Pitted nails

[LottieBay]

FlakeyMatt, or someone else who has the answer...........do pitted nails go with PA or P or both? I have had pitted, peeling, thin nails all my life (or as far back as I can remember) I know I've had p since elementary school, but the PA wasn't diagnosed until I was much much older. Also, when I was being treatet with chemo for Leukemia, my nails grew hard and strong and the pitts went away, as did the p but now that I'm in remission from the Leukemia, the p is back with a vengence, the PA has made it very difficult to get around, and the pitts are back in my fingernails.

Margaret

[PJ Leary]

Hi Margaret,

Welcome to the board.

Nail pitting ang ridges are usually considered an important part of the clinical diagnosis of pa.

[MikeK]

Hi Margaret,

Your nails sound a lot like mine. My derm tells me that nail problems are fairly common for people with psoriasis and that it's not necessarily a sign of pa.

Mike

[FlakeyMatt]

Margaret,

Sorry you having conflicting answers. (You don't often see P.J. and Mike K. take different postiions on a topic.)

I always thought that the pitting was a result of my P but I know as PJ says that docs use them to help diagnose PA. However, everyone who has the pitting does NOT develop PA.

Also, in the periods of my life that I got control of P my nails seemd to improve.

Therefore I vote with Mike K. Sorry PJ!

Margeret, have I confused you even more? F.M.

[Tracki]

Hi there Margaret!

I too have the dreaded pitted nails!!! Had P for 29 and my nails were okay but then when the PA came along my nails changed.

More confusion!!!! Maybe it was just coincidence!

Tracki

[nuttydenise]

Hi Margaret.
I have to add to the confusion. My nails are pitted and brittle and ridged but seem to be only on the fingers/toes that have PA. When the PA gets worse so does the nails.
I guess this disease is the pits!

Denise

[IrisfromSpain]

Hello Margaret !!!!!

I am not sure if it comes with p or pa. I only know that I had p for 4 years...then the nail of my big toe lifted and got these deep horizontal lines in it (don´t know how that is called, sorry) and a few months later pa made it´s big entrance to my life !!

So if I had to choose and put it somewhere...I would do with pa.

Sunny regards,

Iris

[LadyLuck]

Good morning, Margaret

My rheumy doc used the pitted, disconnected nails as part of my PA Dx. Have only been officially Dx'd on the PA for a couple of months now, but know that I've had trouble...and nasty nails...for quite a long time. The regular old P has been around for many years more. Surprisingly, I find that if I keep my nails polished, they seem to hold together better. I use OPI polish and am particularly fond of a non-color, color called "It's Sheer Luck." No, I didn't choose it because of my name. I'm not a real Lady Luck, but I would be if my husband ever got knighted! I'm not holding my breath though, either for the knighthood or the P/PA to vanish however! So, give yourself a manicure, girl. It won't chase the P away, but it will sure lift your spirits, might strengthen the nails, and we know we can use all the glamor we can get!

Sharon

[nutty_tart]

After 10 years of low back ache and a scabby head after my son was born, my doctor is finally thinking about sending me to a rheumatologist.

My query is about the nail pitting. I have had the occasional pitted nail, but my nails are permanently ridged and I was wondering if this was to do with psoriatic arthritis.

Any answers would be gratefully received.

Carol

[amyjo308]

I have had P for seven years now. Last year I was diagnosed with PA. After that I started seeing major changes in my nails. It was weird because the nail pitting would occasionally change fingernails. (One nail would get bad and then when that one got better, a different one would get bad) Very strange. I never had pitting problems though until the PA hit me, but I'm sure it probably depends on the person too.

Oh, word to the wise! Do NOT get fake fingernails put on. I went somewhere to get some put on for a friends wedding (I was the Maid of Honor). I only left them on for like a week, but my nails are completely ruined and the pitting seems to have gotten worse and is affecting more fingernails. I didn't want to get them but I caved into peer pressure cuz I didn't want to be the only one of the Bridesmaids that looked different. Now I wish I hadn't caved in.

