As most of you know I am the proud owner of an autoimmune disease...or two...well, okay, probably three but the jury is still out on that last one. You see, once one is the owner of one autoimmune disease the body will sometimes decide the more the merrier and allow others to join the party.
Just as an FYI this is what Wikipedia says about the autoimmune disease..."Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the body actually attacks its own cells."
Sounds great, huh?
For some people every day with an autoimmune disease is a challenge. For some it is an actual nightmare. I however am one of the lucky few whose diseases usually lie low. In fact, other than your occasional buzzing and numbness mine don't mess with me much. With that said I feel terribly guilty when one does rear their ugly head and I act all whiny about it - which is what I am doing today.
Today my nemesis is Sjogren's Syndrom.
Sjogren's is a chronic autoimmune disease in which a person's white blood cells attack their moisture producing glands. Although the hallmark symptoms are dry eyes and dry mouth Sjogren's can also cause complications throughout the entire body.
My symptoms always occur in the left eye. It has probably been two years since the last "flare" but I woke up this morning with a blood-red inner part of the "white of my eye" and swollen lid. Looks like I'll be visiting with the Opthamologist tomorrow.
Here's the thing. It's not that these symptoms are so painful; they are more irritating than painful. The real issue is the reminder they bring. A reminder of the unknown possibilities that lurk within my body. And, yes, I understand we all have unknown possibilities. The difference is my possibilities occasionally knock on the door...they knock to remind me that they have already taken up residence and will be a nagging and unpredictable tenant the remainder of my life.
2 days ago
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