Consider the vulnerable

[Tiffany Birks]

Quick lesson about autoimmune diseases. It takes an average of three years and five doctors for a person to get a proper diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. It is a disease where instead of your white blood cells protecting your body from invaders, they turn around and attack your cells, tissues and organs. Chronic fatigue is another symptom. It is not a cold or the flu, you will never get better, and even a nap will not help. Just eating a salad and hitting the gym won’t slim your face or get the pounds off. Sleeping 10 hours doesn’t leave you well rested, ever. The last minute changes in plans because that “just got ran over” feeling never makes appointments, it just walks in whenever you aren’t ready. Painful joints, muscles and bones, dry skin, breaking hair, hair loss, mood swings, and depression are just the tip of the iceberg. You are also prone to having multiple autoimmune diseases, they typically come in pairs of two. You easily catch viral and bacterial infections. You have days where no matter how hard you try, you just can’t smile for anyone.
I urge you to think twice before passing judgment and thinking our nation is overreacting to the extra measures being taken to curb the spread of this virus. YOU might be able to recover from it no problem however, carry it to someone with an autoimmune disease and that individual won’t be as lucky.
I am watching the ones who will take the time to read this entire post and react. Please, in honor of someone who is fighting Rheumatoid Arthritis, POTS, MCAD, Sjogren's, Scleroderma, Hashimoto Disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Sarcoidosis, Hepatitis, Raynauld's Syndrome, Diabetes, Mold Illness, Celiac, CROHN’S, Ulcerative Colitis, Pemphigus, SPS, MS, PBC, Psoriatic Arthritis, CIDP, MMN And GPA

 

[Man in Submission]

I just got over polymyalgia rheumatica, which is an AI illness with some of the symptoms you describe. Still on a very small 1 mg of prednisone, but yes, it was a really nightmarish 2019 for me. Well, I guess 2020 hasn't been appreciably better ... For sure, it makes you a little more fearful of what happens if you get this virus. I have already had a parasite as well as another nausea/vomiting flu since Christmas. PMR is mild compared to some of the illnesses you mentioned, but quite scary nonetheless. It can lead to giant cell arteritis (where you can go blind if not treated with steroids right away) and lupus.

 

[Miss Hunter]

Autoimmune disorders often travel in packs.

I have celiac disease (diagnosed 10 years ago), and more recently my Drs told me they suspect I also have Lupus, and then while doing a bunch of tests to confirm the Lupus diagnosis they also found what seems to be Raynaud's Syndrome hiding in the pack

For now I'm ok, the way this is all presenting in me is my immune system is acting overly aggressive, the problem is the over aggressive actions of my immune system turns on my body and attacks my joints and organs (mostly my heart but now one of my kidneys has begun to get a bit grumpy at times) during flare ups. But for now I'm being left untreated because the next step is being put through chemotherapy/immunotherapy. Undergoing chemotherapy at this time would immediately put me into the high risk of death category if I were to contract Covid-19.

For now I'm binging on turmeric and CBD, maintaining a strict diet, and trying my best to avoid stress, in order to avoid triggering another flare up.

 

[MissingOne]

For now I'm binging on turmeric and CBD, maintaining a strict diet, and trying my best to avoid stress, in order to avoid triggering another flare up.

I know you didn't write about these latest issues in your life in order to court sympathy, but I sincerely wish you the best in maintaining your health, Miss Hunter.

 

[westwoody]

Note that persons carrying the virus are contagious without symptoms.

 

[Lo-ki]

Note that persons carrying the virus are contagious without symptoms.

Well it's making the people making graphs busy......