I recently read something disturbing about RA being so bad that it can shorten your lifespan. I know that lupis, a disease closely related to RA, can shorten the life span because it attacks bodily organs as well as bones and cartilage. My whole life, no one ever mentioned that JRA would have any affect on my lifespan, but maybe my parents/doctors just kept that from me so I wouldn't get worried. I was diagnosed with JRA at 18 months old. I am 29 years old now and while my joint damage is quite severe, my RD mentioned at my last appointment that the arthritis may technically be out of my system, leaving only the joint damage. So i was just wondering if it IS out of my system, does that mean it won't affect my lifespan, and if it IS STILL in my system, then should I be worried about how long I have to live? Should I be taking some kind of extra precautions?
Just curious, and a little scared now,
Jesse
Jesse, I responded on the stem cell thread. I didn't see this one, sorry!
You 2 gals are young. Have your whole life ahead of you!!!! If your RA gets ahold of you or your body gets use to the drugs you are on then you might be looking at a shorter life span. Right now I would be more concerned to regain your quality of life!!!! That comes first and then along with quality of life comes health. I have emailed both of you, you see on this site there are other options, they might or might not be available. In any case search out some options for your bodies. Don't only go with the steady as she goes meds. I did not know about stem cell. That is too cool. You know of the homeopathics and they worked for quite a few people I know. I pray that young people such as yourselves look into options.
Arthritis dosen't have to be a sentence.
Today in a huge change of weather, I am working outside, doing physical work, I have no pain, My feet are alittle uncomfortable but not even worth taking my anti inflammatory over. Please listen and become open minded as to options for yourselves.
Take care and think about your future!!! in a positive healthy way!!!!! Statistically, I think I've read that RA can chop 4 years off of your life. It doesn't mean you die in your 30's or 40's. It might mean your late 70's instead of early 80's. But you know what they say about statistics, right? My aunt has had Crohns for much of her life, was on prednisone for more than 30 years, and she's been on Remicade for a while, but she's 83 & still ticking right along. My cousin has Crohns, is 64, and is healthier now than she has been at any point in her life. Live the best, most healthy life that you can under the circumstances, and you should have many, many decades ahead of you. Plus --- you have a lifetime for them to find a cure! Yay. I plan on being at least 100 and scaring the be-jeebies out of everyone around me. It's quite a dream I have. I don't plan on letting RA slow me down any. And 100 is the minimum, mind you. I'll take 115-120 as well. As soon as I hit 99, I plan on being the absolute most demanding person in creation. I figure by that point in life, I can be poor as dirt but I'll have all the right in the world to expect people to wait on me hand and foot. Hahaha Oh I need help..
This subject has come up before and it can become quite ugly.
I choose to believe that my life is already mapped out for me. Only God knows how long I'll live and it might be another day or 60 more years. I can't be waist the days I have worrying about that.
Don't let yourself be over whelmed by the thoughts of your life being shortened by RA.
Health; I haven't seen any of your other post so I'm not sure exactly what you are referring to.....but I know one thing you say is right. If your life is shortened it's going to be by the meds you take not the RA itself.
Many of us depend on them......and choose to accept the complications that come with them. Without them.....many of us would be left with a life not quite worth living.
No!! >.< I *WILL* be 100.....lol I don't care what anyone says!!!!
Just an example of how my brain works....STUBBORN AS A MULE.
I think I'll be happy with 80!
I've seen 100....and it don't look like fun!
Well, I need to rephrase then. I will be 100 and effing sky-diving.
Hahahaha
Well put Lovie. I too believe my life is alreadyThank you all. I feel a little less worried now.
