Family History

[cccourt1942]

Yesterday I was talking with my surviving maternal cousin.  She is 73 and has suffered post-polio for over 20 years.  At present she has no feeling from above her ankles down. She still walks and drives.  In fact she gets around well.  Long before I read "spoon theory" she would speak of her daily abilities in how many steps she had in her per day. 

Back to our conversation, her daughter has ulcerative colitis and psoriasis, our maternal grandfather had placque psoriasis, my mother (her maternal aunt) had placque psoriasis, and her mother (MY maternal aunt) had rheumatoid arthritis.  I have SjS and psoriasis (guttate).  So we were talking supplements, and she commented on the rampant AI in our family.  AND...we don't know about other conditions as so  many in our family (and some of the above) died youngish.

Are we cursed?  I realize all this is in our genes...but geez...this seems a bit much.  How about the rest of you?

Btw:  she asked me which AI she thought she would have.  I told her she was "lucky" (just kidding) as she just suffered polio as a child!  Puts things in perspective though!

[Scottietottie]

No - we are not cursed - it is just part of the human condition.

Autoimmune diseases often run in families although not necessarily the same disease. My MIL had hypothyroidism, pernicious anaemia, and osteoprosis. He mother had RA. Her daughters both have everything that she had and one also has diverticulitis. My husband, their brother, has psoriasis.

I have little family history as my mother was adopted. My son, however, has developed Crohn's disease. His wife's family have hypothyroidism and SjS in it. My grandson will be lucky if he grows up without something!!

Once upon a time people died younger or in childhood. Now. with modern medicine we grow up and breed. It is no longer the survival of the fittest. It's not a curse - it's just the way it is!

Take care - Scottie 

[Carolina]

Actually, I have no family history of AI conditions.

But my mother and father were both only children, so the 'family history' is scarce.

Plus, my grandparents were all born around 1880, and believe me they had no clue about autoimmune conditions:  two died of cancer, one of anaphylactic shock after an allergy shot (wait, she had allergies!) and one of congestive heart disease.

So one grandmother had allergies, but she died when I was 6 or 7 so I don't know anything about it. 

My father was killed in Normandy in 1944 at age 27, mother died after surgery for cancer at age 59, and my sister from kidney failure at 59 (she was a quadriplegic from a car accident for about 14 years before she died).    My older son had some allergies in his early teenage years, ragweed primarily.   That's about it.   So I 'hit the Jackpot" when it comes to Immune dysregulation.      Hugs, Elaine

[Pisces24]

Other than my mother having an overactive thyroid (mine is under), there is no one close in my family that has any autoimmune problems.

I find that I am closer (medically wise) to my 3rd cousins on my mother's side. Weird huh?  A bunch of them have different kinds of autoimmune problems. One has adult MS and another  has too much of something in her blood and another is getting arthritis.

I also go lymphoma in 2012 and I can't find any relatives that have had lymphoma or cancer.
So I am unique! LOL 

[Bobbie]

My AI comes from my Mom's side.

My Great Grandma had something (not diagnosed that I
know of) that makes your voice shake.  Her body didn't, but her voice did.  My Mom's Aunt
had Addison's disease, another had Rheumatoid arthritis.

My Mom's Mother had Graves, Eczema, arthritis and she was schizophrenic. (not AI I know)

Luckily, my Mom has been spared until recently.  She had a bout of diverticulitis 

Her sister has MS and thyroid disease.

I Have two children.  My daughter is 25.  Anytime she has an ache or pain it scares me to
death, but I try not to show it.  My son is 23 and he is austistic.

As you can see from my disease signature below, I have enough for now.  I don't need any
more anytime soon.

Bobbie

[cccourt1942]

Interesting!  Thx all.

[Mishelle]

There is no AI conditions in my family other irritable bowel with my mom and then I was blessed with sjogrens, RA and MS. We have no idea where it all came from. My sister developed a rare form of cancer ACLC, don't ask me to tell you what it stands for, she had genetic testing she's an anomaly. Has anyone else thought of having genetic testing especially if you have kids. I worry about my boys.

