I joked w/ my friends & family I was studying for my google doctorate. Honestly, at first, I did fall into the same pit everyone likely does, creating the overwhelming worry of "It could be this..." or "It could be that..." This was all so foreign to me - how I felt, what I thought and how much life as I know it seemed to just change in an instant. No one in my family has any auto-immune disease diagnosis. So, that alone, was an education in itself - trying to wrap my very black/white brain around a very gray concept and all it's shades of blending that AI diseases tend to do. Then I decided to shift my search to just simply understanding terminology, conditions or science behind things (how some cells are receptors, some are activators, some are helpers, some are ninjas who morph into other things, some are the bodyguards and some are the attackers, etc.) I felt that so many people who receive a shocking diagnosis of any kind say they just went numb or didn't hear anything the doctor said after a certain point in the conversation - my goal was to enter the room well aware of the terms or conditions the doctor COULD say we're dealing with and be able to even offer an inquiry or request to look into something when they weren't sure what they were dealing with or what avenue to travel next. I believe by doing this, I made sure my precious time was never wasted with needless appts and above all, I ensured my thoughts and suggestions were valued by the doctor treating me. This created an open dialog between the physician & me, the patient with mutual respect and kept the fire lit under their XYZ to not stop figuring things out until we both felt we fully understood what was going on. This will allow me to be collaborative with my treatment efforts now and in the future. I have a copy of every single visit summary, CBC, biopsy, imaging test - any piece of this 1 million-piece puzzle so that should if some day there's a need to shine a light on a new aspect, I've got it to begin the studying all over again if needed!