Being Diagnosed With Autoimmune Disease

Hi all! Today’s post is all about being diagnosed with autoimmune disease. I actually wrote this post for the amazing charity: A Spell 4 the Unwell    but thought I’d share it here too! Before I start, just a quick shout out to A Spell for the Unwell . The charity is designed to provide financial support for those who are living with the strains of a chronic illness and can offer help to people all over the world. It was started by a young girl from Manchester with her own health backstory and I just think it’s brilliant how she is still trying to help others while battling with her own body….

So, yes back to those pesky autoimmune diseases…

Lately it seems like we are in the middle of an autoimmune epidemic: Our immune systems aren’t happy and ,as a result, we’re finding ourselves faced with more and more diseases that never seemed to be on our radar ten years ago! I feel that whenever I mention I have crohn’s to somebody, they too have a similiar autoimmune illness- or know someone who is battling one.

These diseases of course may not seem as serious as another threatening epidemic: the big C, yet they can still be a cause of so much suffering. And I’m not only talking about the physical stuff. While it can be initially a relief to be diagnosed with one of these diseases (In a Finally, I knew there was something wrong with me! sort of way) it can soon play a huge strain on many it terms of coping emotionally (‘You’ve got this disease for life’ are words no one wants to hear) and of course financially .

 Although my diagnosis is fairly fresh, today I wanted to share 5 tips for how I dealt with being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Hopefully, these will help regardless of your disease…

TIP 1: Recognise the difference stages you will feel. Such as..

•  Relief (Hooray, I’m going to be cured…
•  Anger (Why can’t you cure me!)
•  Denial (I don’t look that bad, I’m going to just drink 5 tequila shots and forget all about it
•  Frustration (Are there any foods I can eat?! Why is this list of side effects of my medicine more serious than the illness itself?)
•  Acceptance (Fine, I’ve got this disease but I’m still going to fight it. Bring It On!)

Somedays you will feel like you’ve got this and others like you’ve taken ten steps back. That’s OK! Recognise that these stages are all normal.

TIP 2: Don’t stress! Easier said than done I know. But stress is a huge trigger for any of these diseases. Try things like yoga, walking or even a bit of time chatting to fellow sufferers about your problems. Meditation can also be a huge help.

TIP 3: Keep a food diary. While you might think this just applies to IBD, food can have a huge role in regulating the immune system and thus causing autoimmune disorders. Common triggers like dairy and gluten are known to trigger for many but it’s a huge personal discovery. It’s up to you how seriously you take this but I personally find eliminating certain foods and eating clean makes a huge difference.

TIP 4: Realise that some people just don’t get it. You are not just a little tired. You don’t just have a stomach ache. Taking a vitamin is not going to make this go away. Sometimes all you can do with these people is just nod and smile because they’re never going to understand.

TIP 5: Finally: Let it change you. Only in a good way of course. Any autoimmune disease will change you to an extent. It will change your relationship with yourself, with friends, your partner and your family. Most likely boozy nights out will be a thing of the past. You won’t be able to do things at the spur of the moment all of the time. You will always have this disease in the back of your mind. OK, then now what? Embrace it! Swap nights in for cooking evenings with friends.  Sign up for an online course to keep you busy during the times you are off work or retrain careers if your current one is too problematic. Accept that some friends that will just disappear. Let them!  Sometimes you have to embrace this ‘new’ life (however difficult it seems) or you can easily spend a lifetime feeling bitter and resentful about it! I know which one I’d prefer….

I would love to hear your stories about diagnosis! And remember… don’t suffer in silence there are plenty of places to go to for support, be in financial or emotional.