Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Is your pain reduced when you have a cold?

I have had a really bad cold for the past few weeks. One thing I noticed is that my back pain has been reduced during this time.

Then I thought back to the last time I got sick (almost 2 years ago) and I believe that I also had less back pain than usual during that time.

Here is my unscientific guess as to why this is happening:
AS is an autoimmune disease where my immune system is attacking the healthy parts of me.

But when I'm sick, my immune system is too busy doing what it's supposed to do (i.e. fight viruses and bacteria, etc) to attack me and make my back hurt.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Yes, definitely, to varying degrees depending on severity of infection. I had come to the same conclusion.

Just wish AS would "forget" to reactivate once immune system has seen off the infection...

At first I thought it was antibiotics killing off klebsiella, but it happens when I dont take antibiotics too.

Sick right now and don't notice anything different. I have only been sick one other time since 04'.

Funny you should mention this but I guess it's the season.

Last Friday I was in my regular pain mode, shuffling when I walked and having big inflammation in hands and knees etc.
Starting Saturday:

1. My ears started getting plugged but no other symptoms, no coughing, no sneezing and no fever. I did have some night sweats but not much
2. In 6 days things have changed dramatically.
a) My right hand which had huge swelling has almost disappeared.
b) My knee swelling has gone down about 10%. I did have the left knee drained - 55 mls. My straightening of my knee went from 20 degrees to 17 degrees.
c) I went to get a blood test for inflammation and had a C Reactive test done. I was way over the limit the last 4 tests but yesterday I was 2.1 which was in range which was <5.0 for the first time since being tested.
d) I "jogged" about 20 yards for the first time in 20 years. Wow.
e) All around pain levels are down.

My analogy is that all of us with arthritis have a wrapping around our body like saran wrap. For me, that saran wrap is being attacked and my system is leaving me alone to be myself.

So.....we are all in there, pain free except we have this wrapping around us causing us pain.
My questions (and I called our University Medical Research but no reply yet) are:

- What is the mechanism that creates this pain free situation?
- Is there a way to find out what chemical processes are involved?
- This is a time sensitive situation so any research has to happen while this process is active. How to do that?? Researchers? I see a Nobel Prize if this can be figured out

This happened to me 20 years ago and it lasted about 3 weeks and then the pain came back and my body started getting attacking me again. I've had colds after that with no relief over the years so......

I'm still limited to 1/2 a cartwheel though.....the first part of course...

The immune system normally attracting the connective tissues has a harder time fighting on two fronts.

If we could only find out the chemistry of that second front and harness that in a spray so every time you felt inflammation and pain you take a shot of "Colds-R-Us" and you're good to go for another few weeks.
Just thinking out loud.....

Love it Timo!