I have a question...If I can explain it so you understand it. When you have RA, like we do, is our immune system in high gear? We don't have a weaked system right, unless we are on certain meds. I am only on plaquenil and I know that it effects our immune system some. The reason I ask this...everyone I work with including my husband at home have been sick with different viruses going around and I work in a pharmacy where everyone coming in is sick...but I haven't gotten anything. Could it be my over active immune system? Any thoughts on this? Thanks PatI personally would 'speculate' that we have a weakened immune system at first because it's broken down to some extent in that it no longer functions normally. However, it then seems to function abnormally. very effectively. I get lots of colds and flu etc -but i don't think I am the norm - I think RA can be self perpetuating. Perhaps when most people with RA get a virus etc rather than develop the symptoms - maybe the RA gets worse during that time.
It's over active and certain medications slow it down. I rarely get sick with anything while my family passes it back and forth and back and forth. While I was on Humira I got sick a couple times and it took a while for me to get over the illnesses.....but besides that I haven't been sick with anything (knock on wood!). Guess that's good since RA is an illness all by itself; It's difficult when you have something else on top of it.
We had a thread about this last week. I'll see if I can find it. Several folks were the same as us Pat......but then there are some like Flint who catch everything coming and going.
Who knows?