Do you ever wonder what part of your body will fail as you get older?

[PermanentlyExhaustedPigeonZZZ]

In my early 40s and the saying about what you neglect in your 20s comes to bite you on the butt in your 40s is starting to come true. I'm overweight and can't get up off the floor like I could. My DH has a whole plethora of health problems but I think it'll be his joints that get him.

I sometimes wonder if my mind, my hearing or my body will affect me the most in my 60/70/80s. Anyone else?

You are the same age as me and failures in my care meant I was left without treatment for months waiting for my next appointment. I filled in with 95% curcuminoids MSM and Cats Claw, all of which have been tested and shown to be effective with RA, and my bloods have been perfect now for over 8 months. The cats claw in particular has some methotrexate effects and is a herb widely taken in South America for the treatment of RA. I've tried stopping it as it's a fairly powerful drug but the result was obvious quite quickly. The effect of MSM is well known and was explained to me by a rheumatologist but he says they can't prescribe it as there are no standardized dose rates. My RA is palindromic, meaning it only lasts for 48 hours at a time, and I've no idea if my regime will work for anyone else.

I'm completely with you on the shorter life!

My favourite saying is Alan Bennets "no pleasure is worth forgoing for an extra two years in a Weston super Mare care home".

If you are having bad side effects on the methotrexate would that not be considered to be a failure and allow you to progress on to a biologic?

This.
We’re only here the once so enjoy, you never know what’s round the corner.
I’m eighty so probably the oldest on this post. I never lived the perfect life, no gyms, drink, smoked when young didn’t we all back then? I was active, lots of livestock to tend, dogs to show, big garden to try to control. So was doing ok till ten years ago apart from thyroid trouble. Discovered by chance in my thirties & been on thyroxine ever since, so the young lady who is worried, don’t be. And high blood pressure ever since having pre eclampsia put me in hospital for a month prior to birth of my ds. So been on meds for that for decades.
But then I fell badly ten years ago down stone steps which knackered my spine so now walking is difficult without a stick & if I got down on the floor I’d never get up.
I realise I may end up in a wheelchair or at least a scooter but for now I can walk but use a stick to keep my balance & not fall.
My mum was fit & healthy, good diet, then got up one morning, had a shower, went downstairs & dropped down dead with a heart attack aged 59. My dad on the other hand never visited a doctor or dentist after leaving the RAF at the end of the war, had the worst diet you could imagine, all biscuits, sweets, cheese on white bread every day for his packed lunch, chip pan on as soon as he came home. Worked shifts so disrupted lifestyle. A glass of beer or three every night and always a pipe of tobacco on the go. He lived independently till a short illness took him aged 98.
He always used to say “ Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t run around with fast women. You won’t live any longer but as sure as hell it’ll feel like you do” 😂
I’m just hoping I’ve inherited a few of his genes 😁

Well I reported changes to my sight and black eyes that looked like I'd been in a boxing ring on hydroyxchloroquine and was ignored, so I guess that might depend on your rheumatologist. With methotrexate, my impression was that they'll give you stuff to stop nausea but if it stops the pain they'll tell you to put up with the side effects. Again only my impression but stopping the pain without life threatening side effects equals success to the NHS.

To be fair the biologics are a whole class of drugs and they are still horrendously expensive and close to half a million people in the country have RA.

With methotrexate, my impression was that they'll give you stuff to stop nausea but if it stops the pain they'll tell you to put up with the side effects. Again only my impression but stopping the pain without life threatening side effects equals success to the NHS.
Yes. Mtx was extremely effective and when I complained, repeatedly, about the side effects the answer was "stop taking it then" they wouldn't offer an alternative. It's quite a tough decision to make. Put up with nausea, headaches, mouth ulcers, digestive problems OR go back to waking in pain all over every day and unpredictable joints swelling, I chose the former.

@Imdunfer mine is palindromic, quite unusual. It did progress to full blown RA but I still get acute flares in random joints for 48 hours.

Late 50’s and hip going.. too much running with my Sony Walkman when I was younger.

I have full blown RA from my blood results but the effects are palindromic. My understanding is that it normally starts serum negative with palindromic inflammatory arthritis but I was serum positive straight away. Sorry you've got it too but in some ways I feel very lucky it goes after 24-48 hours. I'm serum negative now with no joint attacks, but have autoimmune enthesitis which also puts me on crutches then disappears after 24 hours.

