Courtesy of Lauren Scholl
Chicago-area resident Lauren Scholl, 33, was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis four years ago. Heres her story.
About five years ago, I started experiencing extreme pain in my feet. I was a competitive ballroom-dance instructor and professional dancer at the time, and I just assumed the pain was because I was constantly on my feet at work. But this pain was tough to work around.
I had intense stiffness in my feet, and my toes could not flexthere was no range of motion at all. I couldnt even get into a lunge position or kneel and put my toes on the ground because they just wouldnt move that way. When I walked, it felt like my feet had bruises all over them, even though they looked fine from the outside.
I was shockedI was just 28 at the time. Could arthritis really affect me at such a young age?
I finally decided it was time to see a podiatrist. He took X-rays of my legs and feet and spotted specific arthritis patterns in my toes. I was shockedI was just 28 at the time. Could arthritis really affect me at such a young age?
I was referred to a rheumatologist, who ran blood work, examined my X-rays, and asked about my personal and family history, taking careful note of the fact that autoimmune diseases run in my family. Eventually I was given a diagnosis: I had psoriatic arthritis.
I didnt know it at the time, but psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes swelling in the joints. It usually happens in conjunction with psoriasis, a chronic skin condition that causes itchy, scaly patches of irritated skin. I had been diagnosed with psoriasis about five years prior, which helped my doctor make the connection.
By the end of the day, I was physically and emotionally exhausted from fighting through agony.
The initial medication I was put on didnt work well for me. I suddenly developed depression, which I had never had in my life. I didnt even know how to identify it when it first showed up, but eventually I realized that the way I was feeling wasnt normal. So my doctor switched my medication after six months.
It didnt help that I was also struggling a lot at work as a dance instructor because of the pain. I tried to ignore it, but by the end of the day, I was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted from fighting through so much agony. On top of that, I got pregnant. The extra stress of pregnancy on my expanding and changing body made things that much harder.
Around this same time, I was introduced to an online arthritis support organization called CreakyJoints, where I met people who helped me deal with my illness. They also helped me make tweaks to my everyday lifestyle. I learned to track my symptoms to identify triggers; eliminate certain foods from my diet that contained sugar, gluten, and dairy; and schedule my work days and social calendar around the times I was least symptomatic, to minimize the pain as best as I could.
Unfortunately with my condition, I experienced discomfort both when I was active and when I was at rest. I took a lot of over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatories and I tried ice, heat, and any type of OTC topical cream that stood a chance of making me feel better. But the pain persevered, and it started spreading to other areas of my body, like my knees and shoulders. Each day was a struggle, but I loved dance so much and it was the one thing I didnt want to give it up. I remember giving myself daily pep talks about how I could get through this and tough it out, even though it was becoming increasingly clear that I couldnt.
Finally, my body was not able to handle it anymore. I decided to leave dance. I was devastateddance was a part of my identitybut I had to make a change. I couldn't take the intense daily agony.
I found a way to work around my illness that was holding me back.
I was a stay-at-home mom for a bit, but I learned that just wasnt for me. I felt like I had more to share with the world, and I wanted to continue to pursue my career. I realized that what I loved most about performing was being activeand I wasnt going to let psoriatic arthritis take that away from me. So I decided to get my personal training certification, and later went on to become a certified nutrition coach, too. I now train clients full-time and in person, and help others that I cant see in person through comprehensive fitness and nutrition online coaching.
Courtesy of Lauren Scholl
Personal training is a way for me to continue to be active, and its more manageable than constantly demonstrating dance moves (or doing them in competitions). For example, if I need to sit on a bench while Im working, I can sit on a bench. That wasnt an option when I was teaching people to danceI would need to physically dance with someone to teach them the steps. Now I use my words a bit more than my body to help people get to where they need to be. Ive found a way to work around an illness that was holding me back, and I try to instill that in the people I work with now, too. You may get injured or experience another roadblock along your journey, but that doesnt mean you have to stop exercising or working toward your goalsyou just have to get creative and find ways around it.
