Auto Immune conditions

Sanjeev Agrawal, 60, a Professor of Mathematics has been battling invisible illnesses all his life.  He reflects on how his responses to his daughter's challenges due to her invisible illnesses have been shaped by his experiences. #FathersDay series. Asked to write something for Father’s day for PatientsEngage, I go to the site and start wondering – do I write as a caregiver or as a patient? Rather than work out a theme, I decide to write about whatever comes, at this time, to my mind.…

Is going gluten-free just a fad or is there a valid reason to consider this lifestyle change? Dr. Shital Raval explains what is gluten and the difference between wheat allergy, gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Remember to bookmark this. Along with the growing trend of multigrain goods in the food market and nutritional world, there has also been a proliferating market for gluten-free food products. This has been hand-in-hand with emergent reports of gluten sensitivities and intolerance…

Neetu,43 has struggled with various symptoms of Hypothyroidism, be it weight gain, fatigue, lethargy over the years. She has tried to manage it with a combination of medications and lifestyle changes. But its not been easy. She candidly shares her challenges here. #YouAreNotAlone There was a steady pattern of unwanted weight loss and instead of feeling energetic; I was becoming more lethargic and listless. Thinking it was a hormonal issue because of heavy period flow that month, I went to see…

Dr. Chethana Dharmapalaiah, Rheumatologist at Aster CMI, Bengaluru shares her experiences on sharing a Lupus diagnosis with her patients, the stories of hope amidst all the despair.  I have been practising as a rheumatologist since more than a decade. I was barely exposed to a handful of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and an even lesser number of patients with lupus during my undergraduate training. No doubt the awareness has increased now amongst doctors across specialties and the…

Shambhavi Chaudhary is a strong, young woman who refuses to be bogged down by Lupus, a rather inexplicable autoimmune condition. She shares her approach to facing the challenges head on despite the fear and uncertainty associated with Lupus.  As World Lupus Day approaches there are many organizations around the world effectively working towards lupus awareness, and I am often asked - Why do we need to talk about lupus? Why lupus awareness? I bet of all the weird and life threatening…

In our next Live Q&A session of 'Living Better' series, we speak wth Kirtida Oza, founder of Sjogren's India on the challenging symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome and their management. Sjogren's Syndrome is a less understood autoimmune condition and it can affect your day to day schedules. Send in your questions in the comments below or on our FB page.  Date: 30 April 2019 Time: 5 PM India Time, (7.30PM Singapore Time) If you you like to join on Zoom here are the details: Join from a…

The patient-led Lupus Trust India is creating a holistic support network for Lupus patients in India. As they prepare for awareness campaigns for World Lupus Day,  watch this space for the resources they are putting together.  Contributed by Suzanne Sangi Ask any Lupus patient in India how they felt right after their diagnosis, and you’re sure to hear them say “It’s the first time I heard about Lupus” or “It felt like I was the only one”. Why? Because in India, nobody talks about this…

Living with three autoimmune conditions, followed by a liver transplant at 18, has not deterred this 18 year old teenager from Singapore who has written a book under the pen name Y.K Riley. She highlights the challenge of living with an invisible illness, the side effects of her treatment and the need to understand her conditions. Please tell us a bit about your condition(s) I have Autoimmune Hepatitis, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Ulcerative Colitis. They are autoimmune diseases where my…

Thirty five year old Deepthi Sudhir Nair, a person with Myasthenia Gravis, rings in 2017 with five heartfelt pointers that can help transform lives and bring in greater happiness, positivity and self-respect in the New Year. Before I bury my reminiscences of 2016, I want to thank it for making me a chronically ill patient (through myasthenia gravis, urticaria, bronchial asthma, migraines and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures) and taking away my freedom. At the same time, teaching me what life…

Aditi Gupta, 23 from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh has been in pain for the last 5 years, battling an invisible condition called Fibromyalgia. She still has not found a cure, but has not given up hope – yet. I suffer from a chronic pain illness called Fibromyalgia. It is an invisible and an incurable condition causes widespread muscle pain, migraine, stiffness, fatigue, morning sickness, insomnia, restless legs, depression and several other symptoms. First Symptoms  I was diagnosed about 3.5…