Hello my name is Stephanie. I’m an autoimmune disease fighter and I wanted to share my story because it’s been a journey for me to have multiple autoimmune diseases and take so many medications every day which for my age is very young to be diagnosed with. I’m 29 years old and I’m a mother and a girlfriend to my boyfriend of 6 years and I had to quit my job because I’m very ill. I got diagnosed at 22 years old with hyperthyroidism and graves diseases I really believe if I didn’t go to the doctors very soon I was going to die. I felt very ill and weak and losing weight like crazy without knowing I was sick, I had very bad anxiety my heartbeat was so fast and just couldn’t function. And then I got pregnant and it was at high risk which was scary for me because I didn’t want to lose my baby. After having my baby my thyroid level was controlled which was a miracle. But then other problems started to happen to me which I noticed while working I started to feel aches and pains and that when I went to the doctor and did X-ray and blood work that when he told me I have arthritis on my wrist/ hand and I was just like wow already at this age. Then my bloodwork came back positive for lupus. Which by the way I didn’t take the news so well and I just cry and wonder why my health just keeps getting worse. And so my doctor told me I had to go with a specialist to get the right diagnosis and that’s when she told me that I’m positive for lupus because I have autoimmune diseases which is very common. So I did a lot of blood work and x rays and an MRI and that’s when she told me I have psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia. I felt depressed with the news! Then I have Crohn’s disease I got diagnosed with that with my other specialist and did a lot of blood work and colonoscopy and upper scope and I had stomach ulcers and inside my mouth. I have always known I had that problem since I felt symptoms at the age of 17 just had to get the right diagnosis. My life has been like a roller coaster and I can’t get off. I have to keep battling and sucking up so much a lot people can’t even tell I’m sick. And I have a lot of faith in GOD and being strong to deal with all of this. I have been silent for too long I have to share my story and I really want to help others like myself or with different diseases and just let us be there for each other and we are not alone and to not let anyone bring us down or say bad things about us even if we don’t show it, our bodies are telling us we are sick and we have to fight every day. Well, I hope you guys like my story and I hope we can all connect someday thank you and have a nice day!
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Arthritis Journeys
Arthritis Journeys is a collection of submissions by community members who have been touched with arthritis in their lives. Arthritis National Research Foundation does not endorse any medical claims or product endorsements made in these posts. Please always consult a medical professional before making any changes to your treatment plan, including medications and diet and exercise routines.