Why I Love Being A Senior?

I am in my 60’s now and have had psoriatic arthritis for over thirty years. I guess you’re wondering why I’m happy to be older. People expect you to have pain when you get older or for you to have a hard time sleeping or not sleeping at all. I don’t get as many questions as I did when I was in my 30’s and 40’s. When I was younger, people would always question my motives, or I would hear people say "you don’t look sick."

Moving at a slower pace is acceptable

I just love it when I walk at a slow pace because of pain and not having to hurry because someone is yelling, come on lazy!! Keep up with us, your only 30. It’s hard to explain joint pain at a young age, but when your 60; it’s okay.

Fatigue and brain fog are more understood

Most people don’t understand fatigue and how much it takes out of you. As a young adult I couldn’t explain it either, but guess what, I don’t have to explain it anymore because I’m considered over the hill. I no longer have growing pains I have old people’s pain.

My favorite now is brain fog. It’s okay to be forgetful.

Sometimes you need to stop and rest

I remember back in the day going to an event and wanting to sit down. All the seats were taken by young adults. I was 35 at the time. Inside my head, I was screaming "please let me sit down," my knees, legs, and joints are killing me, but I didn’t. I just went into the bathroom to rest. I just couldn’t tell anyone what I was going through.

Getting help to manage symptoms

I have been on medication since 1963, but now I don’t have to explain why I’m taking 8 pills a day anymore. Everyone thinks because I’m older and now this is acceptable to have joint inflammation and pain. It’s ok now to be stiff and have swelling or just can’t move at all. After all, I am an old lady.

It doesn’t matter if you are young or old. We are all human. We have children who have psoriatic arthritis and sometimes need more help than others. Yes, as a child we have to see the doctor more and someone has to make sure we take our medication, but we are very valuable as anyone else is.

Accepting the changes that come with getting older

I remember as a child wanting to be like everyone else. I wanted to run and play with other kids, but people thought I was contagious, or I just couldn’t keep up, but as an older person, no one cares. This kind of makes me sad.

As we age or as a young person, we still need support. Join a reliable support group. We still need to talk and listen to people who have gone through what we are; young or old. We all want to be healthy and grow old but growing old when you’re in pain has you feeling some kind of way right now. We don’t know what the future holds for us. I’m getting a taste of it now, but still not sure of the outcome. This is messing with my mental health and I find myself wondering how much time has been taken off my life because of a disease I have had for 55 years?

Getting support no matter what your age is

Living with psoriatic arthritis is not easy; it can be very challenging. We all want to slow the process of the disease as we age. I have put in plenty of miles on this journey. It doesn’t matter whether you are 20 or 60; life can be grand. I have had my ups and down with this disease, but one thing I do know is that I will never give up helping to find a cure. We are all in this together.