"Oh, no. Not there. That hURts! The hand. Gotta move the hand. Oh, watch the shoulder! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Oh, there. That's it!"
We sat quietly looking into the evening sky. My arm around her back. Her head on my shoulder. We knew that it wasn't going to last for long. The arthritis in my shoulders has been so bad the last few weeks that the simple act of putting my arm around Pamela and allowing her to rest her head on my shoulder makes most of the Kama Sutra look like child's play. We don't generally think much about the workings of our shoulders. Think about it when you reach behind your car seat, or lift a bag sitting on the seat next to you, or reach back to flip the light switch as you enter a room. Each of these acts can bring tears to my eyes.
How often do we take for granted the seemingly simple act of giving a hug to our mate, child, parent or friend? 37 years ago when, at the ripe ole age of 32, I was diagnosed with arthritis, I was not prepared for the reality of this non-lethal but exceptionally painful disease.
Before you go back to check the author of this blog ... yes, this is the same Russ Vance who runs 40 mile races, hikes, bikes, kayaks and scubas. I don't think that I can do all these things because I'm particularly strong. I think that I can do all these things because I'm particularly stubborn and refuse to allow this common disease to stop me from living life to the fullest. But some people aren't as fortunate as me.
Pamela and I are both arthritis sufferers. Pamela was a triathlete before arthritis brought an end to her career. Her favorite part of the triathlon was the running. Now she is trying to decide whether or not to have double knee surgery before she retires in about 18 months. She's just barely 60. We both have arthritis from top to bottom and are walking barometers. When a storm front is moving in, we are both hardly able to move. Even on a good day, if you watch us you will notice that we take a bit longer than others to get up out of a chair and we will pause before we move.
I think that Pamela's arthritis is much worse than mine, although she'll argue that. I also think that she's as strong and stubborn as me, although she'll argue that too. Once I get moving, I can run or walk for hours because my hips are my worst lower extremity joints. Her worst lower extremity joints are her feet and knees. Nevertheless, when we head out trekking across the Rocky Mountains, she'll say "let's just go a few miles today and turn back." 5-10 miles later she'll finally agree that we should think about turning around.
I am not ashamed to say that I am very proud of our 2014 accomplishments. I did the Goofy Challenge at Disney in January. That's a 39.3 mile back-to-back race. It will probably be my last not because of the arthritis but the cost. Together we hiked over 450 miles, mostly through the Rocky Mountains. We biked over 300 miles, again mostly in the mountains. We kayaked about 30 miles. And we've gone diving from Montana to Bermuda. We traveled 11,700 miles living 134 days in our 16 foot vintage trailer in state and national parks, forests and wilderness. On top of this Pamela, a college professor, still teaches a full load with labs . . . i.e. always on her feet. We're heading to Montana in about 5 weeks to work at Glacier National Park again this summer. We are determined to live life to the fullest for as long as we are able.
I have a saying, written in Irish on the side of my old pop-up trailer, that reads "don't stop living before you die." But there are many who are not as fortunate as us. Arthritis is very painful and it is often crippling - twisting joints and limbs like grotesque pretzels. You have to look closely at the two of us to see the physical manifestations, but that's not true of many. Pamela has an aunt, who is actually only 2 years older than me, who just had an MRI. She has arthritis in every joint from her neck to her toes and was told the only thing they can do for her is give her pain medicine.
Arthritis includes more than 100 different rheumatic diseases and conditions. Arthritis types such as rheumatoid and lupus can affect multiple organs and cause widespread symptoms. There are 52.5 million Americans diagnosed with Arthritis. Of those, 22.7 million are disabled by this disease, and 1 out of 3 who are of working age (18-65) and have arthritis are limited in their activity. Almost 300,000 children have arthritis!
I must admit that I've never known of anyone dying from arthritis . . . directly. I could not find any published studies in the US on the number of suicides related to arthritis but a NIH study found 11% have suicidal ideation because of comorbid depression. A 13 year study was done in Finland with frightening results.
There are many deadly diseases we need to fight. Nevertheless, this disease is on the rise and the number of related suicides is likewise rising. The next time you hug your mate, child, parent or friend, think of those of us who can't and when you are asked to make a contribution, please be as generous as you can.
Visit the Arthritis Foundation website (click here).
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