An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. There are more than 80 different types of autoimmune disorders.
Normally the immune system's white blood cells help protect the body from harmful substances, called antigens. Examples of antigens include bacteria, viruses, toxins, cancer cells, and blood or tissues from another person or species. The immune system produces antibodies that destroy these harmful substances.
In patients with an autoimmune disorder, the immune system can't tell the difference between healthy body tissue and antigens. The result is an immune response that destroys normal body tissues.
Since 2008, I would have bouts of illness that left me practically bed ridden. It started in the summer of 2008 and by winter it would be gone. Then summer rolled around again and I was practically bed ridden. The doctors could not find anything wrong with me that would be causing these extreme symptoms and they kept blowing it off as 'anxiety.'
Well, summer of 2013 hit and I was down. It was the worst year yet and it left me literally bed ridden. Sick to the point of not being able to get out of bed. I pressed all doctors for answers and I was getting no where.
There are plenty of days that I lay in my bed staring at my bathroom sink, wishing I could make it the 11 feet to the sink and brush my teeth.
I went to the best endocrinologist in Nevada. He ran a ton of blood work and then told me I had 'polycystic ovarian syndrome.' This diagnosis was based strictly off of the blood work results. They placed me on 'Metformin' which is typically used for diabetes and within days my stomach started to feel better and the weight gain (12 pounds) was gone in under 2 weeks.
BUT, the other symptoms were all still there and getting aggressively worse. I ended up finally getting into my General Managers gynecologist. Every other gyno, including this one was a 6 week wait. Thank you to Mariam (my GM) for calling and getting me in the very next day.
Dr. Kirsten Rojas listened to and believed every single word that came out of my mouth. Every other doctor basically laughed in my face when hearing the list of symptoms I was living with. She immediately ordered about 32 different blood tests, genetic testing & ultra sounds.
Results came back which lead her to send me off to an oncologist and rheumatologist. She also needed to perform surgery.
I saw the oncologist, Dr. Obara the next day and he was kind of blowing off my symptoms .....THEN he reviewed Dr. Kirstens blood work results and looked alarmed. He immediately ordered 26 different blood tests, which were immediately drawn in his office.
He said the blood work revealed I have Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis & Sjogrens Syndrome as well as a blood clotting disorder called Thrombophillias.
He called Dr. Kirsten and told her I could not have surgery until more blood work was done. We re-scheduled surgery and I began taking a new set of pills for my heart and blood. After a week of the pills, clearance for surgery was given.
Once the 4th set of blood work came back, the doctors were both prompted to order more. Now we are waiting on the results of the last round of blood work.
It truly amazes me that I have lived with these symptoms for 5 years and begged doctors for answers. Everyone claimed it was 'anxiety' and gave me a script for valium or clonazapam. Eventually I just laid here and felt my body crashing. It was when I laid here feeling like death that a door was finally opened to Dr. Kirsten Rojas who saved my life. NOW, we sit and wait for more answers...........................................
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