Im still battling my illness. I have good days and bad days. And Im still trying to find the right medication or combination of medications that can get my inflammation markers down. But overall, Im trying to find the right balance of living my life to the fullest while minimizing my pain, and Im hopeful that Ill be able to do just that.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
Read more here:
I Never Thought Arthritis Would Derail My Career. Here's What I Wish I Had Known. - ELLE.com
- Guselkumab Demonstrates Significant Improvement in Psoriasis Symptoms and HRQoL, Reduces Sexual Impairment ... - Dermatology Times - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Psoriasis Patients with Arthralgia At Increased Risk of Psoriatic Arthritis Development - MD Magazine - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Diagnosing Psoriatic Arthritis for the Dermatologist: Guidance From the Experts - Medscape - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Secukinumab 300 mg May Improve PsA or Active Psoriasis More Than 150 mg - MD Magazine - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- The Impact of Pediatric Plaque Psoriasis on Children and Caregivers - HMP Global Learning Network - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Guselkumab Led to Improvements Over Several Psoriatic Arthritis Disease Domains - MD Magazine - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Dual Diagnosing and Managing Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis - The Dermatologist - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Etanercept Effective for Psoriasis, Rheumatic Disease Among Patients Extending Treatment After 12-Weeks - MD Magazine - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- High Response Rates in Psoriasis With Oral IL-23 Inhibitor - Medpage Today - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Psoriasis and eczema have complex causes and consequences that researchers are seeking to uncover - Medical Xpress - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- New Hope in Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis: Study Shows Promising Results - Medriva - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- No Difference in Psoriasis Immune Response Despite Switch Between AVT02, Adalimumab - MD Magazine - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Oral IL-23 Receptor Antagonist Peptide Effective in PASI Reduction for Psoriasis - MD Magazine - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Breakthrough in Psoriasis Treatment: JNJ-77242113 Shows Promising Results - Medriva - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Promising Results from Phase II Trial of Oral Interleukin Inhibitor for Psoriasis Treatment - Medriva - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Promising Results from the FRONTIER 1 Trial - An Exploration of JNJ-77242113 in the Treatment of Moderate-to ... - Medriva - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Personal Experience with Psoriatic Arthritis and Atopic Dermatitis - Medriva - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Rising Cost of Stelara: Impact on Patients and Johnson & Johnson's Market Performance - Medriva - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Global Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) Treatment Market to achieve a remarkable US$ 15.6 Billion by 2028, - PharmiWeb.com - February 9th, 2024 [February 9th, 2024]
- Tremfya potential highlighted by industry analyst GlobalData - The Pharma Letter - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Stress Leads to Increased Risk of Depression, Anxiety for Psoriasis ... - MD Magazine - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Janssen Announces Positive Results From Guselkumab Psoriatic ... - Dermatology Times - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Early Intervention with Secukinumab May Be Effective for Patients ... - MD Magazine - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- VEGF-A Inhibition Downregulates Blood Vessel Area in Psoriasis - Dermatology Times - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Scratching the itch, Lynk Pharmaceuticals trialling ointment for ... - OutSourcing-Pharma.com - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Brepocitinib More Efficacious Than Placebo in Long-Term Psoriatic ... - Dermatology Times - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- For Patients With Birthmarks, Psychosocial Interventions Improved ... - Dermatology Times - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Robert Hariri, MD: Natural Killer Cell Therapy Shows Remarkable ... - MD Magazine - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Nalbuphine ER Tablets Show Promise as Cough Therapy in ... - MD Magazine - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- Benefit of Empagliflozin in HFpEF Consistent Regardless of Diuretic ... - MD Magazine - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- selectION reports results from SAD stage of si-544 Phase Ib trial - Clinical Trials Arena - May 31st, 2023 [May 31st, 2023]
- No Link Observed Between Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery and New ... - MD Magazine - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Lynk doses first cohort in Phase Ib trial of psoriasis therapy - Clinical Trials Arena - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Metabolic Inflammation Contributes to Depression in Psoriatic Disease - Dermatology Times - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Encouraging Diversity and Inclusion for Patients With Psoriatic ... - MD Magazine - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- The Weekly Roundup: May 22-26 - Dermatology Times - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Pediatric Psoriasis Market: A Study of the Industry's Key Applications ... - The Navajo Post - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Phototherapy Lamps Market are set to witness a CAGR of 5.8 ... - Digital