Anyone have more than 1 autoimmune disorder?

[Mommyof4]

I hope someone can help me on this one I don't have a family history of diabetes and became a diabetic after a bout with bronchitis. Test after test later, they tell me that my diabetes is autoimmune.
Flash forward 11 years and now they think I have another one. I am having rashes and extreme joint pain so they are doing all of the testing for either Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. I can not even begine to imagine how I would deal with either one. All of this on top of the diabetes is beginning to wear on me.
Is anyone else dealing with more than one autoimmune disorder? If so, how are you dealing with both conditions at the same time? It amazes me that the system that is supposed to protect you can turn on you with such a vengeance

[emeraldflyer]

Hi Mommyof4. I too, have two auto-immune conditions. When I was around 9 years old my left eyelid became droopy and then I started feeling lethargic and collapsing frequently. The doctors did tests as an outpatient but couldn't come up with an answer. Then one morning I woke up paralysed, couldn't speak, swallow or hardly breath. I thought I was going to die. I was taken into hospital where I spent the next nine months. They discovered I had a condition called Myasthenia Gravis which is an auto-immune condition. It is basically a muscle wasting disease. After an operation and lots of medication I learned to walk and talk again and they discharged me. I still have the condition as it wont ever go away, they've never found a cure for it. I find that I get tired easily and my eyelids droop constantly. I wont be entering the New York Marathon this year!

When I was 28 I was in my third pregnancy and I developed gestational diabetes. I was put onto insulin but it was too late as bad sugar control over the majority of the pregnancy resulted in my baby being premature and having cerebral palsy. After delivery the diabetes went away until two years later during my fourth preganancy when it was picked up very quickly and I managed my sugars very well. I had a healthy daughter and then the diabetes disappeared again. That was until nearly four years ago when I was 36 and I was getting infection after infection all over my body. After three months of antibiotics, the doctor decided to do a blood test which confirmed type 1 diabetes. I've been on insulin every since.

I am used to the Myasthenia Gravis as I grew up with it and its a way of life for me now but I have more problems dealing with the diabetes as its a more recent onset and I feel its much more challenging. I wish you all the best for your tests and hope that whatever they turn up, you are able to cope with the outcome. You'll receive lots of support on here, I'm sure.

Take care now.

[sharon1030]

Hi Mindy,

It's nice to see you. Sorry about your health problems. Waiting for a diagnosis is the worst part. You probably know this, but just in case...people who have an auto-immune disease are more likely to get more. I have two in addition to T1...hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's) and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (they're not 100% sure that's auto-immune, but they believe it is).

Sharon

[dwallech]

hi,
I have hypothyroid disease, Raynauds, mixed connective tissue disease, fibromyalgia, mitral valve prolapse, and possible multiple sclerosis. I do fine mentally once I am educated to know what I am dealing with. The biggest problem is FATIGUE! I take it a day at a time and try to balance my work and my rest.

[lane413]

My mother has diabetes and thyroid problems. She started out with diabetes and then she had graves disease. She took the rai treatment and has to take levothroid forever.

Sone meds can cause other disease, such as bp meds (beta blocker) caused my mom's thyroid issues.