boing, boing, boing....
Life is up and down at the mo' - several big highs and a few big lows. I also feel pretty knocked about by arthritis - it seems like I'm very gently getting worse again - not as bad as last autumn, but enough to be troubling me quite a bit. I've got a consultant's appointment soon and I'm hoping for a bit more help of some sort.
I've also had a few people pull the - "Oh - my nan / aunty / brother / I've (delete as appropriate) had / got / has that and they - swore by "blank" / just got on with it / never moaned / worked until they were 99 etc etc etc" - thing. Less than one in a hundred people have RA - but if I went by the number of people who think they have RA or a relative with RA, the prevalence would be around 50% (in reality it's about half a percent - even less for men). Most people confuse RA with osteo-arthritis - which is the kind of arthritis most people get as they get older - RA on the other hand, is an active autoimmune disease that can quickly destroy the joints - http://www.rheumatoid.org.uk/index.php?page_id=36 .
I'm finding it increasingly hard to not to get cross when people say this kind of stuff - and of course if I do it's bound to be with someone who does really have a mum with RA.
And besides all that, RA is variable - some people are in wheelchairs, some bouncing around like hyperactive five-year-olds - so even if your mum does have RA and still does the London Marathon thats far from typical.
People with depression get the same thing - how many have heard - "Oh I felt really fed-up last week - I know what you're going through"?
As Pen's dad would say "Flappy-nack"...
And now summat very good - I'm about to become a student again - it looks like I'm going to get offered a university place to study how photography and mental health issues are related - whoop-de-whoop!
6 comments:
Great news about becomming a student Tone. It sounds like a really interesting relationship to study. Good on ya!
hello tone,
sorry to hear ya not feelin ya best. only hope ya feel, at least, a bit better soon.
i think its a general rule with anything that if you have any kind of ailment or illness every1 seems to have it or know someone who does!
think its people just tryna be nice most of the time but i realise that ain't always helpful.
although in my mums case she's always had everything and everything, or suddenly self diagnoses and decides that she has what ever anyone she talks to has got! and in general has always had it worse than every 1 else! so at least you haven't had to have that conversation! ;-)
take care tone
purkul
x
The roller coaster continues, but with some new features - the course/ studies being one that will hopefully help smooth out the ride.....
as always I will be on it with you xx
ta my lovely friends - and wise words purk - thanks and hugs Tone
Hi Tone,
Congratulations on the University place - that IS good news, and what a very interesting combination of subjects to study. D x
Congrats on the studenty thing. I once had someone say to me 'my mother had cancer and she still managed to do the housework.' Obviously, I wanted to say, A) I'm not your mother and B) You should have done it for her. There are unreasonable expectations for people with illness and disabilities, we must not complain, get upset, moan, get jealous of others, etc etc. If peopel could, just for one day, go through what you go through, they may not be quite so quick to judge or offer inane advice.
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