Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi I've been suffering with psoriatic arthritis for over 2 years and no medication is working for me I am totally miserable. Most of my pain is in my ankles and feet, doctor has advised more supportive foot wear ......any recommendations
Thanks in advance
1 like, 13 replies
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sammie2help annie28269
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annie28269 sammie2help
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Okapis annie28269
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Hi Annie, have you reached the biological therapies yet like enbrel (etanercept) humira etc? Which country are you in? What has been tried so far as there are so many different medicines. And are you taking both NSAIDS and painkillers like co-codamol or tramadol?
Here in the UK two traditional DMARDS have to be tried and to have failed (eg methotrexate and sulfasalazine) before one qualifies for these expensive medicines, probably more than 2 years.
Yes having comfortable feet is a must but you should probaly be assessed by a muscloskeletal ?sp? podiatrist first to make sure that you get the right supports.
Here in the UK there are an increasing number of comfy shoe brands - Hotter is one, altho styling can be a bit traditional there are some up to date shoes. Think, Arche, Geoxx all do supremely comfortable shoes but at a cost. There is even a one Arcopedic I think the name is where the insole can be replaced with your own.
Let us know where you've reached in your medication journey?
annie28269 Okapis
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Hi thank you for your reply
I am in the UK. I have been on methotrexate combined with lefluonmide on and off for over 12 months and not working at all. I take all the medication for about 2 weeks then something changes in my blood and I have to come off it then wait for bloods to settle then go back on medication. I have never noticed any improvement with the pain. I take daily at the moment paracetamol and ibuprofen along with a new pain killer dihydrocodeine but that not working either. I asked my doctor and they are very unhelpful and say specialist needs to advise.... He is away until October. My doctor was concerned that I'm over weight and kept talking about that. I do need to loose weight prior to developing this I was at the gym doing 6 classes a week! Now I'm in constant pain I can't do anything Evan swimming hurts. I will try and invest in shoes thank for your advise xxxx
Okapis annie28269
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Oh my heart goes out to you! The stop start process is an infuriating part of the process of finding the right medication.It would seem that mtx is not the medicine for you if you've been trying for 12month with your bloods going awry each time.
What size of hospital are you attending? If your treatment stops because the Docs away till Oct it sounds as if its a small one! PA really does need a large rheumotology department with plenty of acumumulated experience, preferably a teaching hospital.
Small Hospitals with just 2/3 rheumotlogists tend not to have the necessary knowledge unless youre very lucky.
First off I reckon trying some of the presciption NSAIDs such a naproxen or celebrex might be a good idea if youre just taking bog standard ibubrufen...ditto paracetamol wont touch your pain. I can no longer tolerate NSAIDs or codeine pills of any sort (vomit them up promptly) and now use with the specialists blessing butrans/butec patches. Bliss best delivery mechananism yet! But does need a specialist. But co-codamol, codeine phosphate, co-codrydamol and even tramadol are a step up from paracetamol in order of increasing strength that you could usefully try until the DMARDS start to control the disease.
Yes I was overweight but my lifestyle had changed almost overnight. I could not exercise whereas I walked ,skied etc before. I could not walk very far at all so to chastise you for weight gain when youre miserable and in pain is a very unsympathetic doctor/ GP!
But life can change! I reached 106 kilos AAARGH! My weight is now steadily decreasing now I can be active...92 kilos. The pain and disease is under control. Still too much but is slowly but surely coming down. Thank you dog! Oh and I'm not comfort eating.
Its certainly true that less weight will mean less pain but its not something that's easy to address in your situation. Only you know how much youre eating so small steps at a time... no biscuits, then add something else. Dont know why I typed that. I dont buy /eat biscuits or cakes and I was still large. Ate all the right things but too much for my needs...I'm wittering...
Try a different GP in your surgery. Or change GP practice. Ask for a second consultants opinion in a larger hospital.. all recognised routes to improving treatment..
Oh and I forgot to mention. I live in FitFlops.. in the house bought during their sale. The ones with big squashy soles...sign up on website and get notification of sales and act!
Okapis
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lucynewas annie28269
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I've just been prescribed a new drug called Otezla (side effect weight loss - lol), which my rheumatology nurse says is having good results. I am also under the rheumatology podiatrist - she's given me stretching exercises and trialling different footwear to reduce the foot pain to enable me to walk more easily.
shelleypeot annie28269
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INVEST in a very expensive pair of running shoes. I too have moderate bilateral foot pain and a great shoe is critical. I'm talking $150 US. I walk all day long. I'm not 100% pain-free when walking and always hurt when I stand back up no matter what I wear, but the pain is greatly reduced to the point of sometimes not even noticing it. Two very comfy shoes are : Hoka 11 (pronounced on'e on'e), and a pair of Brooks Glycerine. It's very impt to go into a runner's store to try on every single pair. You will not be sorry!
annie28269
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linda07047 annie28269
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Hi Annie, I have Psoriatic Arthritis and have developed heel pain. I'm based in UK AND TAKE Humira which has improved my symptoms. I would recommend Sketchers shoes which I find really comfortable. Don't wear flip flops as they don't support your feet properly. Hope your symptoms improve
Okapis linda07047
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linda07047 Okapis
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I've never tried Fit Flops so can't comment but flip flops are a definite no for me and my rheumatologist has said the same
ruth010 annie28269
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Hi Annie, I've recently been diagnosed with PsA after two years of foot problems. I have it in both feet and I sometimes find some footwear will help one foot but not the other which is really unhelpful. I recently got rid of lots of shoes that I know I'll never be able to wear because I can't even bend my toes to get them on
However I'm on my feet all day in work and I practically live in my Sketchers. The memory foam ones are the best and they do shoes as well as trainers. If I'm lucky I can find them cheaper in TK maxx. Hope this helps!