By the way, I'm Amy Jo. I'm new here. Nice to meet you all!

[LottieBay]

Welcome AmyJo!
I tried acrylic nails a few years ago because I had always wanted nails and never could grow them. I hit one and tore it off and my own nails were in such poor condition it tore my thin nail underneath off too........Major pain!!! I got the rest taken off and have been satisfied with what God gave me ever since then. They peal and split and tear and look awful, but they don't ever cause me that kind of pain!

Margaret

[nutty_tart]

Thanks Amy Jo for your reply.

I'm new to the forum too, also new to PA when the doctor finally decides to confirm it.

I thought I was going nuts till I found this site. Every pain I have, has to me, confirmed PA, by reading the threads from these wonderful people.

I had started to think my doctor thought I was a neurotic woman with an internet obsession!! Then I began to think the same until I started reading these threads.

Thanks again to Amy Jo and thanks to everyone on this site. It's good to know I'm still slightly sane!!

Carol

[amyjo308]

Oh hun, you are so not insane!

I totally feel what you are saying. When my doctor told my I had PA I felt well, I can't even describe it! I was only 20 and picturing myself in a wheelchair by the age of 40! I learned to deal with it a little better sense then... but I think finding this site will be a huge help. Finally people who know what I'm going through! You tell people you have psoriasis...and sometimes they kinda know what you are talking about. You try to explain that you have PA, and all they see is a young 21 year old and they are like yeah right! It can be frustrating when people think you are weak and lazy when the truth is you are at times incapable. I'm just glad I found this site!

Smiles and craziness
Amy jo

[LottieBay]

When I first started having problems it was an occational flare up in my pinkie fingers of all places. They are now a little crooked. I was very young then, probably still in my teens. My nails have always been pitted. My Back and legs have caused me pain periodicly for most of my adult life, but the good news is I have been pain free a lot more than I have flared. The bad flare ups have only happened three or four times in my life and there was always some trauma to my body that set them off, like surgery or in this last case chemo for leukemia. I'm in my fifties now, and this flare seems to be subsiding. My point is this:

Learn to live with the fact that this disease is a PART of your life. Don't dwell on it Learn to manage it and don't let it BECOME your life. Push it aside and live everyday to its fullest. Go on with the business of living. God Bless.
Margaret

[nutty_tart]

Thank you all soooo much for your kind replies and reassurances.

It's nice to know that there are still people out there who care.

Thanks again

Carol

[tvcats]

Learn to live with the fact that this disease is a PART of your life. Don't dwell on it Learn to manage it and don't let it BECOME your life. Push it aside and live everyday to its fullest. Go on with the business of living.

Margaret, thank you for that advice. It means a lot to me.

I've spent the past nearly 4 years living with misdiagnosis, frustration, confusion, etc. I am so happy to finally have a definitive answer to what has been going on that I feel almost giddy. I suppose that will wear off pretty soon though.

As for the nails, that was part of my misdiagnosis -- I've been treated for fungal infection for the past three years, to no avail. I have pitted nails that have lifted up off the nail bed and are discolored. I have lost one toenail to it and will probably lose at least one more before the year is up. The nail deformities are worst on the fingers that have PA. But the medication for the supposed-fungus made me feel worse than what I already did. My nails may never clear, but hopefully I can live with them anyway.

[mcbeckysue]

my gram used to hold my hands and tell me that she knew i'd get 'old arthur' cuz' of the ridges, mine aren't horizontal, they're vert. now they're pitted occasionally.

i'm just now feeling her diagnosis. rheum. arth. runs in my fam anyway, then i also have pa to think about. my job is very hands on and lately i've been hurting. maybe a shift within my field is in order.

lol, beck

[lil]

Hey to all with nails that are the pits.
I just wanted to agree with the woman who said that nail polish seems to help. If I keep my nails polished, then they seem to almost appear to start healing(I refer to the portion of nail that wants to remove itself from the nail bed). Sure the pits are still there but a couple of layers of polish does seem to fill in ridges and pits and allows for the illusion of smoother looking nails.
lil