And this really does sound stupid even as I type it, but…does anyone else find their PsA symptoms get better when they have a cold/flu? It happens to me every time, and I have no explanation for it.
Anyone else?
Yes definitely! I’m just talking about this with my bf who has an inflamed wrist after the flu… (he has palindromic reumatism) and me getting more pain now that my flu is going away… it got much better when it started…
I feel like it has something to do with your immune system fighting the infection and not having time to attack yourself… And then after its still in overdrive so I get a flare…
Of course. That makes sense. I think I’d rather have the pain and the flu, but I guess on the plus side we don’t have to deal with both at once!
I actually felt much better after getting the flu… even when I had a fever… which is confusing… I think it even got rid of the brain fog for me this time…
I have to say I am strangely “awake” today. normally it takes me a few hours to get going, and then have to sleep for an hour or so in the early evening - but am annoyingly awake today (when actually I’d just like to sleep the damned cold off!)
since March of last year when this awful nightmare started, I managed to stay virus free until the middle of January…a bad head cold…no sore throat…no cough…just massive sinus congestion…2 days into it and the dmards (plaquenil and methotrexate) stopped working!!!..from fingertips to shoulders and toes to knees radiated in pain…so close to starting the rescue drug (prednisone)…but I didn’t do it…since then it’s been like starting from scratch…
Oh wow that sucks… I really hope that was a one time thing with that particular virus…
Yes this I can only sleep for 8 hours before the pain wakes me up… which normally is no problem (actually I’m really grateful for it not happening earlier) but when your supposed to sleep to get better…
yes its true. Koebner effect. Pregnancy is even better although not an option for me LOL
I just googled koebner and it says it’s the effect when psoriasis appears in areas of trauma? Like around a scratch or cut… I think you didn’t mean this right?
Koebner goes way beyond that. It will also aggravate the immune system either to take care of another “insult” ignoring the chronic state or for many of us have actually had our PsA take off following a trauma. Mine bloomed after breaking my back in an accident others hae had it take off after a car accident or serious illness.
Its actually called the Deep Koebner Effect. here is a little more information: http://www.papaa.org/articles/koebners-phenomenon
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Oh Okey thanks I’ll look into it some more 
I’ve always had a really good immune system. Rarely got sick, even as a child before I got psoriasis/PsA. I sometimes think it’s a curse having that phenomenal immune system! 
The thing that’s hard to remember about PsA is the real problem with our immune system is that its TOO GOOD, and once its turned on, it doesn’t like to get turned off. You can always tell a quack treatment (and there are lots of them) when it promises to boost our immune system to make us better…
Gaaaah, run away!
Don’t make me pull out another Monty Python clip…
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