My View on Autoimmune Diseases

There are a lot of autoimmune diseases out there.  Some have recognizable names like Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis and others are more obscure, such as Ankylosing Spondylitis , say that three times fast.   These types of diseases are the result of a person’s immune system entering hyper-drive and mistaking normal tissues and cells as foreign invaders to the body.  This is the complete opposite to what you would see with someone who has HIV/AIDS.  For them, their immune system is working at a pace turtles would envy.

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2010.  Like most people who are diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, I spent a long time knowing something was wrong but not being able to have it diagnosed.  It can take people years to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and during that time they are dealing with the effects of a disease that is out of control.  Each disease affects the person differently.  Lupus mostly attacks the internal organs and skin, but it has a soft spot for the joints as well.  While Rheumatoid Arthritis considers the joints of the body its primary goal, it also increases the person’s risk of heart disease by 50%.  My friend Ankylosing Spondylitis up there will literally fuse the spine together leaving the person permanently hunch over and limited movement.  Here is a list of just some of the autoimmune diseases people can be affected by.

Lupus
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Graves' Disease
Poriasis
Psoriatic Arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Sjorgen's Syndrome

Goodpasture's Syndrome

There are many other autoimmune diseases and maybe even some that have yet to be discovered. Living with an autoimmune diseases can be a real struggle. You fight and work to manage your symptoms every day with nothing to show for it.  Most symptoms of autoimmune diseases can not be seen.  Because of this most people don't even know that someone has autoimmune disease. You could be standing next to someone the grocery store that has Lupus or work with someone who has Fibromyalgia.  When people with autoimmune diseases tried to explain to someone who has no experience these diseases they can get funny looks of disbelief. We don't look sick.  To the outside world those with an autoimmune disease look fine,  they look healthy, they look just like everyone else. It's difficult to carry around x-rays showing the damage done to your body.  Unless you've got really big purse.

Although autoimmune diseases affect a person differently there are some common symptoms.  Things like fatigue or an extreme sensitivity to cold or light. Having stiff and/or weakened joints or muscles. A high fever or high body temperature or even fatigue, dizziness, and inflammation.  Unlike the commercials would have you believe just two Advil a day does not go a long way to helping with the symptoms of an autoimmune disease. Those with an autoimmune disease normally take medication that suppresses their immune system. These medications can have serious side effects, so we have to decide if dealing with the side effects outweighs living with the symptoms of the disease.  But despite all the symptoms, all the problems, all the pain and frustration, people with autoimmune diseases can and do live happy, healthy lives.