In your shoes I would be campaigning to get a biologic, you fit the criteria if a biological would work for you. The response you've had is unacceptable.

I hope you get some help. I'd recommend the "supplements" (all active pharmaceuticals) I'm on instead of your DMARDS, but you should perhaps get private blood tests for kidney function if you plan to take cat's claw.

That is awful! Makes me very grateful to be living in Ireland where I was able to go straight on to a biologic for psoriatic arthritis.

Also, while biologics are still much more expensive than traditional DMARDS they are getting much cheaper as they go off patent and biosimilars are introduced.

So basically you’re between a rock and a hard place.

Yep, you're right. I think I'm just feeling my mortality. My eldest DD is 12, the same age I was when my mum died. My dad is 82 and bed bound with lewys body dementia, but he's so deaf I've not had a meaningful conversation for years. I don't expect him to still be here next summer. And I read so many threads about posters struggling with the needs of their elderly parents, I don't want to be that person.

Whatever you think it will be OP, it will probably be something completely different. All the strength training in the world won't prevent your eyesight failing, all the best dietary changes won't prevent Parkinsons or some other degenerate condition. Best to not think about the specifics and enjoy your body now. Be healthy and reasonably fit and that is all you can do.

Sorry that does sound tough for you. I’m the same age as you but my parents are 62 and 70 and still doing ok so I guess I haven’t had to think about it so deeply. Do try and enjoy your health/youth while you have it though.

This has never crossed my mind until now!

I expect it will be my knee joints as I walk a lot. 🦵🦵

I won't dwell on this though as I have lost friends who didn't make it to my age.

Live your life and do whatever makes you smile! 😁

My knees. They are already complaining.

To be fair to an NHS that's let me down left right and centre in the last few years, I don't know if you get biologics for psoriatic arthritis straight away, but Google suggests you still have to fail with methotrexate first. I hope it's working for you, it's a horrible condition.

In the way of most new drugs, they will be hopefully affordable at some point in the future.

Probably back and shoulders because of repetitive strain in my job. I have cut my hours to a part time as I can. I try and live a healthy life doing a mix of exercises. Light strength training, yoga, dog walking and dance. Everything in moderation is the key.

It will definitely be my knees. They've been dodgy since I was young. My dad's knees were really bad, but it was a heart attack that got him. My mum was generally healthy, no one particular thing gave her trouble. Then at 67 she was diagnosed with leukaemia and died within 2 weeks.

For PsA I believe the NICE guidelines are fail one DMARD with axial involvement but I don’t think that is adhered to in a lot of places and it is 2 DMARD fails which is the standard, plus 3 swollen joints I think.

I take methotrexate which I can tolerate at a lower dose alongside my biologic as research has shown it can help reduce risk of immune system producing antibodies to reject the biologic.

I’m not familiar with the NICE guidelines. Are they a UK thing?

I did try the low dose methotrexate for the same reason but I couldn’t tolerate it at all. I lasted a long and miserable month and then decided to take my chances.

No. I know full well it's my tongue and it'll be my inability to hold it as my patience continues to degrade along with society.

Any good suggestions for masking tape would be appreciated.

Yes they are I believe.

I'm 75, but still think of myself as being 35! My fingers and knees are a bit arthritic, but apart from that, I'm in fairly good nick. I've recently retired (my second attempt so not sure yet whether it will be permanent) and come the autumn will be joining a gym to weightlift. I'm so grateful to have reached this age - so many friends and colleagues didn't - and intend to make the most of my remaining years by keeping as fit and healthy as I can while still enjoying any bit of naughtiness that comes my way!

I'm 65 and for the past 3 years have been suffering with pins and needles/numbness in my legs and feet. No idea what started it or why and am currently having investigations to find out what's wrong. I have looked up symptoms on google etc and veer from neuropathy, diabetes, sciatica, nerve damage to multiple sclerosis, but haven't had a diagnosis yet. Such a long drawn out process, partly due to waiting lists, availability of neuro consultants etc. I have also got high blood pressure so take amlodipine for that. I have had gum disease and have been seeing an peridontal specialist for the last year, so that is now under control and stable. I have lost weight, joined a gym and do around 3-4 classes a week, eat healthily etc. Hoping I can remain as healthy as possible as I age, but feel it is very important to keep on top of it as much as I can to give me the best chance of quality life going forward.