The Beginning

Once I received my diagnosis, in a way, I was relieved, but at the same time, I was scared. In my research, I knew that this was something that I would have for the rest of my life and that there was no cure for it. There was a lot I did not know about this autoimmune disease since it is known to be hereditary. My rheumatologist asked me if anyone in my family had any autoimmune disease, and that was something I could not answer. My immediate family didn’t have any autoimmune disease that we were aware of, and I could not get information from other family members. So, after my investigation, all I had left was to try to manage my condition with the doctor and my family.

            The rheumatologist started me on some medication, and I began getting some relief, but I also was getting side effects from some medications. I had to go through several different medications, and it was a hassle to try to feel better while battling the insurance company to allow me to have the medication that my doctor thought would be best for me. Unfortunately, they wanted more information and tests done. The thing with Lupus is that the tests can be negative, which does not mean you don’t have it. As I said before, my test would come out negative, and he had to diagnose me with my symptoms and with some blood tests. However, my ANA results for lupus were not enough for the insurance company to give me the medications needed. Here is when I began to know that I had more than one autoimmune disease.

….more in my next blog.