With the recent media spotlight on autoimmune diseases (shout-out, Selena Gomez), many people are paying more attention to these diseases and what they mean for those who have them. Being a young adult trying to function in society with an autoimmune disease has its own struggles and obstacles. Here are nine things that happen when you know this to be true:
1. Weather is your worst enemy
Cold front coming in, no big deal, right? Wrong. Something as simple as atmospheric pressure can leave you bedridden for a day. Changes in weather are known to put additional stress on the body, so imagine this when your body is already under a great amount of stress. Life isn’t so easy when a storm coming through forces you to Netflix-and-chill all day (sometimes).
2. Constantly explaining your disease to others
Whether it’s answering why you can’t go out tonight or explaining to your friends why you’re always sick, you’ll be asked about it eventually. There’s a high chance that even health professionals don’t know everything about your disease, so good luck with this one. You’ll most likely just run through your symptoms and tell them it’s not always this bad. And no, the questions never end.
3. “No, I’m not contagious”
This one is pretty self-explanatory and always followed by a look of relief.
4. Living your life as a “germophobe” because you will get sick
With a significantly weaker immune system than others, cold and flu season is a real life nightmare for you. You get personally offended when someone doesn’t cover their mouth when they cough and will purposely avoid a friend if they come down with a simple virus. You have an artillery of hand sanitizer and Vitamin C packets on hand and never think twice about washing your hands.
5. You most likely follow a diet
Whether you can’t eat gluten or have to dodge a food that you even may just be slightly allergic to like the plague, you know that avoiding these things are crucial to your health. A simple missed ingredient when reading the nutrition facts can send you into a flare up, and forget eating out at restaurants, LOL. Your diet probably makes you miserable, but at least you can control some part of your disease.
6. Symptoms disappear and reappear
The hardest part is the uncertainty -- you’re not sure what each flare up will bring and when it will end. Sometimes your joints ache, and your head hurts. Other times, you experience depression and you can’t sleep at night. You’re constantly under the stress of not knowing when the pain will go away and how it will affect you.
7. The fear of knowing the mortality rate
Most often than not, the autoimmune disease you have is accompanied by a mortality rate that’s not in your favor. Developing one at a young age is most likely not in your favor either. Your heart dropped when your doctor told you that you might not live a long life or that autoimmune diseases are some of the leading causes of death. This is something in the back of your mind every day and can be a little more than slightly terrifying.
8. But you feel stronger than ever
Even when you are too physically weak to get of bed, and you can’t remember what feeling like a normal person your age is like, you know that you will get through it. Because you've tried new medicines that don’t work or put your hope in a treatment that failed, you know how disappointment feels, but you still have faith that you’ll be okay. Knowing that you have been through hell and back with your health leaves you motivated and resilient. If you can handle all of this and school, and a job, and a social life, then you can do anything.
9. And you know you’re not alone
Whether you have learned through forums or even know someone else with the same struggles, you know that someone out there knows what you’re going through. Yes, you’re too young to be going through this and no, it’s not fair but at the end of the day, it helps to know that you’re not alone in it.
