The forum is not very busy at the moment so I thought I would tell you about my interesting telephone conversation this morning and give you all something to think about.

When I was 6 I had encephalitis which is inflammation of the brain. This was a result of measles (mums of babies take note of how serious a childhood illness can be and get your babies immunised against it) My parents have aways told me that at the time they were told that I had a 50/50 chance of survival and if I did survive I would of had some sort of brain damage. I was addmitted to an isolation hospital and I was in coma for two weeks. Obvioulsy I have made a full recovery.

Since then, up until being diagnosed with RA I have been very healthy. I've always thought that I must have a super duper immune system, and when I got DX with RA, I thought it must of got a bit bored and decided to attack me.

At the moment even though all of my blood test are 'normal' I am having more pain than normal and my over active brain's been thinking. Did they give me some sort of drug when I was so ill to bring my inflammation levels down in order to save my life and did this in some way alter what my normal inflammations levels should be. Told you my brain is very active didn't I?

After a short search on google I got the phone number of a help line for encephaltis. I spoke to someone today. Now when I first got DX with RA and I was asked all of the normal questions I mentioned the fact that I had had encephalitis. The consultant never said anything. Well, I have been told today that there is a link, they are both connected with the immune system. There is two sorts of encephalitis and I would of had the post encephalatis and not a viral one, the latter being the worse one to have. That must be why my parents were told that I had a 50/50 chance, I am assuming that 46 years ago the understanding of the illness was not like it is now.

I have got an over reactive immune system, thats what the lady today told me and when I caught measles it must of gone into overdrive and attacked my brain. Apparently wait for this folks.............my ancestors must of lived in large communities where disease was rife and through the generations their immune systems had to be good to cope with all the illness, basically the ones without a good immune system would die. This has been passed down to me, but nowadays there is not so much disease around so my over reactive immune system decided to attack me (does make a bit of sense especially when it can be passed down from parents). I said that if that was the case then surely through the years only the one's with the good immune system would survive, so everyone would then have RA. No........if someone married someone who didn't have such a good immune system (the posh people) this would then be watered down. If thats the case then, I must come from poor people.

She said that my immune system goes in peaks and troughs and if something triggers it then it gets over reactive again (like measles when I was 6). The consultant did ask if I had any illness, operations or truauma before I had the symptons of RA. I did have alot of stress and upset when Julie left to live in Spain and he said that was probably the trigger that started the RA.

So there you are............I have my ancestors to thank for the wonders of RA

Paula

Wow - this really is interesting stuff. Some of it makes a lot of sense but I'll have to put my brain in gear and think about it! Thanks both of you for the posts.

Wow!! really interesting!!! Makes you think doesnt it? I found my symptoms became more noticable when a little boy I had worked with in school for 4 years passed away from his genetic illness. Maybe this triggered the RA. Although I had lost my mother in 1995, at least she had her life, and was 77 years old, my darling Jordan was only 9. I was completely devastated, and still very much friends with the family who have 2 daughters, one of whom unfortunately has the same disease. Sorry, waffling a bit!!

Umm thanks for posting very intriguing.

well before i started with RA,we ahd on 1 hand happy carefree childhood adventures etc,had chicken pox though kind things vaccinated so no measles etc.
butf rom early age both grandfathers were ill and passed away before i was 9 years old,at same time 1 gran had RA another gran ahd mental illness this was a great stress on family.
our childhood involved hirin or borrowing a car almost every weekend to visit one of grandparents in hospiatl,psychictric unis or various locations.
mum had nervous breakdown,dad dunk to much.poor working class family.
i devloped severe heyfever age 10.
age 15 by this time developed gynae problems,while at college age 16 both gran step grandad died 2 weeks apart.

age 17 working on old folks home witnessed great many deaths,sad times at same time RA came to me overnight.
between then and now less stress.

could go on but far to much written already.
anyway majpr stress 2005/2006 hubby major surgey liver illness discovered RA surpise surpise comes back full on before this self medicated.
since then alot more family woes,lupus, fibro all diagnsoed during 2009 most difficult year with strained family relatioships.

melly

Gosh, what interesting thoughts

Certainly makes you think .