My mother used to suffer from finger arthritis. As she aged, the joints of her fingers became swollen. By and by, her fingers got crooked. Having been known among her friends for her beautiful hands, she suffered not only the pain in her finger joints, but also the pangs of ugliness. About ten years ago I started suffering from finger arthritis. The joint closest to the fingernail on one of my small fingers got disfigured pretty fast. Several weeks ago I started feeling arthritic pain in both of my index fingers. Again, the joints closest to my fingernails are affected. Of course, this I inherited from my mother. At the same time, the skin on my fingers first became rough, and then it started peeling. Both hands are affected in exactly the same way. This kind of problem with my hands appeared about a year ago for the first time. My father used to suffer from psoriasis, and I must have inherited this condition from him. Feeling that there might be some connection between the two ailments, today I searched the World Wide Web. Sure enough, I discovered psoriatic arthritis. The description I found on several websites fits my case exactly. Hello, parents! Who says you are dead?

Addendum I (December 19, 2012)

My ailment is still with me. Actually, it got worse as the weather got colder. The skin on the top of distal joints on both of my index fingers got thicker and thicker. What looked like callouses started cracking a short while ago. Traces of blood recently appeared in the cracks. And so I applied some Bepanthen cream on the rough skin. In my experience over more than a decade, it regenerates skin quite admirably. Anyhow, the skin soaked it up at once, and so I applied more and more of it. Predictably, the callouses got appreciably softer and smaller in just a couple of days. But my arthritic pain is also going away, which surprises me no end. It appears that the cream is going all the way to the joints, which are getting greased up in the process. Whatever is going on, the cream is a godsend. Perhaps any cream would do as well, but I am not about to experiment at this stage.

Addendum II (February 27, 2013)

I am still applying the cream to the joints on my index fingers. Regularly, too. And I am still exercising them all the time, and especially in the morning, when they are the stiffest. As far as I can tell, my diligent treatment is quite helpful. The thick skin on my joints is gradually vanishing, and the pain seems to be ebbing away. So far, so good. The weather seems to be helping more than my treatment, though. As of a fortnight ago or so, the improvement is more marked than before. Of course, the weather got warmer over the same period. Signs of spring are rapidly growing in number. This connection I have long noticed with all manifestations of psoriasis, including dandruff. I got it about a decade ago, but it stays with me only during the cold months. There is no sign of it whatsoever during the warm months. The problem with my joints seems to be quite similar in this regard. As years go by, I am likely to suffer from both psoriasis and arthritis more and more. Cold months will turn into an enemy to reckon with.

Addendum III (November 26, 2013)

No matter what I do about my index fingers, the trouble remains. Apparently, psoriatic arthritis is here to stay. And in earnest. Although the pain in the joints closest to fingernails waxes and wanes with seasons, it is always there. Exercise helps, as does the cream that softens the callous skin on top of affected joints, but only so much. I do not expect any real remedy any longer, either. There is no remedy for old age, anyway. Coping with it is all one can do. Luckily, old age is not forever.

Addendum IV (January 16, 2014)

As the callouses on top of the distal joints on my index fingers keep getting thicker all the time, the only remedy I can come up with is filing them down. Whenever I have a few minutes, I pick up a file and get to work. Designed for fingernails, it keeps the callouses in shape. A little bit of cream every now and then helps, as well. And so does regular exercise. But the pain in the joints cannot be removed by simple tricks like these. It is here to stay. Hello, parents! Both of you are alive and reasonably well.