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Sjogrens Topics => Living Life In Spite of Sjogren's => Topic started by: Suslew on August 06, 2014, 10:38:47 AM

Title: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: Suslew on August 06, 2014, 10:38:47 AM
Hi,
I really enjoyed this article.  You might check it out ...it's about the journey of a woman as she gets ill, goes through diagnosis and dealing with the effects of her disease.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/08/26/whats-wrong-with-me
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: wildforwater on August 06, 2014, 11:03:36 AM
Great article.  Thanks!

Maria
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: susanep on August 06, 2014, 11:46:25 AM
Thank you Suslew, I am going to go read it now. I always appreciate any new article that folks on here pass on to us.

susanep :)
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: Carolina on August 06, 2014, 12:07:59 PM
The best lines:

A common symptom of autoimmune diseases is debilitating fatigue. Complaining of fatigue sounds like moral weakness; in New York City, tired is normal. But autoimmune fatigue is different from a sleep-deprived person's exhaustion. The worst part of my fatigue, the one I couldn't explain to anyone—I knew I'd seem crazy—was the loss of an intact sense of self.

Boy we all know this one.

Hugs, Elaine
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: Winona2 on August 06, 2014, 12:11:57 PM
Thank you for sharing this!! What a terrific article... her last paragraph made me cry.
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: Thea on August 06, 2014, 12:52:43 PM
Me, too, crying. I'm really struggling today. Reading that article is a bit of confirmation that it's okay that I can't always "soldier on."
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: warmwaters on August 06, 2014, 01:09:34 PM
Thanks - one of the best articles I've read about the "journey" of autoimmune disease.  Very honest about the emotions.  I'll be sharing it with friends and family.
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: Carebear on August 06, 2014, 01:52:20 PM
What an excellent read.  I too will be sharing this with family and friends.
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: jazzlover on August 06, 2014, 08:34:11 PM
"Still another way is to say that it began in February of 2012, on a windy beach in Vietnam; my boyfriend and I were reading by the water when I noticed a rash on my inner arm?seven or eight vibrantly red bumps. At home in New York, three days later, I had a low fever."

Sure hope she got checked out by an infectious disease doctor.
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: Suslew on August 07, 2014, 09:39:46 PM
Jazzlover - you're comment made me laugh, but I hope she did too!

Carolina - isn't that description perfect?  Loss of an intact sense of self.  Pre-DX, I truly felt lost, fogged, unable to choose and persue an idea or solution, even though the desire was there I felt like I was trapped in the proverbial paper bag.  I told someone just before my diagnosis that I felt like I was spinning my wheels.  It was so sad, In retrospect, my work suffered horribly as I tried to soldier on.  But now, while I'm not better, I'm certainly better at dealing with it all. 

Carebear and WW - I will be sharing as well, so much of what she's written really speaks to me.  I'm so glad that you enjoyed it and will put it to good use. 

Winona2 and Thea - this disease takes so much, hang in there!

Susanep - I hope you got something out of it!
Title: Re: Great article in New Yorker on dealing with autoimmune disease
Post by: gmomjuju on August 09, 2014, 06:37:15 AM
This really spoke to me!!  Especially today!

Judy