does anyone feel like they dont understand wot is goi... - NRAS
does anyone feel like they dont understand wot is going on with their body, i have been diagnosed with ra for a year now. but i dont get it
I think it's natural to want to know why me? why now? The trouble with RA is there aren't any sensible answers. Part of the answer lies in your genes. Some people - a lot of people - have the genes for RA. The odd thing is that the genes aren't 'switched on' at birth - the RA genes are triggered by one or more events in life. Many people with RA genes don't ever get RA because the genes are never triggered.
Something has triggered your genes - and mine. Hundreds of ideas about triggers have been considered but no one really knows what causes it. It could be a dose of the 'flu, it could have been exposure to a chemical... The list is endless.
You are not to blame. There is no evidence that some of the less wise choices we make in life trigger RA. Diet (ie eating wheat or chocolate cake or too much dairy stuff) doesn't cause RA and, while there is scientific evidence that smoking tobacco increase the risk of getting RA, there is no evidence that alcohol or drugs (legal or otherwise) causes it.
I'm really sorry you have an aggressive form of RA - I sense you're quite young so you have a long journey with RA ahead of you. If you can put the question of 'why me?' to one side you might have an easier time of it. Please be reassured that neither you or your mother did anything wrong or anything avoidable to bring this condition on yourself.
Best wishes
GreenFlower
jaqi,
do you get what your immune system does? It is that that is not working properly. Instead of just fighting off bacteria etc. it is attacking parts of your joints.
Why did you get it? That's the million dollar question. Why do some men go bald and others don't? Why do some people get varicose veins or warts or whatever? It's just bad luck and I suppose everyone has some part of their body that is weaker than others and more likely to go wrong. Like Green Flower says, their are loads of theories.
I really sympathise with how you feel. I think you will probably get even more replies that will help put your mind at rest if you let people know what you do get and what you don't. Are you clear on the immune system thing? Do you want to know more about what is happening in your joints? There are probably loads of people here who can help with this stuff.
All the best,
Christina x
I would get as informed as you can. Read as much as you can find on RA, its treatments, what it does to your body and how etc
There are no real answers, but it may help you to begin to understand your disease better if you can understand it
I hope you can begin to get some support
I do wonder if what we eat has anything to do with getting RA.... like an allergic reaction to some product?
There are a lot of theories about diet and allergens (mostly on websites trying to sell you a diet or a book or a supplement) but there is little scientific evidence to support these ideas. On the other hand, on the basis of what I read I chose to go on a gluten-free Mediterranean diet and I feel better for it.
