In sickness and in health

by Collette McColgan
written by Collette McColgan

There’s not going to be a lengthy post from me this week – not because I’ve got married, but because I’ve been feeling awfully sorry for myself as I’ve been dying of a cold. You know how man flu is essentially just a cold, but is made out to be so much worse? Well, I don’t think man flu has anything on arthritis flu.

I do have to bear in mind at times like these that I may as well not have an immune system. It’s bad enough that I’m sniffly and coughy and tired all the time, but getting ill even with something minor makes my JIA a little bit worse as well. So I’ve also been achey and grouchy and stiff all week too. Pity me.

I always find it difficult to balance being sensible and trying to not make the cold worse (for fear of it making my arthritis kick off), and overreacting to it. No one wants to take time off for a sniffle. Last week I decided after a day or so of trying to pretend I didn’t really have a cold, that the only way I was going to get over it was to suck it up and rest, and that still didn’t work.

After sleeping for 12 hours on Saturday night I’ve come to the conclusion that I might as well carry on as normal, because I don’t know what my body wants from me anymore.

I suppose it doesn’t help that my immune system is otherwise engaged in trying to ruin my life, because when I’m poorly I could really use it. I am, of course, really pleased that sulfasalazine is doing such a good job of stopping my immune system from attacking my joints, because I think I would rather take my immunosuppressants and have a few sniffles than have another flare up.

I’m no stranger to not having a completely clean bill of health aside from JIA – I essentially have a cold all year round, and I was once hospitalised with chickenpox… I’ll save that tale for another time – but I do wish it was a bit easier for me to shake things off.

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(Any opinions expressed in Collette’s blog are not necessarily shared by Arthur’s Place. Nothing that you read in Collette’s blog constitutes medical advice.)

Copywriter Collette McColgan, who wrote this article, was diagnosed with JIA aged three. Now 25, Collette has been part of our team from the very beginning, writing countless articles, including at one time an Arthur’s Place blog. Collette's journey has included various drug therapies, growth hormone treatment, calcium infusions and surgery on one elbow. She has a boyfriend called Mike and a cat called Bowie.