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Autoimmune Fatigue and/or Chronic Fatigue
Autoimmune Diseases | Last Active: Jan 20, 2023 | Replies (166)Comment receiving replies
At 70, after YEARS of telling doctors about the lupus that ran in my family and being told (without tests) that I DID NOT have lupus (they always looked at my face only), my own doctor finally ran the test. He said he thought I had psoriatic arthritis because from my knees down to my ankles I had for years suffered a itchy, bright red, rash with some blistering.
Well, guess what? SLE and Hashimoto’s!! And I’ve had previously Graves Disease and a recurrence of a “rare” invasive skin cancer in the genital area, after 30 years.
So sad the medical community is so uncaring until it becomes epidemic. And I, too, have suffered chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, sinus headaches (migraines!) almost daily. Never got any apologies for years of suffering without any support.
Replies to "At 70, after YEARS of telling doctors about the lupus that ran in my family and..."
@sharing I can understand your frustration, and welcome you to Mayo Clinic Connect. Here, we have a unique opportunity to share with others in our similar situations.
Like you, I live with some autoimmune conditions. In fact, my ultra-rare kidney disease that for several years was chalked up to a symptom of Systemic Lupus [diagnosed in 1988!], is actually an autoimmune disease.
Often I have compared my body to having its own private civil war with everything that is going on, and often the symptoms seem to cross over each other! That's the thing with different conditions. They may mimic others, and unless presented with clear and convincing evidence, most doctors won't go to the expense and time to get an accurate diagnosis. Add in to the mix when our symptoms are inconsistent, and well, hopefully you can see the dilemma we all face, doctors and patients alike.
Live each day to the best we can. Take care of yourself the best you can, and be aware what will work for you that day may not work another day. We are each individuals, and miracle machines no matter. What are you doing today to have a "good" day?
Ginger
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I can identify, after a UTI transformed into 5 years of under medication because of severe deficits in gamma globulin that resulted in double kidney, abdominal, bladder, and stomach infections, which I eventually treated myself, when I thought I was dying. Seven months of multiple antibiotics and colloidal silver resolved infections that no longer showed up in urine. Now I am bed-bound, laid low by the first Moderna vaccine. A truly compassionate society will help to train future docs to respond with empathy and caring to suffering patients.