what is life expectancy for quads ?

[zillazangel]

My husband is 41 and has been injured 21 years. I'm pretty sure he'll outlive me because he knows I'd kill him if he died first. But it comes up alot, when I married Chad someone close to me basically implied it would be a short marriage because, and I quote, "you never see any old quads". Pfffft.

KLD - you are incorrect about an average. An average is the sum divided by the total. The median is the point at which 50% of people fall above and below. For example:

1 + 1 + + 4 + 6 + 100 = 112
average (also called the mean) = 112 / 5 = approx 22

The median here would be 4 as half the observations fall below (1 and 1) and half above (6,100).

Especially when the distributions are not uniform, the mean and median can be very different.

A lesson from your friendly statisician.

[dash]

Hey reedye,
Closing in on 40yrs post myself. My biggest problem is osteoprosis. I can break a femur just picking up a leg. It has really affected my once totally independent life. The problem probably started when initally injured and my bones hadn't grown completely when I was taken off all calcium. They said at Rusk the calcium caused bladder stones that plagued me every 6months those 1st years. I then blame myself. At 19 I moved out on my own and left my tilt table in my parents kitchen. I hated it. Mom would throw me on it, strap me in, crank me up then forget about me. I had no table, just stood there like frankenstein. She'd forget about me and the younger kids and their friends would start coming home. Sometimes I remember being pushed facing a wall so a kid could access the fridge, etc. I hated it. My parents downsized after the 1st 4 of us had moved out. I donated it to an adaptive phys-ed program I started at college.
I swam alot and competed in track but none of that helped my bones. Now it's hormones. Menopause weakens them more.
My other issue is lungs. I started smoking as a young teen. At 16 when 1st injured Doctors would light them for me. When on a stryker frame a boyfriend got me a Zippo lighter. Bics which shut off if dropped had not yet been invented. Surprising I didn't burn myself and the place down. I quit about 15yrs ago but not soon enough. I have to be very careful not to catch a cold.
Well people, if I could do anything different it would drink milk, use the damned tilt table and not smoke cigarettes.

[sjean423]

KLD - you are incorrect about an average. An average is the sum divided by the total. The median is the point at which 50% of people fall above and below. For example:

1 + 1 + + 4 + 6 + 100 = 112
average (also called the mean) = 112 / 5 = approx 22

The median here would be 4 as half the observations fall below (1 and 1) and half above (6,100).

Especially when the distributions are not uniform, the mean and median can be very different.

A lesson from your friendly statisician.

Actually Ami, average is a general term, and mean, median and mode are all different types of averages. We do tend to use average to refer to mean most of the time, but it can refer to the others as well.

A lesson from your friendly mathematician. :P

[sjean423]

KLD - you are incorrect about an average. An average is the sum divided by the total. The median is the point at which 50% of people fall above and below. For example:

1 + 1 + + 4 + 6 + 100 = 112
average (also called the mean) = 112 / 5 = approx 22

The median here would be 4 as half the observations fall below (1 and 1) and half above (6,100).

Especially when the distributions are not uniform, the mean and median can be very different.

A lesson from your friendly statisician.

Actually Ami, while average is commonly used to refer to the arithmetic mean; mean, median and mode can also all be defined as different types of averages. We do tend to use average to refer to mean most of the time, but it can refer to the others as well. *

A lesson from your friendly mathematician.

(Now the mode in your example above would be 1, showing that you are absolutely correct that we need to be careful when using averages to prove anything, as they can be very different depending on how they are calculated.)

* Here is an example using the definition the way I have always been taught (although my degree is in mathematics, not statistics). There are also many places where it is defined your way.

[jbinny]

Not gonna lie... those stats just made me sick.

I know that there are a lot of factors that play into them and they may be outdated, but that was really just something that I didn't need to read right now.

[Arby]

Next month will mark 33 years as a quad for me and I just turned 50.

I know in my early years I didn't expect to live to a "normal" life expectancy but after that I didn't give it much thought. Then last November I broke my hip and began to wonder (actually got scared) if this was the beginning of the end. It has taken me a while to get over that fear but now I realize it was only an accident which could happen to anyone. I think I am in better health than a lot of able bodied folks out there (excepting the osteoporosis) and I don't see why I shouldn't be able to live on for a good number of years yet.

I better anyway or my retirement plans will be wasted. [IMG]/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif[/IMG]

[quad79]

No offense to the OP or others but why worry yourself with this?Counting down your days left by the stats is so depressing.Plus alot of that depends on your quality of life.Worrying about the future & unknown is only going to stress you & bring you down sooner.Just enjoy your life the best you can & die when you die.

Thanks for that pic of Jill KLD.I just saw that movie the other day.

[Scaper1]

I have a good friend who has been C-2 complete and vent-dependent for 40 years. He's still one of the most active people I know.

[Eileen]

I think we naturally tend to focus on the effect that SCI has on lifespans, but I think genes and behavioral aspects weigh in just as heavily if not more so.

[babyboo]

J

Ok...knowing you.. you hardly fit the bill of typical, or statistic...and believe what I tell you!!!! no DNF...LOL

[SCIfor55+yrs.]

Not gonna lie... those stats just made me sick.

I know that there are a lot of factors that play into them and they may be outdated, but that was really just something that I didn't need to read right now.

I am not sure why you seem so upset. Is it because our life expectancy is longer than you were hoping to go on? You have to understand that those averages are not only outdated, but are lowered by a significant number of SCIs who died shortly after their injury because of massive trauma or other complications. If you throw out the number who died within the first two years of their injury, even the outdated averages are substantially higher. I note that you are now going on three years and appear to be doing well. You are over the hurdle and can feel comfortable making long-term plans and investments. I have taken the statistics apart in court many times, and every other expert has agreed with my assessments. It is not reasonable to think those statistics apply to you.

[GL]

Hi i think my life expectancy may protrude into the tripple digits here
I am 1/2 way + to 100 and my positive attitude tell's me I have another 99 years ahead .
My Statistics are based on un biometrical decimal algorhythms so I am pulsing my cyclitic basis on a hypothetical Guesstimate of the Sandman

[sreneet]

I never asked what my physiatrist estimated my life expectancy to be until this year. I'm a c5/6 complete, 25 years post, injured in 1984 at age 16. I finally asked my dad what my physiatrist said when he testified in court during my lawsuit. He said I would live to the ripe old age of 65.

[GL]

I just thought about this

What if my Alien Abducted Twin is able to tellecomunicate via through the internet some alien Data regarding life expectations for my ol quad body lol ?
Yes I was abducted by a UFO long ago lol ask the Green Martian hmmm the illegal alien ...>
Gypsylady>

[neethimenon]

hi....i'm a newbie to this site..i'm 46 now and 24 years post-injury and going strong..