Actually, I never really imagined myself living to be an "old" man anyway, at least, I never did when I was younger. You all have to keep in mind, I'm a punk rock/metal musician. If anything is gonna shorten my lifespan, it's the damn rock 'n' roll lifestyle! I actually had an idea for a song called "Rock 'n' Roll is Killin' Me", but never got around to really writing it. Most of my main influences (Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, to name a few) not only died young, but died at about the same age, 27. They actually have something in the music world called the 27 club, a club that no musician in thier right mind would actually want to join. But hey, I'm 29, so I beat that statistic at least. lol Now, a little older and a little wiser, I have slowed down quite a bit. No longer the party animal I was in my teen years and early 20's. Sure, I still like to have a good time and live in the now, but I am not so blinded by the "now" that I can't see the possibilities of tomorrow. I know that the average human lifespan, in general, is increasing every year. So by the time I'm actually 70 years old, if I make it that long, then it's possible that the average lifespan will be up to almost 100. That's how medical advancements work these days. So I try to enjoy life now without ruining myself too much for the future. And just because I rock doesn't mean I have to go out early either. I mean, look at the Rolling Stones! What are they, like 150 now? Well, they "look" 150 now. lol But seriously, I would be satisfied with another 30 or 40 years. I don't want to get so old that I can't take care of myself, or remember my own name, or any of that other horrible and embarassing stuff associated with the extremely old. However, if I could live to be 100 and be "effing sky-diving" like Katie said, then hey, that might be cool. I might actually have the guts to do something like that by then. I mean, it's like, so what if the parachutte doesn't open, I'm a freakin' centurian. Not like they could look at my smashed 100 year old body in a field somewhere and say "he was too young, he didn't live a full enough life". lol
Take care all,
Jesse
Smoking is supposed to shorten your life by 7 years, so RA's 4 seems mild to me. Most people with RA die of heart disease...just like the 'normal' people. I think we should stay as active as we can, eat decently, and not worry so much.[QUOTE=Lovie]I think I'll be happy with 80!
I've seen 100....and it don't look like fun!
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I have been very fortunate in knowing several woman in their late 90's early 100's. They were/are interesting, active, exciting women. They traveled the work even after they were in their 90's. I loved the way they lived their lives.
One died about a year ago at age 103 and was very active until 102. Her last year was spent more at home than outside the home.
Hi! New to this site. I have always understood that "you die with RA, not from it." I have had it for probably 10 plus years, diagnosed with RA in 2002. DR was pushing MTX at first, but I did not want the side effects, so went with natural therapy instead. So far the worst thing I have had to take is Naproxen, so I guess I am very lucky. But, I keep waiting for the day I wake up and can't get out of bed for the rest of my life, based on some of the other stories I have read. My prayers are with everyone who has this crappy disease, God bless us all.
Craig
My grandmother is 91, and lives the life of a 30 year old. She was involved in a serious accident 7 years ago, in which she was the victim of a head on car crash. She broke every bone in her body except her nose, and only had a 5% chance of survival through surgery. She made it and her chances only increased to 15%. She was in tramua ICU for 2 months, all the while being on a respirator. At the end of her ICU stay, her survival rate had increased to 60%, but we were told she would never walk again, much less live on her own. She has beat all the odds. She walks without a cane or walker, lives alone and just last week, she and 3 friends drove up to the beach for the day. Don't worry... she wasn't driving! She has had to hire someone to drive her around, but other than that, she is more active than I am. In the years since the accident, she has had a heart attack, but she swears it was just heartburn! LOL.. Anyway if I can be active like she is, I hope to live to be 100.I hear that, Panz. If I could be in that good of shape at 100, then I wouldn't mind sticking around til then. That really is amazing. Your grandma sounds like one tough cookie. Myself, I probably get around worse than a lot of 60 or 70 year olds, and I'm only 29! So unless they come up with some major medical advancements in the coming years (and I'm sure that is a very real possiblity) then I shudder to think what kind of shape I'd be in at 100! Oh well, that's a long ways off.
May the future shine on us all,
Jesse
Don't ruin today with worries of a way far off future.Here's a very scary early Halloween present.
I've heard that it shortens your life by about 12 years, not 4. However, in my family, everyone tends to live into their 90s and that's back a couple of generations.
For me, it is not the length of time, but the quality of time. I would be very happy to live a shorter life if I didn't have to live it in so much pain and always sick. Lately, the pain has been really bad. At those times, it is very human to think "I don't want to live any more." I think that is a bigger struggle for me, existing outside of those times.
When the pain is really bad, when the fatigue is crushing, then it's hard to reach for tomorrows. But then, each morning, I wake up and realize it's a new day with new hope. I just assume that I am going to feel better because after all that pain was associated with yesterday and may not be part of today.
RA can damage your internal organs. But the way to outsmart it is to make sure you watch for symptoms. For instance, I've had serious problems with my heart and lungs. I have problems with my blood vessels. But I know what to look for and when to go to the doctor. I hope to stay ahead of this disease and I pray that they get it under some kind of control.
All I really care is that my body doesn't outlive my brain. That's my one request of fate. Having lived with family members with Alzheimers, and having a strong faith in the afterlife, I would choose quality rather than quantity!