yes, everything that affects your immune system affects all your autoimmune conditions.

If I get any kind of illness, it takes me much longer to get over it. It is the RA and meds that we are on that suppress our already confused immune system.

Yes. I find that I'm sick for longer and when I get sick it exacerbates my RA and Fibromyalgia. I get flu-like symptoms even with colds because of this. I'll often spike a fever when no one else in my family does. And the pain will last beyond whatever illness. I was sick in Feb for most of the month with a bad cold/cough. My shoulders and ankles flared up and are still sore now. It'll be another few weeks of this before they start to feel normal again. Happens every time.

H Teresa, I find now, when I get sick, it lasts for a month or longer. I typically start out with a runny nose, then it progresses to sinus issues, ear infection with a cough and sore throat. The final stage is that I lose my voice. And that lasts for a week. I don't get a fever, I am not prone to them, in fact, my body temp is usually low enough that the health care people tend to want to take it multiple times, until I say don't worry, my temp is always low. LOL.. As for it's effect on the RA, it's only a problem if the doc tells me to not take the methotrexate until I start to get better. I will start to get flares if I am off the methotrexate too long. So when I am sick, I usually skip one dose of the methotrexate but I will take the following week's dose. Any longer without it, the flares are unbearable.

Feel better real soon!