MTX Drugs

Hello, I have just found your site on the internet and am hoping that you can give me some advice. I was diagnosed with psoriasis in 1982 while still serving in the military, then in 1993 was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis I had had the condition for about 3 years my finger nails were rotten and my fingers were painful but I didn’t have any disfigurement. By 1993 I had left the military and was diagnosed by a German Doctor I was negative for the HLA B27 blood test but after examination and seeing my psoriasis and rotten finger nails he diagnosed the PA. I have had so many problems over the years mainly neck, thoracic spine and lower back, I have had a lot of discomfort where the ribs are connected to the breast bone. I have tried to keep myself fit but find it almost impossible at the moment, I am now 55 years old and have had this condition since I was 18. After years of visiting Doctors and being told my neck, shoulder and back problems were probably contributed to stress I finally had an appointment with a Professor for spinal surgery here in Germany he actually took the time to study my MRI scans and concluded that all my problems are probably caused by my PA. He told me I should make an appointment with a good Rheumatologist my house Doctor sent me to an older rheumatologist who didn’t study the disks but agreed with the PA diagnosis but refused to acknowledge any link between the PA and my back problems so gave the diagnosis as unexplained chronic back pain. This is now my second year suffering from sacroiliac joint pain, I have had so much pain in my buttocks and outside area at the top of my legs my orthopedic Doctor diagnosed it as sciatic nerve pain. But the pain I am feeling is also in my groin area it seems to be the whole hip area and I am crippled with this pain when it strikes. I am in much discomfort for most of my life I am now weary of just walking as it causes my pain, I have also lost control of my urine function just dribbles not completely but it’s only a matter of time, the mornings are the worst I am so stiff that on occasion my wife my help me out of bed and it takes time to get mobile. I am also suffering from palpations I wasn’t worried just another thing sent to try and grind me down but these past few days they are continuous I always thought that it was something to do with my thoracic pain. Whenever I walk this area causes my much discomfort it feels like when I rub two knuckles together then afterwards I get the discomfort around the breast bone area and I thought this was also responsible for my palpations as they didn’t last long but as I said they seem more permanent now. Apart from the Spinal Surgery Professor who I visited no other Doctor seems to be joining up the dots and I am now getting to the end of my tether I just don’t know where to go to next. I have just visited a Rheumatologist today as the pain in my hips and groin area is severe this summer my inverse psoriasis has been very bad. This new Doctor just after five minutes with him has prescribed me 20mg self-injections of MTX per week for three months. He just didn’t have any time to explain about this drug. I have read it is better to be used at the early stages of diagnosis as I have said I was 18 when first diagnosed back in 1982. All the info I have found seems to be controversial some say that 20mg is too high to start with and other say I’ve had the condition far too long for it to be beneficial. I have also had a Hiatus Hernia since 1985 and take anti-inflammatory drugs to keep the stomach acid at bay. I told the Doctor about this that at the moment I am having problems with the hernia he just waved my comments away and said MTX won’t be a problem and off he went. Any help at all would be appreciated, Thank you for your time and help Richard Jones