Autoimmune Issues

[MELISSAJ]

I don't have much time to devote to this disease these days, but as the nightmare of a year closes, I am prompted to research an hour a day and make sure I am not barded with deductibles again next year. In other words, I don't want to leave stones unturned even though I prefer to do so

So, I read last week that one of our hero members is up and running and doing well. I began to reread all of her posts and she is a bevy of information. She made me think and dig.

This morning I came across the below site after googling autoimmune disease. The below disease has many similarities to what I have experienced. Especially, the red, white and blue cold weather leopard like patterns in my skin (ears, hands, legs). I've had it since the 90s. I just thought it is me...not a disease.

Also, I have these red felt marker dots (20 or so)on my torso that showed up last year and the MD thought they were suspicious. When she pressed down VERY hard, she was able to see a very tiny capillary. I just thought I would post this. I'm not sure if anyone has looked at the auto immune factor. OH, also, the strange part about this disease is the by product on the skin is calcium. Read the article and let me know. I would much rather wave a magic wand, but I'll take any feedback.
http://www.medicinenet.com/scleroderma/article.htm

[EvDownJr]

Awhile ago, I was thinking this syndrome to be autoimmune. You may have read how Sclero. may entail collagen deposits, calcinosis, vascular problems, organ impact, etc.

Now that said I saw two rheumatologists in one practice. They were not very thorough and one shrugged and said, "Oh sometimes there are things in medicine we can't explain." Told me she was not going to pursue any tests b/c at that time, symptoms were not "distinct" enough. I went back to primary care MD. He did order various blood tests including ESR and ANA. I have had these two amongst others over several years and never had a positive result. A positive result on either of these two tests means something like a 95% confidence interval that something autoimmune was happening. That said, a - result does not necessarily preclude it.

Another missing piece of puzzle in my case: The Derm. never checked my punch biopsy to see if collagen deposits found ever had immunoglobin deposits. Immunofloresence and spectroscopy may have been able to confirm or decline a localized hyper immunity reaction. So we can't necessarily rule out autoimmunity or a rheumatic reaction on a localized level either.

Let me explain why I deviate a little from Sclero. to autoimmune and rheumatic disease: Pure Sclero. may look like generalized thickening of the skin, with calcium deposits, etc. While I did find some of the lesions to become calcified. The general appearance of skin for me seem to be thin, very permeable, etc. Now that said, there are many lesser known rheumatic diseases that may look like Sclero but have somewhat different features. What I am saying, is while this may not be pure Sclero. for me, and possibly not for you, it could be something else.

Here's what I would do: A GOOD rheumatologist, would look at the condition of the vessels, organs, skin, and consider various etiologies, (not just common and autoimmune ones). Is it possible to find out through the grapevine who in your community has used a Rheum MD who is thorough, sensitive, and patient? What you probably don't want is one affiliated w/ a Univ. hospital to have you seen by two interns going through rote tests, then spend five minutes with you...only to get four sets of bills six months later with an insulting summary report that you have a somatic illness. You may want one Dr. in this field who can spend time with you.

I do think selecting one good Dr. in this field is not a waste. The challenge is finding a GOOD one not hiding behind a 10 story brick facade and many journal articles. Bubba, I believe, had mentioned several Morg. folks improving when their underlying disease was addressed. Among the diseases she mentioned, I think were Myasthenia Gravis, which a Rheum should be able to identify. Also, who knows: you could have elements of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Poly-Dermatomytosis or other identifiable diseases that this Dr. could evaluate and treat.


OK, I've rambled and written with atrocious spelling. Brain fog is nasty today. Think you'll see my points after you read this 3-4 times.

Regards,

Evan

[2manyfibers]

Hey Melissa – the post I made immediately before you started this thread was a fairly lengthy discussion of the autoimmune system and how it might relate to Morgellons. The last few posts in this thread (link at bottom) have a lot of good information specifically on the lymph system which is the basis of the autoimmune response of the body. Nutrition plays a critical role in the autoimmune response and the body’s ability to maintain itself as is noted at least indirectly throughout this thread. This is because the body cannot produce the proteins and other substances required by the body to maintain itself without enough of the specific nutrients DNA requires to produce these substances (like collagens and keratins as well as the molecular components of the immune system like antibodies, white blood cells, etc.). Here’s the link to my post that I referred to – the entire thread is relevant though:

http://www.morgellons-disease-resear...17555#msg17555

[MELISSAJ]

Thanks to all of you. I have a LOT of reading to do tonight

Also, I was just mentioning the one disease that I thought was odd and had some similiar symtoms, but again, I believe this to be some new and improved (not to us, but to the superbugs) morphed disease. Honestly, there is definitely a compromised immune system for all of us which put us at risk or.....the "germ" compromised our immune system.

Again, it is the chicken before the egg argument.

Anyway, inflamation, immunity, resistant superbugs, it's all too exhausting, but we have to fight this.

It always gets back to building up our immunity which is so easily compromised. If we look at the majority of autoimmune diseases, the group of them have so many things in common with what we are going through. I don't know, but I know that there is so much more to learn.

Melissa

[Kritters]

Here is the problem, as I see it, with the immune system. IMHO.........

The symptoms shared by Morgs sufferers are similar to those of most autoimmune diseases. When a friend of mine told me all the 'diseases' her daughter was diagnosed with, I just shook my head (what a rattle that was ). Then I looked them up individually and lo and behold, they were all practically the same in onset, symptoms and the fact that 'they' don't have a cure. They don't have a cure because 'they' are clueless. The immune system with it's killer t-cells for example (from what I understand) is so strong, it recognizes the altered dna as the enemy and attacks it. I'm sure this is an over simplification, but it's the only way I can cut through the crap. So our own cells become foreign invaders. This is one of the reasons so many people died in the great influenza of 1918, along with secondary bacterial infections (which still are a major problem today)

I think, as we do not all have the same critters which are causing our problems.... although we really do not know anything for sure......our bodies are still fighting invaders of some sort. Even combinations, and possibly morphed, new and improved critters all living in the same environment. It's possible there are such strange creatures now in our bodies, that the immune system is totally thrown off and has no idea whether it's coming or going (esp. in the case of those who have actual bugs coming out of the skin) So we have anything from fungi to agrobacteria to bio-engineered creatures the body has to contend with. The very least we can do, and possibly the best is to eat as healthfully as possible, keeping our blood alkaline, keep toxins out of our systems, exercise or sweat somehow to push toxins and impurities out of our bodies, take the supplements we don't get in our food, stay away from meat, fish & poultry (do you know that most diseases begin in poultry and pigs?) now we can add fish to that as well, we can get protein from amino acid supplements, stay away from sugar (Carla ) get the sun on your skin for at least 15 minutes a day (vitamin D is a MUST AND TONS OF C) and DRINK PURIFIED WATER AND LOTS OF IT TO KEEP THE PLUMBING GOING AND NOT ALLOW IT TO BE STAGNANT as well as cleansing the colon.

I know this may seem drastic for some people, but ...... this is a drastic situation.

Just me thinking aloud. Hope you don't mind.

Then hopefully we will get some help soon from SOMEONE.

Kritts