[a moment] to spell it out

 

[moment 109]

I have secondary adrenal insufficiency caused by years of being on prednisone (a steroid) and a steroid inhaler in middle and high school, and then being put on prednisone for joint issues again and again and again. My body no longer produces enough cortisol on its own to sustain life, so I need to continue taking prednisone or another corticosteroid for the rest of my life.

I also have Cushings syndrome, which is caused by taking too much prednisone. I've tried to wean my dose down in the past, but I go into adrenal crisis when I try. I'm now beginning to start the process of reducing my dose little by little once again in hopes that I can find a dose that doesn't cause Cushings. 

Psoriatic arthritis affects all my joints and internal organs. Hypermobile type Ehlers Danlos Syndrome affects my joints and connective tissues. Bilateral sacroiliitis makes my back spasm horribly whenever I try to relax. All cause immense pain and affect my mobility.

Hypothyroidism affects my energy levels. Autoimmune liver issues (no concrete diagnosis as doctors all over the country have never seen anything like it) affect my energy levels. Both can cause joint pain.

Fibromyalgia contributes greatly to my pain and exhaustion levels as well, as does a sleep movement disorder. 

I have several types of migraines, including hemiplegic migraines that mimic having a stroke. I have particularly bad ones, more frequently than most, and there is no treatment. I have lasting weakness and loss of sensation on the left side of my body, greatly affecting my mobility and long lasting brain fog / cognitive issues as well.

Celiac disease is just the icing on the gluten free cake.

I began tallying symptoms of my illnesses and then realized I should also include side effects from the treatment of the illnesses, and then I ran out of room on the list and lost my place between illnesses and treatments and gave up. 

And I'm sure I've forgotten something, but you get the point. I'm dealing with a lot - whether one chooses to believe it or not. I've been told all this is "fake news" or that I'm not really as sick as I say I am or that I am hopping from doctor to doctor collecting diagnoses or that it's all just attentions seeking blah blah blah. No. I have doctors who are concerned enough about test results to refer me to specialists. I have specialists who can't figure out how I can be a functional human being or how I can withstand the amount of pain I experience every second of every day. 

But I don't spell all of this out to convince anyone of anything. I do it to remind myself that although I'm living with all these things. I am living with all these things.