Some guidance on accuracy of psoriatic arthritis diagnosis... Feeling lost.
I've had chronic pain for twenty years, starting in my late teens/early 20s (depending on what I count as pain. Some of it seemed mild in my teens, but I now see its very presence was indicative of something.). I have had a few diagnoses over the years, but it's largely been one of fibromyalgia. I've been working on "neuroplastic" pain on the recommendation of my doc.
When my doc gave me Meloxicam, the pain became noticeably much, much better. My doctor looked over my charts again and saw that a couple of years ago I had psoriasis after having strep throat. The rash was all over my torso and legs. He thinks that due to the Meloxicam helping me and the history of psoriasis, I have psoriatic arthritis.
What I'd love to know from people who've been dealing with this diagnosis for longer and are much more knowledgable is... Is just one instance of psoriasis enough for a diagnosis (as far as I remember - possible I had these rashes long ago and don't remember)? And also, if the debilitating full body pain has been there for about fifteen years before the outbreak of psoriasis on my skin two years ago, isn't that out of order in some sense?
Thanks in advance for any advice and knowledge, and apologies for my ignorance. I am just starting to learn about all of this.