Autoimmune Disease: My Story
One big piece of my testimony is how the Lord sustained me through five difficult years of living with chronic pain and an undiagnosed autoimmune disease. I even wrote a song about it, which is the title track of the album I released in April, 2017. I wrote extensively about my experiences with chronic pain in my first book, The Promise is His Presence.
I lived with intense, chronic back pain that began before I turned 30. I saw chiropractors and doctors, had x-rays and MRIs, and lots of blood work, but no one could figure out what was wrong with me. By 2015, I was averaging about 3 hours of sleep per night, suffering from debilitating pain, brain fog, anxiety attacks, thinning hair, scaly rashes on my knees and elbows, and regular digestive problems. During the most stressful days of my life to date, I developed an unusual eye condition called anterior uveitis which landed me in the optometrist’s office. The eye doctor was concerned about a systemic disease and told me to see my GP immediately with a request to be tested for Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).
When I researched this strange-sounding disease, I cried. I had every single symptom. My GP sent my blood test to Mayo Clinic, and it soon came back positive for the genetic factor associated with both AS and Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). My GP referred me to a specialist, but it would be four months before I could get in. Thankfully, I found relief within the next year, and I enjoyed rest and mostly pain-free living for a while.
I spent five years with varied levels of remission while following a low starch diet in tandem with a low tier inflammatory arthritis medication. I’ve now dealt with AS for the better part of 13 years and frequently find myself back in pre-diagnosis levels of pain. I enjoyed two glorious pain-free months during the summer of 2023, for which I can find no reason other than God’s kindness. As with many who struggle with autoimmune diseases, we must change our approach at time to find relief. I’ve tried all kinds of traditional and functional approaches, so while I appreciate the emails I receive from readers who want me to find relief, please know that I have a healthcare team to help me make decisions about my treatment. What worked for you may not work for me. What worked for a while may not work long term. Regardless, God continues to use chronic illness to keep me near His side. You can read a recent post about my current experiences with AS here.