromyalgia, but since it is in your joints, check with a rhuematologist.  It could be RA.

[carolanivey]

Hi there,

If I were you I'd take a copy of your excellent documentation to a rheumatologist, if you aren't seeing one already. Chronic psoriasis, like RA, PA, Lupus, etc., is in the autoimmune "family". The only way to determine what's going on is to see a specialist, but don't be surprised if blood tests are "negative". Many patients are what's called "sero-negative" and receive treatment anyway. Blood tests alone don't tell the whole story.

Long-term use of steroids (cortisone) can indeed lead to eye problems like cataracts. It can also lead to osteoporosis and diabetes, so you might ask for a bone density (DEXA) scan and blood sugar tests.

An eye specialist can determine if there is autoimmune inflammation in your eyes, which can cause the floaters you describe. DON'T WAIT. Once your vision is gone, it's gone and you can't get it back.

Good luck!