Re: New to this group. SLE, Graves Disease, FMS and Osteoarthritis

[Guest guest]

Hi Margaret:

     Welcome to our wonderful group.  I was so sorry to read about all your

illnesses.  You sure have a very full plate.

     I will be 70 this January, and have had RA for 6+ years.  For the last

year I have been in a medicine induced remission, of which I am so grateful

for.  How long this lasts, I don't know, but it has been a wonderful thing for

me.

    I know you have a positive nature as I do.  That is what carries us each

day.  Our lives are governed by our auto immune diseases.  We all do the best

we can on any given day.  It is not an easy path for any of us.  People are so

lucky that they don't have these life changing diseases.  I just do the best I

can each day.  I am grateful to just be alive.

    I wish you many pain free days ahead.  Again, welcome to our wonderfull

group of loving, caring, informative members.  The best thing I have done for

myself since getting RA, was to join this group.

    Take care, and rest when you can.

 

Hugs,

 

Barbara

From: margaretr11_11 <margaretr11_11@...>

Subject: [ ] New to this group. SLE, Graves Disease, FMS and

Osteoarthritis

Date: Sunday, November 22, 2009, 10:40 PM

 

Hello everyone, As my intro title says, I have SLE, Graves Disease

(Hyperthryroid) FMS and Osteo.

I've had the above ailments for over 20 years, and coped well under the

circumstances. I'm now 62 years young and thankful that life is now slower, lol.

I honestly feel for anyone with auto-immune disease, and certainly understand

them. My own mother had RA as does one of my husbands nieces. My husband has a

second cousin with Wegners and a cousin who died young of Motor Neuron Disease.

There's Diabetes, proable MS and Epilepsy on my side of the family.

Auto-immune illness is as difficult to live with as is Cancer. The only

difference being that one stands a chance of a cure against most Cancers these

days. So far there's no cure for people like us who are auto-immune impaired.

I consider myself very blessed to have lived this long as I cannot take the

usual meds that others can for my SLE etc., Plaquenil is of no help, and

actually aggravates my thyroid condition, Prednislone, I can tolerate when

absolutely necessary, but in much lower doses than others. Naproxen I can only

take once in a while as Lupus has ravaged my digestive system, amongst other

things. Heavy painkillers affect my heart and make me violently sick, so I'm

left with just otc meds, and well you all know how little they help with pain.

Lupus has also affected my Brain, and I have small vessel disease with multiple

white matter lesions. It looks like someone shot pellets into my brain, rofl.

Well one has to laugh to stay sane.

My Graves Disease is not too hard to live with as I had RAI treatment many moons

ago, but that made me hypo so I have to take Thyroxine every single day. It's

mentally dibilating at times, to think that I'm stuck with these illnesses.

Healthy people just have no idea at all of how stressfull life can be living

with chronic disease. Still I have strong will power, and hey I'm still here :-)

Blessings

Margaret