Covid -19 and Autoimmune diseases

[Bookworm55]

This appeared on my general Facebook page today.

“Quick lesson about autoimmune diseases. It takes an average of three years and five doctors for a person to get a proper diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. It is a disease where instead of your white blood cells protecting your body from invaders, they turn around and attack your cells, tissues and organs. Chronic fatigue is another symptom. It is not a cold or the flu, you will never get better, and even a nap will not help. Just eating a salad and hitting the gym won’t slim your face or get the pounds off. Sleeping 10 hours doesn’t leave you well rested, ever. The last minute changes in plans because that “just got ran over” feeling never makes appointments, it just walks in whenever you aren’t ready. Painful joints, muscles and bones, dry skin, breaking hair, hair loss, mood swings, and depression are just the tip of the iceberg. You are also prone to having multiple autoimmune diseases, they typically come in pairs of two. You easily catch viral and bacterial infections. You have days where no matter how hard you try, you just can’t smile for anyone.

I urge you to think twice before passing judgment and thinking our nation is overreacting to the extra measures being taken to curb the spread of this virus. YOU might be able to recover from it no problem however, carry it to someone with an autoimmune disease and that individual won’t be as lucky.

These include the following -Graves Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, POTS, MCAD, Sjogren's, Scleroderma, Hashimoto Disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Sarcoidosis, Hepatitis, Raynauld's Syndrome, Diabetes, Mold Illness, Celiac, CROHN’S, Ulcerative Colitis, Pemphigus, SPS, MS, PBC, Antiphospolipid syndrome, Psoriatic Arthritis, CIDP, MMN And GPA, “

[Lyndy]

Ah yes! That just been run over feeling is here with me today!

[Hidden in reply to Lyndy]

Me too

[Gnarli]

Thankyou. Most informative and useful

[Hidden]

Will always be very misunderstood in my world, I think most of us will live with this alone

[Vonnie10]

Please no I don’t want this letter there sending letters to 1:5 million people this is from the news and. Government and my gp / consultant so I’m going by them not listening to Facebook

[AgedCrone in reply to Vonnie10]

Very sadly....& for a change .....bookworms post from Facebook got it in one!

It isn’t giving advice it is just telling it like it is.

The more people who read it.....hopefully the more people will understand, our problem, RA, & will stop thinking it is “just a little finger ache”.

The 1.5 million Government letters we are all hoping fervently not to get are to those already diagnosed with all sorts of diseases......& advising what they should do....it’s not just to people with RA.