Autoimmune
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Triggers – When a Good Day Turns Bad
I’ve been having mostly good days lately. My pemphigus symptoms are much improved thanks to the daily high doses of prednisone I take. I can eat almost all foods again. I feel good overall – no fatigue or pain. I’m… Continue reading
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Lessons in Patience
I was not born a patient person. I want immediate responses and action. I hate waiting for things to unfold. I feel uneasy when I can’t visualize the desired end-result early in a process. I’m not a procrastinator – I… Continue reading
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Rituximab – Reflecting One Week Later
How can the annihilation of all the B-cells in my immune system feel like… nothing? I expected to feel something amiss or uncanny in my body after getting my first infusion treatment. But, I didn’t! I have felt completely and… Continue reading
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My First Rituximab Infusion
It’s Thanksgiving Eve, and we just got home from my first infusion treatment at UNC-CH Medical Center! We got to Chapel Hill the afternoon before my appointment, and spent the day relaxing and doing touristy things. We got ice cream… Continue reading
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Countdown to Infusion Day
If everything goes as planned, at this time next week – I will be DONE with my first round of rituximab infusions! I’m looking forward to starting treatment and hopefully feeling better. But, right now – I’m also having lots… Continue reading
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Fitness During Illness
I am convinced I was born to move. I have loved being active since I was a kid. I started lifting weights, doing aerobics, and running as a teen. In young adulthood, I developed a passion for the outdoors. I… Continue reading
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My Pemphigus Diet
When you have an autoimmune disease, special diets are going to be a topic that comes up over and over again. People with autoimmune diseases often have special dietary needs and limitations. With my disease (pemphigus), certain dietary restrictions have… Continue reading
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Adventures on the Autoimmune Protocol Diet
Before my formal diagnosis of pemphigus, it felt like everyone was telling me that if I fixed my gut health with a special diet, all my symptoms would magically vanish. Countless people suggested I’d find my answer by turning to… Continue reading
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Advocating for Yourself
When you have a medical mystery or even an established-but-complicated health issue, you are probably going to have to fight like hell to get the healthcare you need and deserve. Some doctors don’t have the expertise to help. Some doctors… Continue reading
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The Irony of my Diagnosis
The ultimate irony of my diagnosis is that I had it right all along. I self-diagnosed correctly at the very beginning, but it still took a year and a half to get a formal diagnosis from a medical professional. My… Continue reading
How Weird 