Multiple Auto-immune Diseases ?

I have Addison’s as well. It’s fairly rare but not that uncommon. I have 5 autoimmune diseases, but the Addison’s was the hardest to diagnose. It took almost 2 years and multiple Dr’s and many ER trips, and finally Mayo Clinic, where an astute Dr knew what It was in my first day there! I went into Adrenal Crisis there and the Endocrinologist followed the ambulance to the ER and told them what to do. Mayo Clinic saved my life!

Hello I am new my name is Kay and I'm 48 and I have sdjrogens and virtilgo for auto immune and for years docs told me I was just fybermy

@windyshores I have a super great rheumatologist. Problem: chronic Lyme and now raynauds, Mai, bronchiectasis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, in the process of checking for scleroderma and cold aggregation?
Doing an ANA too. All these tests Monday. I’m a lot nervous. The picture attached in from walking 6 ft with gloves.

Started with SLE in 1982 at 36 yr. 8SLE went into remission and Type 1 diabetes appears, as well as, Hasimoto's and Raynauds. Also diagnosed with breast cancer (DCIS), trigger fingers and thumb, carpet tunnel (both wrists), Paget's disease, PMR. I feel like my body hates me. Also didn't realize how common multiple AI diseases are. Fortunately, everything is treatable. Blessings to you all of you 🙏

Lupus
Hashimoto's - tumors and cyst on thyroid
Sojourns
Connective tissue disease

Lupus caused
Severe sensorimotor peripheral polyneuropathy
Dysautonomia
Cardiac autonomic neuropathy aka CAN
My BP goes up and down and my heart beats too fast or too slow aka arrythmias
Small fiber neuropathy

Yes - my rheumatologist once said that autoimmune disease is like that old saying “misery loves company” - where there’s one, there’s often more. I started with RA, then psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, axonal neuropathy, then moved into “overlap syndrome,” and am now in the final stages of a work up for dermatomyositis - the autoimmune disease that’s probably been lurking in the background all along when it looked like I didn’t respond to whatever biologic I was on, but it didn’t show up in the antibody testing until now. The DM is also rare and my rash is mild and easy to miss, so without the antibody, the myopathy just looked like a thousand other things so it’s taken six long years to get here. It’s frustrating. The kind of DM I tested positive for comes with a high risk of cancer so last week was a series of CT scans. This week is hematology oncology and a PET scan, and next week is a uterine biopsy. Hoping it all goes well, but I’m a little terrified if I’m honest.

Hopefully your Addison’s stays in check and your thyroid remains normal 🤞

@pm56 You are certainly dealing with a lot of ADs right now. Is the DM what terrifies you ? So many scans and procedure all at once and you have to be patient waiting for result. I think I’d be terrified, too.
What can you do for yourself that would calm the anxiety? A massage? A good movie? A trip to the ice cream parlor?
Just remember, YOU are a very strong woman, and this autoimmune disease won’t get you. You’ve done it before and you’ll do it again!

@nativedyme Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect, Kay! I don’t quite get the ‘fiber y’. Code for something? Do you have anything special that you want to ask the members?

@becsbuddy My mom had thyroid cancer and then died from a rare form of adrenal cancer (pheochromocytoma). My sister had bladder cancer in her twenties and then colon cancer in her fifties. My grandmother died from lung cancer, never having smoked. I underwent genetic testing a few years ago to see if there were any genetic abnormalities that might make me susceptible to cancer, given this cluster in the women in my family and everything came back normal, so I exhaled and said to myself - "There's no genetic abnormality. They all got cancer, and I got autoimmune disease, so it took a different turn with me." But this Anti-Tif-1 antibody is a red flag. It's associated with malignancy and with my family background, my anxiety is on high alert until all the testing is finished and the results come back. I'm not one for massages or ice cream - but wine might help, lol.

I'm not actually so afraid of the DM itself. Until now we've been trying one drug after another and it's been a fail every time we've weaned the steroid - which makes sense as the DM was in the background and we didn't know it. At least there's a target now, we can shoot at it, and hopefully instead of miss after miss, I'm hoping we'll finally start hitting bullseyes. At least that's my hope! Just need to get these tests behind me so I can get on with the muscle biopsy, and I am hoping my doctor will say yes to IVIG. But there is a question mark as I've had 2 DVTs and IVIG can make your blood more viscous so there's going to have to be a discussion between my rheumatologist and hematologist. Upwards and onwards!

A good French Merlot can really do the trick sometimes ... I wish you very good luck and better health !