My Psoriatic Arthritis Flares When I Am Ill

Do you flare up when you're sick because of your PsA? I do.

From the slightest cold to major health battles, my PsA is quick to flare. The pain gets more intense. Sometimes, my joints will swell, too. In general, my overall body will ache.

Minor illnesses can escalate quickly

I am someone who, like most psoriasis and PsA patients, tends to get sick easier than average people my age. Recently, I got a small cold just from the weather changing back and forth.

On this particular morning, when I woke up, I noticed that my nose was stuffy and my throat was a little sore. Within two hours, my body started to ache.

When I checked my temperature, it was its standard 97.4 degrees. For whatever reason, I do not ever have a normal 98.6-degree temperature.

Changing plans

Now that I was feeling this way, I needed to make an important decision about the rest of my day. Would I be able to go on with daily tasks? What about holding the meeting I had today?

Later that evening, I was supposed to meet up with a couple of friends for dinner at their place. I needed to figure out if I had something that would last only part of the day or the whole day. Am I sick with something that could spread? Here is a great article about changing plans with PsA.  

A battle with pain, swelling, and fatigue

At this point, I had a headache. The muscles in my entire body felt like I had rubber bands holding me up. My knees, ankles, and feet all started to puff up.

At this point, I was starting to get chills and what felt like a fever. Aside from the sniffles, I felt like I had been knocked down by a large truck.

My appetite was still there, but standing up and walking around without pain was getting harder. My kids, who are adults, helped me up when I needed it. 

Night always makes me feel so much worse! I had a runny nose and achy fever feeling, and I have had to resort to the homemade cane my son made me. After watching me struggle in this condition several times, my son created a cane from a branch of wood in my yard. This tool has become my go-to when these conditions occur.

I was still not registering a fever, but I could barely walk. Moving around my home has become a complete task. At this point, I have given in and decided to go to bed. I took some pain relievers and reducer. 

Staying hydrated

Even though my body was hurting, I had to try to remember to push fluids and use the bathroom as much as I could. This would ensure that whatever was ailing me would start leaving my system faster.

The true pain in my aching body was present every time I sat up or tried to stand. When I was able to get up and walk, it was a painful process. Sometimes, my feet hurt and were swollen enough that it took me double or triple the time to walk to the bathroom across the hall from my bed. 

At this point, I decided to wait and see how I felt in the morning to decide if my cold symptoms were worse. I tried not to count the pain or discomfort in my joints because it was only a flare caused by the original source: my sore throat and stuffy/runny nose.

Sometimes, if I am lucky, I beat the odds, and in the morning, I am okay. Other times, it leads to a call for an appointment and seeing a doctor for what has turned into an infection.