Month: November 2020

Here are some recent statistics about PsA, an autoimmune disease that causes a person’s overactive immune system to attack that person’s own joints, cells, organs, and connective tissues. There is no cure for PsA.

PsA is not life-threatening. You don’t die from PsA (although you can die from many of the side effects of the treatments and co-morbidities.) The damage done by PsA limits your quality of life by destroying your joints, inflaming your connective tissues, damaging your eye sight, causing extreme fatigue on a near-constant basis, and leading to brain fog, a condition that causes confusion, lack of focus, inability to reason or problem solve, and memory loss. It steals a person’s independence and ability to do basic daily tasks.

Many of the treatments that are currently available are insanely expensive, are excluded or severely limited by health insurance plans, and can cause kidney failure, liver disorders, stomach and intestinal distress, induce Lupus, or in some rare cases, can cause the patient to develop cancer.

While there are many treatments to try, it is very difficult to predict which symptoms will respond to which treatments. These treatments have very different success rates in different people, and even once a treatment begins to work, it frequently stops working for no apparent reason, resulting in the patient having to change treatments unexpectedly.

While treatments do help lessen the symptoms for many people, only a small percentage of people with PsA actually go into remission, and even fewer stay in remission.

My rheumatologist diagnosed me with secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon (sometimes called Raynaud’s disease or Raynaud’s syndrome) two months ago, but I’ve clearly had it for many years. I just didn’t know what it was called. The diseases most often linked with Raynaud’s are autoimmune or connective tissue diseases. I have both.

Raynaud’s phenomenon is a problem that causes decreased blood flow to the fingers. In some cases, it also causes less blood flow to the ears, toes, knees, or nose. This happens due to spasms of blood vessels in those areas. The spasms happen in response to cold, stress, or emotional upset.

I’ve clearly had this issue for years, and it has affected my ears, nose, fingers, and toes over the course of time. I had no idea it could affect the knees – until two weeks ago when I found myself with white, pale knees each day that were cold to the touch.

The blood is unable to reach the affected areas because the nerves and blood vessels are constricted. Cold climates, repetitive vibrations, or simple chills can bring on the symptoms. Fortunately for me, I now live in the warm state of Florida. However, stress and emotional upset can bring on symptoms, often even more seriously than exposure to the cold. I have to avoid simple things like putting my hands in cold water or taking cold items out of the freezer. Any little bit of cold air or water can trigger an attack.

Physical symptoms of Raynaud’s don’t require extreme circumstances to be triggered. Relatively minor conditions, like holding a really cold drink or being in an air-conditioned room can bring on an episode of Raynaud’s. Because emotional stress can also be a trigger, managing or avoiding anxiety-producing situations can also help to reduce episodes of Raynaud’s.

In my case, the trigger always seems to be emotional stress and anxiety-producing situations. The stress and anxiety are caused mostly by my many medical treatments, and the constant battles with the insurance company to get or continue the treatments that I need. These endless battles take a serious toll on my health and my emotional well-being.

In my case, my fingers and toes (and sometimes my ears, nose, and knees) turn color from white to blue, and sometimes red. This change of color is due to reduced blood flow. When the skin turns white it is called pallor. As blood remaining in the tissues of an affected area loses oxygen it turns blue and is referred to as cyanotic. When warm, oxygenated blood returns to the area it may turn red. There can also be pain or discomfort including a tingling or “pins and needles” sensation, followed by throbbing.