My Autoimmune Diseases—Let’s Break Down the Madness!

Autoimmune diseases are like that one friend who’s always bringing drama to the party. You don’t invite them, but they show up, wreck the place, and you’re left cleaning up the mess. After gathering quite the collection of autoimmune conditions, let me walk you through what’s happening inside me—biopsy results and all.

The Autoimmune Diseases I Have (My VIPs)

Addison’s Disease
My adrenal glands decided they’d prefer to take early retirement, and my immune system was all too happy to show them the door. Addison’s disease means my body doesn’t produce enough of certain hormones, so I need to take daily medication to keep things running smoothly. No cortisol meltdowns here, just a good dose of steroids to keep life calm.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
In the battle of thyroids, mine was the loser. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis means my immune system relentlessly attacks my thyroid gland, leaving me with hypothyroidism. My thyroid is now as sluggish as I feel on a Monday morning without coffee. Thanks for that, immune system.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
My immune system loves a good joint. Sadly, it loves my joints a bit too much. RA causes chronic inflammation, pain, and swelling in my joints, particularly in my hands and feet. It’s like my body decided my joints needed some extra attention… of the painful variety.

Medicine-Induced Lupus
What’s better than lupus? Medicine-induced lupus, of course! Certain medications decided to give me a taste of lupus symptoms—joint pain, muscle pain, and rashes—just in case I didn’t have enough on my plate already. The good news? This form of lupus is usually temporary and goes away once the meds are stopped. A silver lining, perhaps?

Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency
As if Addison’s wasn’t enough, my pituitary gland likes to chime in with its own dysfunctions. Secondary adrenal insufficiency means my hormone regulation system is more confused than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Hypothyroidism
Thanks to Hashimoto’s, my thyroid is officially on permanent slow mode. Hypothyroidism keeps me feeling cold, tired, and ready for a nap pretty much all the time. Good thing I love naps!

Asthma
Breathing is overrated, apparently. My immune system attacks my lungs, causing asthma flare-ups that make breathing feel like an extreme sport. Bonus points if it’s allergy season!

Eczema
Because what’s an autoimmune condition without a rash? Eczema makes sure my skin is never too happy, giving me itchy patches whenever I least expect it. Gotta love that unpredictable immune system.

Muscle Biopsy—And What My Muscles Think of This Whole Situation

You’d think my muscles would stay out of the autoimmune drama, but nope, they had to get involved too. My muscle biopsy showed immune-mediated myopathy, meaning my immune system likes to attack my muscles, causing mild inflammation and muscle weakness. My biopsy suggests I may have immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), which is fancy doctor-speak for “your muscles are annoyed, but thankfully not completely inflamed, thanks to your meds.”

The biopsy also mentioned HLA upregulation, which essentially means my muscles are throwing up immune response signals like they’re trying to win a game of charades. There’s no evidence of things like vasculitis or dermatomyositis, but it’s clear my muscles are very much part of the autoimmune circus.

Autoimmune Diseases I Don’t Have—Yet (And Thank Goodness!)

There are a lot of autoimmune diseases I don’t have (let’s keep it that way), but since I’m already on a roll, here’s a list of the ones that aren’t currently hanging out in my body:

• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) (I just have the medicine-induced version, thanks!)
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Celiac Disease
• Psoriasis
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
• Polymyositis
• Scleroderma
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Dermatomyositis
• And a whole bunch more I’d rather not get acquainted with, thank you very much!

Honorable Mentions: The Non-Autoimmune Party Crashers

Now, my body doesn’t limit itself to autoimmune diseases. There are some other conditions that like to join the party uninvited, including:

• IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome): Because who needs a normal digestive system?
• Anemia: Apparently, my body didn’t get the memo about needing enough red blood cells.
• GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease): Gotta love that heartburn!
• Cushing’s Disease: Back when I had too much cortisol, this was my constant companion.
• Seizures: Just in case my immune system wasn’t causing enough chaos, my brain likes to get in on the action every now and then.

In Conclusion: My Autoimmune Diagnoses and Me

Living with autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Addison’s disease, and the newly crowned Medicine-Induced Lupus is kind of like managing a never-ending chaotic party. My immune system keeps showing up in places it doesn’t belong, attacking anything it sees fit. And let’s not forget the muscle biopsy—proving that even my muscles are tired of this immune system nonsense!

But hey, if I can find humor in the madness, maybe that’s my secret weapon. Here’s hoping my immune system doesn’t invite any more diseases to the party!