Hello everyone,

I'm reaching out to this community for some advice and to share my recent experience with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment.

I've been managing PsA for a while now and had an interesting experience during my last hospital follow-up. My first rheumatologist told me she was almost 95% sure that I have the diagnosis PsA. She gave me Naproxen for the pain and we would discuss the possibility of other medicines and what the future looks like in the follow up.

Preparing for the follow up I get a other rheumatologist and he told that he is only going to check swelling or redness, nothing else. Now i'm being discharged from hospital's care because I didn't show any swelling or redness at the time of the examination. They described my symptoms as "minimal."

I understand that PsA can present in various ways and that not all patients exhibit the same symptoms. However, I'm concerned because I know that the absence of visible inflammation doesn't necessarily mean my condition isn't progressing or that I'm not at risk for future joint damage.

I've read that PsA can be seronegative and that it's possible to experience joint damage even without overt swelling or redness. I'm worried that my condition isn't being taken seriously enough and that this decision to discharge me might overlook the complexities of PsA.

Has anyone else here experienced something similar? How did you advocate for yourself, and did you seek a second opinion or additional treatment elsewhere? Any advice or personal stories would be greatly appreciated. I want to ensure that I'm taking all the necessary steps to manage my condition effectively and prevent long-term damage.

Thank you for reading, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you all.