I have autoimmune issues...

That's a technical diagnosis. Apparently. I have autoimmune issues. No disease they've narrowed down yet. When I was younger it was simply arthritis. Grandma had it, Mom had it, so it's just a family heirloom passed down. My fingers ache. My feet ache. Sometimes just barely. Sometimes so slightly I barely notice and forget to worry about it. But sometimes? I can barely move a finger. Or think about anything but the burning pain in my hand. This can go on for hours or days or weeks. And then I can go long periods and not experience anything.

When I lived in Yuma and had my own health care insurance for the first time I made an appointment to see a rheumatologist. He did the tests and said I didn't have rheumatoid arthritis. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Rheumatoid is bad news, a scary disease. And yet? Mere aches and pains seemed more than I was experiencing. He prescribed a new drug, Lyrica, which I declined to take regularly since I didn't have pain regularly and I never made another appointment.

Fast forward to this year. Emergency room. Hospital. DVT. Pulmonary embolism. Gallstone. Kidney disease. Liver problems. So many more issues to deal with. And yet? No clear answers.

This spring I sat in my hematologist's office and listened as he read my test results out loud. He was flummoxed, which I took as a bad sign. The man has a PhD and an MD. He said I had lupus (an autoimmune disease) markers. But he didn't believe I had lupus. And he sent me back to my primary care doctor for followup. I sat in my car in the parking lot that morning and sobbed. I had no idea what lupus was other than the disease they never could quite diagnose correctly on the TV show House. That instilled no confidence in my prognosis.

At another doctor's appointment I was assured I didn't have lupus, even though I had lupus markers. Strange. I think so and I'm not a doctor. My doctor was again confused. I was again unimpressed. Then they moved on to possible kidney disease and now another new doctor is testing me for liver issues. So many issues, so little time to think about them all because frankly, I don't want to.

But I do, logically, know that I have medical problems. I have autoimmune problems. I've talked about this at length with the only constant health care provider I have, my acupuncturist Trace. She studies the blood work and test results. She knows how to treat my arthritis and she helps me deal with the other medical issues. She is working on the gallbladder. She's the one who diagnosed the gallstones, the pulmonary embolism and the DVT. I'm so thankful to have her in my corner.

But the autoimmune issues? The problem is that there is maybe no known disease to classify me under yet. The doctors and scientists haven't had the money or resources to investigate properly. So I can't be treated properly yet. One of Angela's doctors told us that medical scientists are making new discoveries every day and yet that still isn't fast enough. We don't know enough yet. But we can.

When I was sick this winter so many people reached out to me. One of those people was Barbara Ramm, a lovely woman I met at church. We bonded over making funeral cookies, she was organizing the luncheon and Angela and I were volunteering. This spring I learned that Barbara also has autoimmune issues - but hers has a name. She has relapsing polychondritis. Look it up, it's not good. But guess what? She's doing something about it. In a sea of so many medical issues being talked about and having awareness raised for and demanding our money and our contemplation, Barbara and her family are taking this issue on. They are creating the first annual Los Angeles Autoimmune Walk.

And Angela and I have decided to walk alongside them.

Because I have autoimmune issues.

Because people I love have autoimmune issues.

My Aunt Gloria has MS and has been in a wheelchair more of her life that she's been out of one. I will walk for her.

My dear little friend Abby who's just started school and this crazy life has celiacs disease. I will walk for her.

My mom and my sister have arthritis and will deal with it their whole lives. I will walk for them.

Who do you know that you can walk for? Or support with a donation? Or a few hours of your time on November 8th?

If you want to help, click here! If you want to pray for us, do it! It you want to share your story with me, come on over and chat! We can make a difference. We have to try.