I went home empty-handed, beyond exhausted, and worried something serious might happen before I could see my doctor. I was shocked by how eerily similar the two events were. Medical gaslighting has been traumatizing and triggering and costing me a fortune in therapy.
Read moreHaving a Medical Emergency During the Pandemic
Going anywhere during this pandemic for me is tricky. I’m severely immune-compromised, so I have to be very careful since I most likely will not survive; that’s just fact. So I have to psyche myself up to go to the Emergency Department (ED) during this pandemic since it’s a scary prospect. Even before the pandemic, I’d have to be careful not to catch any virus or infection.
Read moreIlaris & How to Self-Inject
It will be 4 years this coming March since I’ve been on Ilaris (canakinumab), which is a biologic drug to help calm my immune system and to reduce the intensity of the FMF symptoms (fevers, joint pain, nausea, rashes…). Although it causes me to be immuno-compromised, the fact that I feel marginally better than without it is worth the risk.
I was one of the first patients in Canada to receive the drug. It was officially approved by Health Canada in January 2017 and I got my first dose in March 2017. The price tag of Ilaris is no joke…
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