My Psoriatic Arthritis vs Winter's One Two Punch

I hate winter now. That is really saying something because I used to love winter. Louisiana can be so hot in the summer. I looked forward to the cooler weather. Then psoriatic arthritis started and changed my way of thinking. The cold air just seems to soak into the very core of my bones. A few minutes spent outside, and my body is in instant pain. It doesn't matter if I have a thick coat on or not. The air always seems to find a way to invade the very areas that my psoriatic arthritis is the worst. To make matters worse, I now feel like I have psoriatic arthritis in my hands because they get cold really fast even with gloves on. For the first two months, winter had been mild which was great. But winter finally decided to show up.

What happened during the last bad winter storm?

When winter finally decided to show up it did it in a big way. Louisiana usually has mild winters in comparison to other areas of the country. On average, we do not see snow or icy weather. The last time it happened was three years ago in 2021. That storm brought ice and followed it up with snow. Louisiana shuts down when that happens. We do not have snowplows. At the most they put out a brine mixture to keep streets clear. They also shut down many roads that have overpasses or bridges. We didn’t leave our house for almost a week. I was hoping it would be a long time before we seen another storm like that.

How was this most recent storm?

What we got this time was not as bad in that we only got sleet, but it did stick and hung around for 3 days. The worst part of it was during those 3 days, the temperatures did not get above freezing. It was so brutally cold. It felt like our heaters could not keep up with keeping our trailer warm. I had layers of clothes on. It seemed I felt every inch of that storm. My body hurt so bad. Walking seemed like a chore. I couldn’t wait for the temperatures to go back up to normal.

How does my psoriatic arthritis react to cold rain?

Sometimes what you wish for comes with other conditions. Mother Nature decided we would get back to normal temperatures here in Louisiana. However, she decided to add 4 days of rain to the mix. Our temperatures will range from the 50’s to the 60’s this week which means no wintry stuff like ice or snow. Four days of rain are not good though. My psoriatic arthritis does not like the rainy days either especially if there are strong storms involved. I feel every bit of it in my body. It is possible now that some areas of Louisiana will see flooding. I am lucky in that where I live does not see anything like that.

Will this winter get worse?

I want winter to be over with already. Sadly, the worst month of winter is February because it is usually the month where we see the wintry mix. It could bring ice, snow, and sleet. That storm in 2021 was in February. I am worried that since we have already had sleet there could be more to come. The more the years go by, the more my psoriatic arthritis takes over my body. It does make me worry about how I will handle winters going forward. It’s not like I can do anything about it other than take each day as it comes. Winter and psoriatic arthritis are not my friend as if they ever could be.