One autoimmune disease can change a life. Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome means managing three or more autoimmune diseases—often with overlapping symptoms, complicated treatment decisions, and several specialists examining different parts of the same body. This is part of the complex reality of Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome, commonly called MAS. Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome is more than a longer…

Part Two of the “Through Their Eyes” Series When I sent questionnaires to family and friends, I expected the responses to be different. After all, everyone has walked this journey alongside me in their own way. Steph’s response was long and thoughtful, full of observations and reflections. My mother’s response was different. Shorter. Simpler. But somehow, no less powerful. Because while…

Dear Diary, I came across a message while scrolling that stopped me in my tracks. I do not know where the words originated, but they stayed with me: “You are not a burden. You have a burden—which, by definition, is too heavy to carry on your own.” Whew. Sometimes social media gives us nonsense, unsolicited opinions, and recipes we save knowing full well we are never going to make them. But…

Dear Diary, I used to hope I looked good in pictures. Now, I just hope the pictures my doctors are looking at do. Funny how chronic illness changes your definition of picture perfect. There was a time when I could look at a photograph and immediately find something to criticize. My smile wasn’t right. My hair wasn’t cooperating. I looked tired. I had gained a few pounds. The angle was…

“Every few months, social media discovers a new food that’s supposedly trying to ruin the lives of those of us with autoimmune diseases. This time? Apparently, tomatoes have joined the villain club.” 📖 Dear Diary, The other day, I came across a post in a Myasthenia Gravis support group that immediately caught my attention. It read something like this: “Nightshade vegetables can cause mild MG…

“Most people fake being sick. I fake being well.” Dear Diary, This morning started like so many others. Before my feet ever touched the floor, I was already negotiating with my body. “Can we please cooperate today?” Can I breathe without feeling like someone wrapped a belt around my chest? Will my muscles remember they’re supposed to work? Will my stomach behave long enough for me to get…

What a New Study Suggests About MG in People9 With Inflammatory Bowel Disease When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2006, I believed I finally had an explanation for everything my body had been putting me through. The abdominal pain. The anemia. The fatigue. The countless doctor’s appointments. Crohn’s Disease became part of my life, but I accepted that it was my diagnosis. What I…