Grave’s Disease

Woman with Rare Autoimmune Disease Undergoes High-Risk Treatment

*Shelley Clark-Collins and her partner Mark Doyle have travelled to Ottawa, Ontario so that she can receive an innovative treatment for her rare autoimmune disease (Photo: CBC News)*

Shelley Clark-Collins, a 56-year-old woman from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, is looking to undergo a high-risk procedure to treat her rare autoimmune disease.

Clark-Collins lives with dermatomyositis, an autoimmune condition in which her body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks her healthy cells, causing inflammatory, painful and degenerative changes to her skin and muscles. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, symptoms of the disease include rashes and spotting on the skin, swelling, stiff joints, muscle weakness and aches, difficulty swallowing, voice changes, fatigue, fever, and weight loss. Dermatomyositis can also cause other autoimmune and connective disease conditions, like lupus, and increase the risk of developing cancer.

Dermatomyositis is extremely rare, affecting fewer than 10 in 1 million people, according to an estimate from the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). The disease most often occurs in adults ages 40-60, and juvenile dermatomyositis occurs most commonly in children and youth between the ages of 5 and 15.

Because of its rarity, Clark-Collins had a difficult time getting diagnosed. As a hairdresser, she suddenly found that she was so weak, she could no longer hold up a blow dryer or stand for long periods of time. She was falling down frequently, couldn’t get out of the bathtub, or lift her bed sheets. She was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) after a neurologist found a lesion in her brain.

“But what he was treating me with [for MS] wasn’t working,” explained Clark-Collins. After seeing numerous specialists, she was diagnosed with “everything but the kitchen sink,” she recalls, including cancer, arthritis, and Grave’s disease. A dermatologist even told her that she should see a psychiatrist for Empty Nest Syndrome as a result of her kids moving out.

Despite these setbacks, Clark-Collins was eventually correctly diagnosed with dermatomyositis through blood work and muscle biopsies. Since then, the disease has affected her health and wellbeing substantially. Prior to developing the disease, she was an avid marathon runner and outdoor enthusiast, enjoying kayaking, rock climbing, and skiing. Now, she says that walking to her car is a feat. She sleeps in a chair because getting in and out of bed is too difficult with her muscle weakness. She has difficulty swallowing and talking, and has suffered irreparable damage to her heart and lungs. She’s had a stroke, blood clots, and a life-threatening sepsis infection.

*Dr. Harold Atkins is pioneering a new treatment designed to help patients with dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune disease.*

However, Clark-Collins has found hope in a new procedure being pioneered by Ottawa, Ontario-based Dr. Harold Atkins. The innovative procedure is a combination of intense chemotherapy and a blood stem cell transplant. The chemotherapy will destroy her diseased immune system, and the stem cells from her bone marrow will be removed, purified and re-injected into her body. It’s a risky and aggressive procedure that aims to reset her immune system – but there are no guarantees that it will work. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, re-setting her immune system also leaves her extremely vulnerable to contagious diseases, meaning she could easily die should she catch the virus.

Despite the risks, Clark-Collins says she’s “very excited,” and is looking forward to the possibility of reclaiming her life. As a mother of two adult children, she says “it’s been hard on [my kids] to watch me decline like that.”

Plus, she’s running out of options. She has developed a resistance to several of her medications already, she can’t take large doses of steroids for much longer, and her opioid painkiller can cause an addiction. She also goes to the hospital once a week for plasmapheresis, a procedure in which her plasma (the liquid part of the blood) is separated from her blood cells, and is replaced with new plasma. But this treatment isn’t guaranteed to work forever.

With this new treatment, the hope is that her dermatomyositis will go into remission. Clark-Collins says she dreams of being able to regain her independence, start running again, and just to be able to hug her children without excruciating pain.

“Just maybe [I’ll] get a little big of my life back,” she said hopefully.

To learn more about Clark-Collins’ battle with dermatomyositis, read the full story on CBC News.

How Chronic Illness Can Kill Your Self-Esteem

October 27, 2019October 27, 2019Isabel3 Comments

I recently read a post on Reddit on the r/autoimmunity subreddit titled ‘Losing Everything‘. In the post, the author describes being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune condition affecting one’s moisture-producing glands. The author has also been living with other autoimmune diseases, including Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA), for quite some time.

She goes on to say that since being diagnosed with these conditions, she feels like she is losing everything that makes her ‘herself’. For example, she is an artist, but she has lost the use of her dominant hand as a result of her conditions, leading her to quit her art. She also had a unique style, with beautiful thick hair and piercings. However, most of her hair has now fallen out and she had to remove her piercings due to constant infections.

The author’s post made me think of my own struggle with chronic illness and how having Sjogren’s Syndrome, Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) and Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS) has impacted my sense of self.

Although I have both good days and bad days, I often resent my body and these diseases for what they have ‘taken away’ from my life. I often think to myself, what would I have accomplished by now had it not been for this disease? Would I be further along in my career? My education? Would I have more social connections and deeper friendships? It’s hard to quantify, but I feel like my life would have been very different had I not developed autoimmune issues. In other words, I don’t feel like I can be my true ambitious self because of my chronic illnesses.

