A Young Wife’s Tale

This was originally posted on April 25, 2009. It was the second blog post I wrote. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. And to know David’s arthritis could be this bad again.

My husband, David has Psoriatic Arthritis. He was diagnosed a year ago, at age 23. He’s only ever had mild psoriasis on his scalp. We actually didn’t know it was psoriasis until the rheumatologist told us. David has a family history of rheumatoid arthritis, so we were relieved to know he does not have the rheumatoid factor, although I recently learned that it could develop into rheumatoid arthritis.

Being back in Texas is wonderful. We are surrounded by beauty, delicious food, family and friends. I thank God for bringing us back home.

But heaven will be better than Texas. This world is not our home. There will be no Psoriatic Arthritis in heaven. David isn’t feeling as well here. I’m terrified that he’s going to start flaring again.

I think God must be using our move to New Jersey and our health problems to change the desires of our hearts.

Not long after David was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis, before he started having flares that left him bedridden, I, the caregiver, had an anxiety attack. I blame it on the health insurance company we had at the time and my HR department. Here’s the gist of what made me so stressed out. Our health insurance [...]

We are home in Texas! It was slow going, driving a moving pulling a trailer with our car on top. David drove the entire trip. I’m thankful and surprised his psoriatic arthritis didn’t flare. It is wonderful being surrounded by our family, friends, and a nice roadway system. The streets and highways are well paved [...]

Each April, in honor of National Volunteer Month, the National Psoriasis Foundation recognizes it’s thousands of volunteers – people who work each day to help further the mission of the Psoriasis Foundation: to find a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and to eliminate their devastating effects through research, advocacy and education. Our volunteer network is thousands strong and working in infinite ways to help people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis lead healthy, fulfilling lives and hope for a future without their disease.

Volunteering can be an intimidating idea, but it’s not always a matter of giving hours and hours each week; sometimes it’s the smallest action that has the biggest impact. Writing a letter to your member of Congress asking for support of psoriasis legislation could be the difference between getting a bill passed in Congress or not. Speaking to your child’s class about psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis could prevent a child from being bullied because of their skin. Sharing your story on the TalkPsoriasis message board could be the encouragement another person needs to seek treatment.