Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Update: My Tremfya Journey
My psoriasis in April 2020
As I’ve shared before, I have Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. I got Psoriasis when I was a freshman in college and I got Psoriatic Arthritis 6 months later. Part of the reason I started keto over 4 years ago, was to try and help my autoimmune disorders because I noticed that sugar really aggravated my skin. I still believe that to be the case, but it has not been a cure all for me. In the last few months my Psoriasis really started breaking out again.
I’ve been on a combination of Otezla and Xeljanz for almost 2 years. For 18 months of that 2 years I was also on Methotrexate, but then all of a sudden in August it started making me instantly throw up when I would take it. So my Doctors took me off of that and then slowly my psoriasis started breaking out. Finally in the last month or two my joints joined in and started swelling as well.
After consulting with my Rheumatologist and Dermatologist they decided together to have me start a newer biologic called Tremfya and to go off of Xeljanz and Otezla both. It was definitely scary to go off of both at once since I have no idea if the new medicine will work or not, but I’m hopeful that this new drug will work! The website says that 70% of patients see 90% clearing in 16 weeks, so I have my fingers crossed for sure! One thing I love about Tremfya is that you don’t have to inject yourself very often.
Tremfya Injection Schedule
Week 0 (I took my first injection on April 30th)
Week 4 (I take my next injection on May 28th)
And then every 8 weeks after that (July 28, September 28, etc…)
I really hope it works and works FAST! The problem with some medications is that you really can’t tell if they are doing anything for 2 or 3 months sometimes. I hope that’s not the case with this medication. It’s supposed to help my skin and my joints. I’ve mostly been focused on my skin these days because it is ugly and it’s also painful, but some of my joints are starting to get worse as well, so I definitely want to get something working before everything gets out of control.
Here are some pictures of my skin today (May 11, 2020), I am almost 2 weeks into the first shot. My skin is clearly still very covered in Psoriasis, BUT I see a little hope. The spots on my legs have a lighter colored circle around them, I call that a “halo” (not a technical term), but seems appropriate. That signals that it is starting to heal. What’s interesting is that generally my legs are the very last thing to heal. My understanding is that since the legs are furthest from the heart, they take longer to heal. But for whatever reason they seem to be progressing the quickest right now? Maybe since I injected Tremfya into my thigh my legs got the first crack at the meds?! Lol who knows…
I hope to have some visible progress over the next few weeks and I will keep taking progress pics. The pictures really help me because sometimes I forget how my psoriasis evolves. I did notice today that a couple of my joints are less swollen. The pinkie on my right finger and thumb on my left hand both are less swollen than they were a few days ago. My right wrist was also really sore this weekend, but doesn’t hurt today, so we’ll see how it feels tomorrow!
Besides medication I have been focusing on sleeping more, getting sun and managing my stress levels. I also of course have been eating my typical keto / low carb diet. I’m also using a couple topical medications for my skin. I’ve been rotating Clobetasol foam and ointment, I also use Betamethasone liquid on my scalp. Since I’ve been in quarantine in Arizona I have access to a pool and a bathtub, which are 2 things I don’t have at my house in California. So I have been taking full advantage of both. I take baths with either Aveeno Oatmeal Bath or Epsom Salts in combination to coconut bath oil.
As I keep going down this Tremfya journey I will add updates. For anyone who is looking to read my full journey with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, check out the link below, it has been a long and crazy trip for sure!