A Myositis Diagnosis

On March 9, 2013, I was stopped in my tracks by a diagnosis of myositis, a very rare autoimmune disorder in which my body mistakenly attacks healthy muscle tissue.  Something wasn't quite right with my upper arm muscles and thigh muscles, as it was extremely painful to wash and style my hair, and I could not raise myself up from a squatting position from the floor.  Thankfully I sought medical attention, and didn't just blow off my symptoms as being fatigued.  The physicians in Greenville are wonderful, and my medical team has swept me under their wings and taken wonderful care of me.

If you research myositis on the internet (I have two types - polymyositis and dermatomyositis), it's a bit scary.  It's a chronic disease that never goes away.  However, it can go into remission and is treatable.  The doctors also can't tell you why you got it - could be heredity, an infection, a virus, etc.  Cancer can throw your body into the disease, so I have been to multiple specialists trying to rule out all types of cancers as the cause - so far so good, but I have more testing to complete.  However, certainly I believe that the culprit has been my lifestyle over the past, well - how long have I been an attorney???  Stress absolutely has to be eliminated from your life if you have the disease, and I have been doing my best to keep things in perspective so that I can manage any stress that comes my way.

Sometimes in periods of hardship you emerge stronger and better for it, and I am a testament to that.  My Rheumatologist put me on a Mediterranean diet, and I have never eaten healthier in my life.  I eat no processed foods, sugar, white pastas, diet cokes, cheese, chicken, red meat, and desserts.  Basically I don't eat foods that don't have nutritional value.  Who knew?  If you eliminate processed white sugar from your diet, fresh pineapple and blueberries taste like candy!  I love kale, too, which is one of the healthiest foods for us all to eat.  I consider food as medicine these days, which aids in the recovery from the disease.  I am also losing some weight - although the massive amounts of prednisone I am taking right now, temporarily, is affecting the weight loss. 

I am responding well to the drugs that I am taking, and my doctors are very encouraged by my progress.  Since I am still in the treatment phase, however, the success of my long-term recovery remains to be seen.