I have an Auto-immune disease, this means my body has literally turned against itself. My immune system attacks things in my body that it shouldn’t. This means I have to work twice as hard to feel normal. Every Day I have to think about what I’m putting into my body and how it will effect me. For years I didn’t. I drank mountain dew like it was going out of style, smoked (when I finally quit I was up to 2 sometimes 3 packs a day), ate whatever I wanted, and didn’t really exercise.

Then at 30 years old, I suddenly noticed that normal things became harder for me to do. It became harder for me to ascend a flight a stairs. I would be extremely tired half way through the day when I hadn’t even done that much. I had trouble sleeping properly, I would occasionally have blurred vision. My back (which had always given me troubles) was suddenly bothering me even more. I would get flutters in my chest. Have Panic attacks and was constantly suffering from horrible mood swings. I would be either severely depressed or on some kind of Euphoric high, there was no happy medium. I was even wrongfully diagnosed as have bi-polar disorder.

Then I was told I had Graves’ Disease. At the time Mark‘s Job didn’t provide dependent insurance. So I had none. I was diagnosed by a clinic doctor who did next to nothing in the way of explaining this disease to me. He gave me some pills and sent me on my way. He didn’t tell me I needed to regularly have blood work done to adjust the medicine, he didn’t tell me that Graves` Disease could kill me. He didn’t even explain to me how it would effect my life so drastically. So They gave me these pills and suddenly within 3 months I gained 100lbs adding that much weight that quickly to someone who already had back issues, combined with the muscle deterioration caused by graves` and suddenly I could barely walk or stand without much pain. These days when I go out I need to take my wheel chair.

Eventually Mark got another job and we got insurance, and I found a doctor. Then I came to understand the gravity of my situation. But I sunk into a deep depression and it took me a long time to move out it and realize that I didn’t want to be my disease. I don’t want it to define me. Eight years, and tons of research later I’ve finally accepted that I need to work harder than most just to have a somewhat normal life. I’ve had to change my diet, change my lifestyle and do things that 10 years ago I wouldn’t have given a second thought too.

So please remember that having your health is an amazing thing take care of your body it’s the only one you have and if yours hasn’t turned against you treat it kindly and do your best to take care of it.