ATTEN: Male RA’er’s | Arthritis Information

How many male RA'er's do we have on this board?

Just wondering!

Alan

Men cannot hang with us, WOMEN!
Damn pansies!
Edited to add:

Alan is no pansy, he has stuck around thru thick and thin.
Would if i could ROFLMAOWow,we only have 2 men at AI? Now is that cause no others want to speak up or is it rarer for men to got autoimmune diseases?Male with RA since 1989.........I play guitar also ( when I can ) I think it's rarer for men to talk about it. Since I joined AI there's been a handful of men around and about and they seem to come and go just as I have. The ladies seem to stick around a lot longer and of course it sometimes seems like us guys are right in the big middle of the Oprah show. That's not always a bad thing. Most people here, without regard to gender, are pretty interesting. More women than men do get RA. Like Binge said.it is more rare for me to talk about it. Part of that is having to admit that something doesn't work right...and part of it is that men just are not wired like we are to talk about emotions and feelings and the like. And when guys do talk about emotions and feeling etc. it is not in the same way that women do. Which explains why neither sex ever understands the other lol.
What would be an RA topic that would interest you guys? How about RA and the big screen tv? or Fast cars, hot women, and arthritis? Linn...you forgot RA and the Remote Control LOL!!!!

Opinions on this guys. I feel men worry MORE about the future than women do since they are traditionally portrayed as being stronger, the provider, the protector, etc. The insecurities of what would happen if they could no longer be in these roles has to be overwhelming.
Men do worry about the future but in my house, I don't think one of us worrys more than the other. My wife and I have been married only 7 yrs., have known each other for 25 yrs. We both went into this marriage knowing that our "roles" would be somewhat switched due to RA. She works and is the provider and this is an area that has never been a problem. We are each others support systems and it works. I've never felt insecure about "my role" and not being the provider because I learned a long time ago that you do what you have to do. She knows that I do work whenever I can (or when the RA allows me to) because I get bored and stir crazy very easily. Your wife sounds like a quality women!! I guess you're doing what everyone with RA does...changing things up so that life works. It's good to see that you and your wife are successful in doing that.
*marks off BingeThinker & 6t5farlane off the pansy list*

Yeah, I would suppose it is harder for a male to deal with RA. But does it affect a male worse if he has just fallen ill with RA or if the male grows up having JRA?

My take on that is that it hits the fallen ill with RA male more, because they were once what they thought a male should be.

The male with JRA, well he has had his life to adapt to having it, but he still gets hit by the reality that he will not be "the man he should be".

Does any of that make sense?
joonie39281.4083449074Well, it makes sense to me, but I'm not a man. I think though, that the same is true for women, except the perceived "failure to be what I was or am supposed to be" entails different kinds of things.
Binge...

I love that you and your family have found something that works for your family unit. It is extremely hard having RA as a woman, I can't imagine how difficult it is as a man. I know that as a single person and sole provider, it is often looked at negatively if I have to "bow" out of something due to the way I feel.

Kuddos to all you guys....maybe you will help balance out the hormones on here (speaking of myself specifically)
Phats
Perfect sense, Joonie. Being dx'd and then shortly thereafter becoming unable to walk or do things for myself at 26 yrs. old, I was an independent adult with my whole future to look forward to. It was very very hard to accept that I had such a terrible disease and that I would spend most of the rest of my life in pain. Of course I still have my whole future to look forward to, but certainly not the same one I pictured 20+ yrs. ago. I do feel blessed that for my first 26 yrs. of life, I was probably more active than most people whereas the JRA people might never get the opportunity to experience pain-free days with all of your body parts working the way they were meant to. In other words, I suppose JRA sufferers really haven't known any different.
PS: Joonie - I don't mean to alarm you, but my imaginary friend thinks your imaginary friend is REAL...so be VERY CAREFUL!

I heart you too!!!!!!!!!

Phats

Sorry Phats and Donn, big BIG NO NO!! I'm afraid ole Arthur would just come between you two,Bad idea BAD BAD!! DON'T DO IT!!!
Oh look.... an RA Love Story
Oh Well who am i to stand in the way of Twue Wuv,( Anybody see Princess Bride)>
Yep, that is one of my favorite movies of all time! I would go watch it, but my sister borrowed it, and her VCR ate my movie and she could not find another one to replace it
Me TOO!! I love that movie! I almost have it memorized Statistically, men should compose about 1/4 of this group. Maybe us men are too hard-headed to come to a message board. Or maybe there aren't enough pictures!!!Ok... if pictures will get the males to join in discussion more often... then we shall post pictures! So... we would have to make picture sentances. I hope that will help with their participation.
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