Do people get “mini flares”, lasting a few days? I had a very stressful start to the week and had to drive for much further and longer than I’ve done in a few years, coupled with a very emotional son!
This led to me feeling high pain levels but also a very sore throat and carpal tunnel flare. These symptoms meant I spent the next few days like a zombie!!
I have noticed before that when I’m very stressed I get the same symptoms and sore throat. Initially I feel I’m coming down with the flu but it disappears after a few days.
Does anyone else experience this?
Thanks xxx
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Kati66
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My sister has fibromyalgia and when she has stress she's the same. She's just also been referred to a Rheumatologist now. I remember the nurse telling me at the start of my diagnosis with RA 'no stress!'
Yes! In fact I posted about mine yesterday and, like you, it was almost certainly brought on by stress.
It's weird how bad I could feel on Tuesday, both index fingers were visibly swollen and painful to touch, I couldn't lift a cup of tea because of it, I walked like I was 100 years old if I got up from sitting down, my knees were giving way under me, I felt fluey and was taking Covid tests because I was sure I must have a virus as well... and then today, Friday, I feel pretty much okay except for some quite bad fatigue. Because the stress (in my case a work deadline) was gone.
Oh yes, stress is a well known trigger for flares. I get the sore throat. It's annoying because one of the things you are supposed to contact the GP about if you are on immune suppressants is sore throats but if I did that they'd never see the back of me!
Without doubt stress causes all sorts of weird and not-so -wonderful things to happen. I got myself into a right old state a couple of months ago when my bad back refused to get better and my apprehension over a big molar extraction threatened to overwhelm me. I had a huge flare - sore throat, those horrible prickling pains you get when your joints are all protesting, dizzy and fatigued………and as soon as I’d had an appointment with the MSK team and been referred to have a spinal injection and then had my tooth out with no trouble at all all my symptoms subsided and I’ve gone back to being my normal self.
I have never regarded myself as someone who is overly affected by stress and can usually cope but there comes a time when you get tipped over the line and it’s vile. I suspect most of us have experienced it and it’s difficult to avoid when life gets in the way!
I get a really sore throat and painful scalp. I have the sore throat now but when the doctor's in here (I'm in hospital) look they say it looks normal. I don't understand it either.
It’s just weird isn’t it!! Although I discovered the other day that we have two small joints at the back of our larynx, who knew!! 😮😮. I wonder if this might be the cause of our “flare throats” 🤔🤔
I frequently have a really sore throat just before and during a bad flare. Last year my gp referred me to ENT for a scan as I was having so many sore throats and I was told by the ENT consultant that severe RA can cause pain in the larynx as there are joints there. It also causes me to have a very croaky voice which is now totally different to when I was younger and my illness better controlled.My husband still prefers his version which I used to talk (or did he mean nag! ) too much.
Hi Kati, apparently more recent research indicates stress plays a large part in causing autoimmune diseases. It goes something like when we are stressed cortisol increases to help us deal with the situation causing the stress but if we experience high levels of cortisol production over prolonged periods of time it can tip into chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases like RD, so it stands to reason we have flares when stressed. I’m sure there is other research that says otherwise but it makes sense to me, at least in part as I also have flares when stressed. Dr Gabor Mate is an expert in this theory, it’s interesting stuff and also guides me to be more aware of what causes me stress so I can take action to minimise the harm caused. Best wishes, Lin
I agree there is certainly a lot of evidence regarding stress and its links to autoimmune diseases. Gabor Mate is brilliant and as a therapist myself, have come across his work often. It makes sense that the amount of chemicals released by our own body whilst in a stressed state, will impact on our wellbeing.
I think I can attribute the start of RA for me to an extremely stressful event a couple of years ago, which led to me having a severe asthma attack and being in respiratory distress. Luckily the ambulance came quickly as I just could not breathe, very scary. Stress also affects my asthma so it’s double whammy now!! Xx
yes but note my diagnosis is Adult Onset Stills Disease which for me manifests as RD. in fact the very first symptom was a sore throat and it’s a symptom that’s been constant since diagnosis in 1979 and it gets much worse when I flare and I flare when stressed. GP has always dismissed the connection but can’t explain what I’ve had a sore throat that’s not too bad one day but the next can see me bed ridden and feeling near death with it the next day. That’s rare AI diseases all over though isn’t it. Salt water gargle helps a bit.
This is exciting, may I join the sore throat brigade? It was a sore throat and joint pain that took me to the GP originally. He did blood tests and dismissed me saying it was just a virus, it will be gone in a few weeks. I pointed out I had had a sore throat for over six months. Eventually he agreed to refer to rheumatology, but the damage was done, I was dismissed by the first rheumy as having fibro. I knew I didn't meet the criteria, made a formal complaint, and got a second opinion that came up with PsA, OA, spondylolisthesis. But they are still ignoring the sore throat (and dry eyes and mouth).
Finally got a referral to ENT. I was looking forward to the appointment as I had met him when he saw my son whom he was very thorough with. But no joy, he was completely different with me. Telephone appointment only, told me I was just getting old. I was 60 at the time.
I still get random sore throats. I don't have a very stressful life, and the recent stress resulted in a rash on my buttocks that used to be dismissed too (ring worm, change your toilet seat). I just gave up in the end.
That first GP that dismissed the sore throat said his friend who was a rheumatologist used to tell him that GPs were idiots; they referred to rheumatology when they should, and don't refer when they should! His words not mine, but I don't disagree!
And although I know some men struggle to get medical care, this it is particular problem for women. Misogyny is baked into medical training. There is a lot of peer reviewed research to back this up, but it seems their behaviour never changes.
Decades ago I got glandular fever which then left me with chronic fatigue, whenever I was over doing things my throat would play up. In fact my throat symptoms give me a warning I'm heading for not being well.
Stress is a massive trigger , as well as over doing things. Had lots of stress the other week I even got the flashing pattern migraine, (used to get them with nausea & awful had pain) so I went and lay down ignored everything for an hour felt the benefit.
Have you been taking more oral meds than usual? If you have..make sure you take them with plenty of water…..a sore throat is one symptom of not enough liquid will pills!
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