[eye2dry]

My moms side it is diabetes...psoriasis...rheumatoid.......thyroid disease.

Dads side.....systemic lupus.....diabetes.....rheumatoid


As for me........hypothyroid......sjogrens and RA


Luck of the draw


eye2dry

[slccom]

My moms side it is diabetes...psoriasis...rheumatoid.......thyroid disease.

Dads side.....systemic lupus.....diabetes.....rheumatoid


As for me........hypothyroid......sjogrens and RA


Luck of the draw

eye2dry

So, your family is at least creative. Not repeating the same old same old for every person.

Do you have siblings? Cousins?

Sharon

[machenza]

My mom has some thyroid nodules but no hormonal deficiency, and dry unexplained cough. My sister is healthy although she smokes a pack per day more than 30 years. My father has some fluctuating BP issue. My grandparents died in their mid and late 80s, and no one had any "strange" issues, so I do not think it is a family joy. That gives me hope, that my daughter is not at risk. I pray that God gave her the DNA from the rest of the family and not much from me

Nellie

[eye2dry]

RE: Sharon

My cousins are all spread out over U.S., not sure about any AI diseases there.

As for my 2 sisters....one is hyperthyroid and the other Raynaulds.

eye2dry

[wildforwater]

No autoimmune diseases in my family as well. I'm the only one "blessed." I'm also an only child, so no sibling to compare to.  My mother, father, and all aunts and uncles but one died of lung/pancreatic cancer.  They were all heavy smokers. The few cousins that I have are AI disease-free and so far, no cancer.

I worry about my son and daughter as well.  So far, so good...and I hope it stays that way.

Maria

[gemini052377]

None from either parent. My dad is now deceased, at age 51 cancer and my mom is alive and healthy at 53. Thus far no siblings with AI diseases, they are 26/29 yo.
Now my maternal cousin was 26 when dx with Lupus, at 29 she is still having issues with management.
My paternal cousin was 26 when dx with RA, she is 30 now and none of the biologics have induced remission.
I was 26, dx hashimotos and Sjogren's at 33.

Paternal great grandparents: RA and MS

I could go on, I am curious to environmental triggers. The Aunt (by marriage) was dx with Sjogren's this c last year. She is 53 and is the mother of my cousin with RA. All of us grew up within 10 miles of each other!

[Carolina]

Ahh ccc I have to chime in again,

My older son has a host of problems mostly related to the Herpes Simplex virus which has plagued him since age 9 months.

He had herpes encephalitis and was hospitalized for 20 days at 9 months.

He had delicate health, lots of infections, and allergies, severe allergy to ragweed and other grasses as a teenager. 

Then eye and ear problems related to the Herpes (I think).  And also nerve damage in his right arm, maybe related to Herpes, maybe to trauma.

I think he needs to be tested for Immune Defiencies and cholesterol problems, but he is reluctant., and all men are it seems, to be proactive about this.

My Younger son doesn't seem to have immune related issues, but he does have the cholesterol problems. 

Sigh, I've passed along a bunch of stuff.

But then, I got them myself, and I don't control the passing along of things.  Maybe some day we will?

Who knows?  I guess life isn't like a game of Spades, is it?

I won't be around to find out, however.

Hugs,  Elaine

[warmwaters]

No particular family connection.  My family is "oddly shaped". On my mom's side, I'm the third generation of only children. On my dad's, a large family, with a both of his parents from large families. 

But no AI in the mix.

Though I occasionally wonder - my maternal grandmother used to get "sun sickness" when we went to the beach, despite covering up, sitting under an umbrella and using sun screen. She would be sick for days after a beach trip, and got a rash. Sounds like sun sensitivity, looking back, but who knows?

I often wonder how  an AI disease was seen back in the 1800s, when the symptoms were all a that could be seen.