I’m a long-time patient of epilepsy. Growing up, I had frequent complex partial seizures, with no idea of their root cause. It was difficult to try to explain the odd sensations, or why I’d suddenly become completely unresponsive for minutes at a time. I was often frustrated and scared, particularly when it happened in public. …
It had been a few weeks since I first started to notice something was wrong. At first I thought it was just stress related indigestion, but soon I began to realise that the discomfort in my chest wasn’t going away. I assumed it was just one of those mysteries of life and tried to push …
My name is John, and I have been struggling with health problems over the past few years. The amount of symptoms and their persistence made it hard to determine the exact cause, so I decided to go for a full medical check-up. After a few weeks, I finally got my diagnosis: antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). At …
‘Antiphospholipid Syndrome – My diagnostic Story’ Read More »
It all started when I was a young boy. I had a strong fear of cats, so strong I couldn’t even look at one. This fear proved to be a great restraint on my life as a kid. In my teenage years, it only got worse, as I often felt like I was going to …
When the doctor told me that the source of my unending fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and sleepless nights was fibromyalgia, I could hardly believe it. I had spent the last several months going from one specialist to another—getting tests and scans and trying a variety of treatments, none of which had any effect. When …
My name is Mary, and I recently had a scary experience with the flu. It all started shortly after I received my flu shot. While I wasn’t completely convinced it was necessary since most of the people I know don’t get them, I figured it couldn’t hurt to get the extra protection. Little did I …
I awoke with a terrible headache, my throat was scratchy and sore, and my body ached all over. I was having a fever. I had heard of scarlet fever before, but I never thought I would actually get it. My mom took my temperature and it was 105 degrees; I had a high fever. She …
Diabetes has been a major part of my life since childhood, when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. During the initial diagnosis I was overwhelmed, feeling scared and uncertain about my future. I questioned how I would manage my diabetes as I navigated through adolescence. After some intensive education from my endocrinologist and my …
I could never have imagined that a simple trip to the emergency room would lead to my diagnosis of septic shock. Everything happened so quickly; one moment I was feeling fine and the next I was in a fight for my life. I felt exhausted and I was too weak to do anything but lay …
