Turning a year older and ready for all life throws at me. (Image by C Glass of freeimages.com)
I have a birthday tomorrow, and they say that everything goes downhill when you turn 40. Good thing I have one more year before that happens. Oh, wait. I forgot I’ve been living the spoonie life for years now. I’m already rolling down the hill.
For all of you health warriors out there struggling to get through the day, I hear you. As if living a normal life isn’t exhausting enough, you now have to add in your autoimmune diseases.
Sometimes I think I have more in common with my 90-year-old grandmother than with people my own age. I can relate to the stiff joints, being forgetful due to brain fog, popping pills, and wanting to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon.
I’m often asked why I’m so tired. Here’s the answer: My body is working overtime – all of the time. An internal war is constantly going on, and I’m just hoping this will be the day both sides decide to call a truce. But more often than not, the fighting continues.
With healthy skin, the cycle of cell production and replacement takes about 28 days. With psoriasis, this process only takes about 4 days. No wonder I’m exhausted and sleep 10-11 hours each night!
But putting health conditions aside – psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, specifically – I’m in general good health. I maintain a fairly good weight, have no signs of heart problems, eat right and exercise. My cholesterol is very low, and to top it off, I inherited some awesome aging genes because I’m often mistaken for someone ten years younger. My doctors are generally impressed, so I’ve got that going for me.
In less than 24 hours, I’ll turn 39 – for the first time. In my 39 years, I’ve done some pretty amazing things: danced at the Citrus Bowl half-time show, put myself through college, had a son, married a super guy, won a few awards for design work, hosted some fantastic kids from Europe for an exchange student program, and even found my calling by volunteering and making a difference in this world. (Shout-out to the National Psoriasis Foundation and #psobloggers this past weekend for an amazing summit sponsored by Leo Pharma, and to the Arthritis Foundation where our family’s volunteering efforts began.)
I’ve had a pretty good start to a great life, especially when you add in that nearly half of that time was spent dealing with chronic disease in our family. I believe the next 39 years will be pretty amazing, too.
So, yeah, I do feel old, but psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis won’t stop me. Life is good, and I’m ready for an adventure. I might just have to take it a few steps slower than most.