I could also relate to the author’s mention of her outward appearance, like her hair and piercings. I notice that I often think ‘why bother?’ when it comes to things like fashion and beauty, which were important to me before my diagnosis. I think this is because I’ve adopted the mindset that I am ‘diseased’, so why bother to look nice? This is definitely a negative mindset that I’m continuing to work on, but, I think it’s important to acknowledge how chronic illness can impact your sense of self- whether it’s your own self-image, or even your outward appearance.

I also recently read a powerful testimony on The Mighty by Megan Klenke titled, ‘How Chronic Illness Can Drastically Affect Your Self-Esteem’. In her post, she describes the shame that many individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities face, such as having to ask for help to do tasks that they once did independently, using a wheelchair, or dealing with embarrassing side effects of medications. Furthermore, Megan also points out that simple things like missing family functions or get-togethers with friends as a result of illness can make one feel left out and like an ‘awful’ family member or friend.

A YouTuber I follow named Samantha Wayne also created a video detailing her struggle with the impact of lupus on her self-image. She ended up being hospitalized and had to take time off to rest. During this time, she says she felt useless and like she wasn’t doing enough. Also, she had to step back from her job because being on her feet all day was taking a toll on her health. The medications she was taking, such as prednisone, also impacted her outward appearance.

Samantha did say that leaning on her support system has helped her to get through negative feelings about her self-worth. She also says that realizing that everyone is worthy, regardless of their health status, has also helped. Furthermore, she says that while her disease caused her to lose certain hobbies, like competitive basketball, she was able to adopt new hobbies and learn new skills such as video blogging on her YouTube channel, which she started in order to raise awareness about lupus. Finally, she says that practicing gratitude for the things she can do and what she has is another way that has helped to overcome her low self-esteem.

Has having a chronic illness impacted your self-confidence, and if so, how have you handled it? Let us know in the comments below!

Pop Singer Sia Reveals Battle with Autoimmune & Other Chronic Conditions; Philippines Leader Rodrigo Duterte Says He Has Autoimmune Disease

October 8, 2019January 19, 2020IsabelLeave a comment

Pop Singer Sia Reveals Battle with Autoimmune & Other Chronic Conditions

Pop singer Sia recently revealed in a Tweet that she is battling chronic pain as a result of an autoimmune disease and another genetic condition.

In the Tweet, Sia said, “Hey, I’m suffering with chronic pain, a neurological disease, [and] ehlers danlos and I just wanted to say to those of you suffering from pain, whether physical or emotional, I love you, keep going,” she wrote. “Life is fucking hard. Pain is demoralizing, and you’re not alone.”

Sia suffers from an autoimmune condition called Grave’s disease, which occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the thryoid gland. This results in hyperthyroidism, which is the overproduction of the thyroid hormone. Without treatment, the disease can result in heart problems like irregular heartbeat, blot clots, stroke, and heart failure, as well as eye health issues, like double vision, light sensitivity, eye pain and vision loss. It can even lead to thinning bones and osteoporosis.

In addition to Grave’s, Sia has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic condition and connective tissue disorder that can affect one’s bones, joints, skin and blood vessels.

Sia’s Tweet has garnered over 170,000 ‘likes’ on Twitter and has many fans responding with well-wishes and sharing their own experiences with chronic illness. One fan tweeted, “We love you so much Sia, you’re not alone either, please take care ❤ sending you lots of love and healing vibes.”

Her Tweet also draws similarities to Jameela Jamil’s Instagram message, in which she also revealed that she has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and another autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which causes hypothyroidism (the opposite of Grave’s Disease).

To learn more about Grave’s Disease, visit the American Thyroid Association.

Philippines Leader Rodrigo Duterte Says He Has Autoimmune Disease

The President of the Philippines, 74-year-old Rodrigo Duterte, says he suffers from an incurable autoimmune disease. The condition, called myasthenia gravis (MG), is a neurological disease that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The disease can also affect eyelid movements, facial expressions, talking, chewing and swallowing.

Myasthenia gravis occurs when the body’s own immune system attacks the neurotransmitter receptors on one’s muscles. This prevents the neurotransmitters responsible for muscle contraction from binding to nerve endings, thereby preventing muscle contraction. This results in the widespread muscle weakness that is the hallmark of this disease.

Duterte believes that he inherited the condition from his grandfather, who had myasthenia gravis as well. “One of my eyes is smaller. It roams on its own,” he said, according to a transcript released Sunday by his presidential office.

Although Duterte appears to be in relatively good health, and myasthenia gravis can be managed with treatment, about 20% of the people with the disease will experience a health crisis at some point in their lives.

To learn more about myasthenia gravis, visit the MG Foundation of America website.

Autoimmune Warrior

Sharing the stories of those affected by Autoimmune disease