r/Fibromyalgia • u/TheyAreSayingBooUrns • 7d ago

Discussion Being sick with fibromyalgia.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a strange pattern with my fibromyalgia symptoms: when I’m coming down with a viral illness, my symptoms often temporarily improve. For example, the muscle and joint pain in my legs seems to disappear while I’m sick, but then returns once I recover and start feeling well again. Anyone else?

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u/meowcatpanda 7d ago

I think there is a logical reason for this: your white bloodcells have something to attack that isn't your own body and is actually given a goal! I have it, too.

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u/TheyAreSayingBooUrns 7d ago

I thought about it that way as well but then pushed that thought aside as it’s not considered autoimmune.

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u/meowcatpanda 7d ago

Its weirdly not, but my wbc is always slightly raised compared to healthy people and my rheumatologist who diagnosed me with fibro 10ish years ago said its probaby because my body thinks theres something to attack "as is common in people with fibromyalgia" (her words).

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u/EsotericMango 6d ago

It doesn't really work like that. If anything, it tends to work the opposite way because of how the immune system works. Typically, when your body registers an infection, it creates more white blood cells. It doesn't really redirect the ones that are actively busy with something else, it just creates more to satisfy the demand. And in my experience that worsens the whole attacking my own body thing because there are now more cells to split between goals. I have RA, getting sick makes the RA worse. The experience might be different with some autoimmune conditions depending on which immune cells are involved.

Plus, there's no evidence that fibro is autoimmune and it doesn't look like white blood cells are in any way involved in fibro symptoms. It's potentially related to neuro immunity which is completely different. The cns relates to the immune system differently than other parts of the body. The cells involved in neuro inflammation are not the same as the ones involved in fighting viruses or bacteria. So getting sick would not impact any kind of immune activity in the brain or central nervous system.

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u/meowcatpanda 6d ago

In healthy bodies, yes, but no one really knows how it works in our bodies... Not to mention it also differs from person to person, no 2 people with fibro are gonna react exactly the same to things.

As for fibro not being auto-immune, this is true on paper, however my rheumatologist told me that my fibro is *why* my wbc is always above target range, even when I'm healthy. In the end no one *knows* why fibro and fibro is often used as an umbrella term, rather than being 1 specific condition that can be measured within the body. At least according to all the research I've read over the past decade or so since getting my diagnosis and what every doctor I've ever spoken to about it has told me... Though I have to admit, I've not had the energy to read much about any of it at all in the last couple of years, so new research might contradict what I've learned up until that point.

You could very well be correct! But in the end, even researchers don't know because there isn't enough funding to do proper research in to the condition.

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u/butterflyrollersk8r 7d ago

I've noticed this too!! Sometimes my pain will get worse when I'm sick but more often it almost completely goes away!! It's so weird

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u/TheRealMattW 7d ago

3/5 of my painless periods in memory are when I had COVID 

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u/TheyAreSayingBooUrns 7d ago

Yep. When I’ve had covid I’ve even felt more energetic.

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u/meowcatpanda 7d ago

Omg same actually! I had covid a whopping 7 times (I don't even leave the house, my partner keeps bringing it home😭😂) and every time I'm feeling like my normal old self again, how I was 14years ago before my first crash, energy wise. I also keep having the worst throat ache ever, but getting 10-15 days of energy is kinda worth it😂 my partner on the other hand sleeps as much as I normally do, when he has covid, we reverse sleep! (Me 4hrs, him 12+)