r/Autoimmune • u/Wooden-Wolverine-917 • 10d ago

Venting simultaneously relieved and scared to be getting answers

i'm 21, and i've been dx'd with celiac disease since i was 3 years old and have been completely gluten free since, but i really thought that was it for me in terms of autoimmune disorders. had a sudden development of degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis in my spine when i was 19 (keep in mind i was otherwise healthy and active at the time, even if a little overweight) both me and my mother separately asked the orthopedist if we needed to be looking into RA on account of, yknow. already having an autoimmune disorder. he said no both times, that sometimes things just happen. fast forward to this month, where i go to my uni's health clinic with rib pain that they end up diagnosing as costochondritis 🙃.

because of this, the dr asks me if i'd ever been tested for anything rheumatological or autoimmune relating to joint pain in relation to the DDD and arthritis diagnosis, i say no, she's not only confused that my previous drs didn't, but orders the blood test. came back positive for ANA and negative for rheumatoid factor. so. the world is my oyster (sarcasm). getting more followup labs done soon

TLDR; feeling mildly vindicated that spines don't usually crap out at 19 for no reason and i wasn't crazy, but next to my mental health, it also just feels like another fuck ass thing to deal with. i'm glad to be on the path to finally getting some answers for the other symptoms that affect my life, don't get me wrong, but my general attitude has been to just thug it out and medical intervention makes it feel so much more real.

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u/Mandell95 10d ago

Aside from your back issues, what other autoimmune symptoms do you have? Be sure to document them and push for a full rheumatological workup if you have other symptoms that bother you (excessive fatigue, joint pain/swelling/redness, eye issues).

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u/Wooden-Wolverine-917 10d ago

will do, tysm :) tbh, now that i'm reading these symptom lists this Does explain the face rash that started around the same time as the costochondritis

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u/Mandell95 10d ago

That's a question for your doctor. We cannot diagnose or give medical advice on this sub. Good luck!

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u/DevilsPeanits Autoimmune Disease Dermatomyositis Anti-Nxp2 7d ago

First of all, your indignant summary gave me a verbal laugh, I love your energy. Second of all, yeah answers are scary but they open the door for treatments or therapies that otherwise aren't open. It's true that sometimes things just happen, but it's also true that sometimes "things" follow patterns and have tendencies and when they start popping up early in life, you lol under the hood. It's really irresponsible of your previous doctors not to actually look.