It's a Matter of Time.

dreamdaisy

I won't deny that things have been very tough over the last month or so, something I was attributing to summer heat and general over-exertion because my stamina has been increasing. Now, like the man who sat up all night waiting for the sun, it has dawned on me why thing are getting harder.

I am sure it comes down to one simple fact: I am getting older. When this nonsense kicked off back in 1997 I was 37. Now it isn't and I am not. Even though my body has never been that co-operative when it comes to the business of living, I at least had youth on my side which helped me to get on better with things despite the arthritis. I will be 60 next year, a physically compromised 60 methinks in comparison to my peers who have not been dealing with nonsense for the last twenty one years. My ponderings have concluded that the arthritis has not worsened, what has changed is my physical resources to deal with it due to the natural depredations of age. Wot larks, Pip. :roll: DD

Airwave!

Of course it might just be your perception of what is wrong, once an idea floats in off the ether it can engage with our thoughts and soar to new heights distorting our preconceptions and worrying our memories till it is the truth?

stickywicket

Oh tell me about it :roll:

In looking up something / somewhere (probably a dodgy site, folks. Don't get alarmed) I found out that, with RA, I'm more likely to die 10-15 years sooner than without it

As I'm now officially 72, that makes me unofficially pushing 90 :shock:

So, I'd just like to take this opportunity, while I still have it, of saying, in the immortal words of Douglas Adams, "So long and thanks for all the fish".

This is merely a precautionary measure and in no way indicates my intention of abandoning the forum just yet. But, at my advanced age, which has just, apparently, advanced considerably more,........one never knows Every day is, seemingly, a bonus now

dreamdaisy

I've read that too, Sticky, and not on a dodgy site. As auto-immune arthritis can affect the whole body I guess that is not surprising but the possibility of my life being shortened byt the disease does not bother me in the slightest. One is on borrowed time from the moment of the first breath.

I saw a friend this morning who has just turned 73. She was complaining that she couldn't do what she always has done re. walking her dog as her body is no longer co-operating so easily. Moan, moan, moan, so tedious to listen to but necessary for her to get it off her chest. I've heard it all before and will no doubt hear it all again. The fact that she has reached her early 70s with no trouble whatsoever is completely unappreciated but not by me.

Constant pain is both demoralising and debilitating and I am definitely losing the necessary energy to manage it. It's time to develop new adjustments and alterations to what I do and how I do it so I can cope better. DD

jennand

Unfortunately RA does increase your risk of heart disease. The inflammation doesn’t only attack your joints but some heart tissue too. This is why it is so important to keep the inflammation down as much as possible and make sure that other risk factors are kept down ( smoking, weight, etc). If anyone wants to calculate their risk google QRISK3. It’s a simple table to fill in and it’s the one most health professionals use. My heart age is calculated as 68 which isn’t too bad as I’m 65. But it’s been a timely reminder for me to up my game, increase exercise, reduce cholesterol etc.

Teapot

Well Sticky believe it or not you have just made me smile ! After just writing I am feeling down I read your comment "being 72 pushing 90" I am 72 and at the moment feel 90 !

turtle

valde wrote:

Well Sticky believe it or not you have just made me smile ! After just writing I am feeling down I read your comment "being 72 pushing 90" I am 72 and at the moment feel 90 !

I am 71 and was supposed to have expired at 50 because of the anorexia. Still here, but I also feel 90. I always think of my mother, who, at 87, walked two miles every day, did her own housework, drove and gardened.

But we have what we have, and yes, every day is a gift (though with the pain I am not sure of that one).

Thanks for the thoughts.

dreamdaisy

I wonder why people say they 'feel 90' when they have no idea what 90 feels like? Having been socially grouped with the elderly since I had my first rollator aged 48 or so I find age comparison unhelpful and demoralising. A friend of ours has a 91 year old mother who had a recent fall as she left her dancing class. That's how to be 91 and beyond me at 59!

I am beginning to feel my age simply because I am getting older and finding coping more challenging than before. The ageing process is irreversible and unstoppable; I'm already hindered by the arthritis. C'est la vie or rather, c'est ma vie (that's my life). DD.

stickywicket

Thanks for the info, jennand. Like the other questionnaire, which is much the same, I'd do better If I knew my cholesterol levels (Always told it's OK and only brought near the 'cut-off' point by my high consumption of 'good cholesterol'. My BP varies. Not great but I'm on ramipril so it's monitored and, given that I can't fill them in, there seems little point in fishing out the scales or getting someone to check my height. Useful to know it's there though. (You're questiónnaire, not my height )

dreamdaisy

I cannot see the point of these questionnaires, they have an entertainment value but they are hardly reliable as a source of useful information for the participant, no matter the source. I had fun earlier this week with the heart age one, as usual the questions were bland and there was no opportunity to supply detail (the last thing the survey monkeys can deal with, the algorithms are basic in the extreme). They are essential for the worried well to maintain their fretting levels but for the genuinely affected? Twaddle is a nice word to sum them up. DD

Slosh

I have stopped reading any of those "do this to stay younger/fitter/live longer..."etc type of posts and I'm not too big a fan of those "look at this amazing 80/90" year old posts either. I just find it all too depressing. And I dread phone calls with my much older sister who although she is in great health for her age loves to moan about things.

I just do what I can each day, and try to live the best life I can. I plan to continue to do this as long as I can, and to continue to try out new things, learn more and make the most of any new opportunities that come my way.