I am 25 years old and have been through alot in those years, medically speaking. Alot of people can go through life and its stages with little issues/complications, but that has never been my life. I was really sick when I was a baby after a severe reaction to the Pertussis part of the DPT shot all kids get when they are born. After that, I was ok til about 11 years old when everything went crazy.
At that point I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) and Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID). Soon after that I ended up really sick in the hospital for 3 weeks. All this while starting a new school in a new town. I had great family support and got through everything that year, even ended up making a bunch of friends that I am still friends with today. Once the diagnoses started, they continued at the rate of one every year. I soon added osteoporosis, anemia, diabetes (type 1), gastritis, and colitis. With all of this, I spent at least one week a year in the hospital and had to grow up alot quicker than most kids my age. Between all the doctors and getting IV treatments every 4-6 weeks, my life was very different than most.
I have learned patience and the ability to deal with very tough situations through everything. I feel like everything that happened has shaped me into the caring and loving person I am today. Even with all the medical and trials, I graduated high school, received an AA and also wen to the University of Florida and graduated with a BS in Animal Biology. I pay all my own bills and try to deal with most things on my own. My parents are always there to help with medical expenses, which I appreciate immensely, but being self sufficient is always a goal of mine.
Since graduating college, medical has been up and down, but I am finally getting to a point where I can be back to being self sufficient. I can no longer work due to my JRA and random hospital stays. I lost my first full-time job last year due to my illnesses and decided that working full time was going to make me worse in the long run. I received SSDI after only 5 months of fighting and now have Medicaid which has taken a huge burden off of myself and my family. Health insurance was a major issue and knowing that I will always have insurance feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
My life has its ups and downs, but I always try to look at the positive out of things. This blog is just for me to document my life trials and medical complications, showing people that you can get through anything and live the life you want if you believe hard enough. No body can tell me what I can't do in the life or what kind of future I can have for myself, only I can make the future I want and deserve.
