You have what?!

So to catch you up on two decades worth of medical issues that I'm sure you are dying to know (sarcasm). I was generally healthy the first 7 years of my life, I started having stomachaches when I was about 8 that evolved over the next 19 years into headaches, followed by muscle pain, anxiety, foot pain, kidney stones, gall stones..etc. I had diagnosis' of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Migraines, Fibromyalgia, General Anxiety Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis,..and for some issues, there were no diagnosis' and some were just good guesses.


Over Christmas 2010, I was finally diagnosed with three things that I think are finally the right answers! (yay!) All of the things the doctors said were in the Autoimmune diseases category. 
The best way to explain an autoimmune disease is that a normal immune system has an army of white blood cells that help protect the body from harmful substances, called antigens. Examples of antigens include bacteria, viruses, toxins, cancer cells, and blood or tissue from another person. The immune system produces antibodies to destroy these harmful substances. In people like me, who have an autoimmune disorder, our immune system can't tell the difference between healthy body tissue and antigens. The result is an immune response that destroys normal body tissues. This response is a hypersensitivity reaction similar to the response in allergies. In allergies, the immune system reacts to an external substance that it normally would ignore. With autoimmune disorders, the immune system reacts to normal body tissues. No one really knows what causes the immune system to no longer tell the difference between healthy body tissues and antigens. 
My three autoimmune diseases or "friends" as I call them are:
1. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - This is when the immune system attacks and destroys the thyroid. Once it is dead or not producing enough of the thyroid hormone, you are classified as having hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is fairly common in middle-aged and older women (I tread carefully here because of the age reference (: ) This is treated with medicine. Until the right dosage of medicine is attained, it can cause weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, joint pain. (There are more, but I figure you are catching on). If you want to read more click on this link.
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
2. Sjogren's Syndrome - This is when the immune system attacks and destroys the salivary and tear producing glands. It can also affect different parts of the body including the kidneys and lungs. It has a whole host of fun (sarcasm) symptoms, that I feel weird listing out.
Sjogren's Syndrome
3. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus - This is more commonly known as Lupus. It is when the immune system affects the entire body's healthy tissue and cells causing chronic inflammation and pain.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The bad news: My three new friends are with me for life.
The good news: It's nice to finally have some real answers and it's all manageable with the right medications and treatment.


Stay tune for post 3...the naming of the blog.