Introduction & History

In 2013, I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis.  I had never heard of it before I was diagnosed.  Psoriasis is probably more commonly known than the arthritic component.  I can't claim great knowledge of the facts, and if I have something more accurate than Wikipedia, then I will definitely cite my sources.  From what I understand, 30% of people with Psoriasis get Psoriatic Arthritis, and 70% of people that get Psoriatic Arthritis show signs of Psoriasis.

I've had relatives that had Psoriasis before me, and I considered myself very fortunate that I only exhibited signs of it on my scalp, which were only an inconvenience for me and not scabs and splotches on my arms that might make friends and coworkers uncomfortable.  In the end, this "luck" probably delayed my diagnosis.

Since graduating college at 23, I'm 29 at the time of this entry, I've tried to be very active.  In addition to running, I have been playing recreational soccer, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, basketball, tennis, and anything else I can play.  I started noticing strong ankle pain after soccer games in late 2012 that carried on days after games.  Of course, I loaded up Google and tried to self-diagnose, and ended up going to a doctor who was an expert in foot surgery.  Based on x-rays, the doctor determined I had bone spurs.  The advice was to decrease activity (surgery would've sidelined me for a long time).  This turned out to be the worst thing I could do.  After weeks not running, not playing soccer, and not doing any of the other things that kept me loose, my "bone spurs" pain began to manifest in back pain, sternum pain, and rib pain.  I don't fault that doctor, he simply didn't have the expertise.  To be cliche, hindsight is 20/20.  Due to my work schedule, It was 6 months before I was able to see the doctor again, and the advice then was to do physical therapy, which worked wonders.  I was even a benefit of dry needling which I might talk more about later.  Through physical therapy and stretching, I started to see positive gains, but not enough.  Thanks to a trip to another doctor for a second opinion, that doctor sent me to see a rheumatologist, and the rheumatologist prescribed TNF inhibitor, I've been able to live a pretty active life.

I know that's a big jump in the history, but I'd rather not be more overlong than I already am on this post.

My last race was in January 2012. I've only averaged about 10 miles a month this year.  I stay fairly active with playing Ultimate Frisbee and Volleyball (when I'm not chasing around my toddler), and I want to make sure running becomes a bigger part of that.  Through this blog, I will continue tracking my running progress and sharing info about what it's like to run with Psoriatic Arthritis.