Jen From My Spoonie Sisters On How RA Led to Medically Induced Pustular Psoriasis

A photo of Jen, host of the My Spoonie Sisters podcast, who discusses her journey with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis and medically induced pustular psoriasis

Jennifer Weaver is the host of the My Spoonie Sisters podcast, and her history with chronic illness is a storied tale. While most people never have to worry about the 1% chance of side effects from medication, Jen is the person who will develop the rare reaction. That’s exactly how she came to suffer from medically induced pustular psoriasis, living through a horrific year where her skin was basically being burned from the inside out. Of her journey she says, “It feels like my body hates me. There’s something so wrong with me because I have all the reactions. If it’s in the tiny print and it says there’s going to be a 1% chance it somehow ends up being me.”

In this episode of the Major Pain podcast, Jen shares her chronic illness journey so far. She talks us through the frustrating experience of getting diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spending a full year seeing a rheumatologist who provided terrible care. Firing that doctor allowed her to finally find good care and an official diagnosis of seronegative RA, but a whole new set of problems arose while trialing medications to treat her disease. That’s when she discovered she has a rare reaction to TNF inhibitors, and developed pustular psoriasis. Although her journey has been a tumultuous one, she feels it has also made her a better, more compassionate person. She started the My Spoonie Sisters podcast and community at the end of 2021, and finds great joy helping others who live with chronic illness feel less alone.

Check out My Spoonie Sisters: https://linktr.ee/myspooniesisters

Watch the episode on YouTube, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.