Journal - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Celltrion seeks approval for Stelara biosimilar in EU - The Investor - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Peter Marinkovich, MD: FDA Approval of B-VEC Gene Therapy for ... - MD Magazine - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Nick Stucky, MD, Phd: Implications for Media Influence on Minoxidil ... - MD Magazine - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Tildrakizumab Linked With HRQOL Improvement in Psoriasis in a Real-World Setting - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Clinical Utility of Deucravacitinib for the Management of Moderate to ... - Dove Medical Press - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Covid-19 and Psoriasis: Is there a link? - Dunya News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Improvement Needed in Study Interventions to Better Skin Self ... - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Reviva Pharmaceuticals Announces Intent to File an IND for Brilaroxazine in Psoriasis After Promising Preclinical Data - Marketscreener.com - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Adam Friedman, MD: Addressing Disparities in Care for Patients ... - MD Magazine - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Early-Infancy Meningitis Infection Linked With Increased Risk of ... - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- NOVN: Counting Down to PDUFA - Yahoo Finance - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) Treatment Market is likely to register CAGR ... - Future Market Insights - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- New campaign raises awareness of topical steroid withdrawal - Professional Beauty - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- MoonLake Immunotherapeutics completes patient enrollment and randomization ahead of schedule in a Phase 2 trial of the Nanobody sonelokimab in... - February 2nd, 2023 [February 2nd, 2023]
- EVELO BIOSCIENCES, INC. : Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities, Change in Directors or Principal Officers, Other Events (form 8-K) -... - February 2nd, 2023 [February 2nd, 2023]
- 12 Ways to Treat Psoriasis at Home - Healthline - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- DTC Advertising Of Prescription Drugs In The U.S. Often Promotes Products With Comparatively Low Therapeutic Value - Forbes - January 19th, 2023 [January 19th, 2023]
- Types of Psoriasis: Pictures, Symptoms and Treatments - Healthline - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Psoriasis Pathogenesis and Treatment - PMC - PubMed Central (PMC) - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Drug-Provoked Psoriasis: Is It Drug Induced or Drug Aggravated? - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Im a Dermatologist and These 7 Things Could Be Making Your Psoriasis Worse - Well+Good - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- 'Worst time of the year for me to be covered in scabs': Amber Heard's Alleged Ex Cara Delevingne Revealed Her Psoriasis Struggle Made Kate Moss Scream... - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Psoriasis: What It Is, Symptoms, Causes, Types & Treatment - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- What is psoriasis and which foods ease symptoms? - Evening Standard - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Chronic inflammatory diseases: what they are - Emergency Live International - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- How remote care can deliver a step change in treatment for inflammatory skin conditions - PoliticsHome - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Probiotics Supplementation may Improve Symptoms of Hyperuricemia and Gout - Rheumatology Network - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Psoriasis Pathogenesis and Treatment - PubMed - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Best and Worst Drinks for Psoriasis - Everyday Health - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- These Are the 10 Most Common Chronic Skin Conditionsand the Most Important Facts to Know About Them - Parade Magazine - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Survey Addresses Concerns Regarding Reproductive Healthcare Communication in Women with RA, PsA - Rheumatology Network - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Psoriasis Types, Symptoms & Causes | NIAMS - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- What Is Psoriasis And Can It Be Treated? - Forbes - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Plaque Psoriasis Treated With Tildrakizumab Shown to be Effective in Real-World Settings - MD Magazine - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Alumis Announces Initiation of Patient Dosing in Phase 2 Clinical Trial of ESK-001 for the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis - Business Wire - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- 15 Items That Will Make Your Life With Psoriatic Arthritis Easier - BlackDoctor.Org - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Types of Psoriasis and Their Effects on the Immune System - Cureus - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- MoonLake Immunotherapeutics to initiate global Phase 2 study of the Nanobody sonelokimab in patients with active psoriatic arthritis - BioSpace - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- How diversity and inclusion continues to be incorporated in dermatology - PMLiVE - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Arcutis Announces Topline Results From ARRECTOR Pivotal Phase 3 Trial Of Roflumilast Foam 0.3% In Scalp A - Benzinga - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Psoriasis Treatment Market Size to Hit USD 51.24 Bn by 2030 - GlobeNewswire - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Ventyx Sees Initiation Of Mid-Stage Psoriasis Study In Q4 2022 Following Positive Data From Initial-Stage - Benzinga - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]