A tentative diagnosis....

So after 3 years of living with this unnamed autoimmune issue I have a tentative diagnosis.  Tentative means there is no exact test for it, but only clinical signs and differential diagnosis which include a gene test.  The good part is that we have already ruled out all the other non-rare stuff it could be.  The bad news is that diagnosis is an incurable genetic arthritic disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis.  Its a stupid long name for  systemic arthritis that progressively attacks your spine and anywhere else in the body it wants to. My mom seems to have it to and has a lot more damage from it than I do :-/ So a lot of this diagnosis comes too late for her, but I think there are still some treatments (new ones) that she hasn't tried yet. She is heading to a rheumatologist to see what can be done for her.   

So now that I know that I am not crazy and the inflammation I have had causing the fatigue for all these years is from this disease there are ways to treat it, just no known cure.  But since it is a genetic disease and they are making leaps and bounds in genetic research, there one day may be.

For now I am on a special no starch diet, and I have started taking the arthritis medicine Celebrex in hopes of lowering my inflammation enough to slow down my autoimmune response and the fatigue it causes.  The celebrex really helps with the joint pain and all over aching - taking one is like takes 3-4 motrin in a day as far as results go.  I also have to do special range of motion exercises for my back and I need to start going to the chiropractor more regularly because proper alignment can really help.  Once I get some energy back, yoga and walking is highly recommended as is getting back down to a normal weight (not to hard on the no starch diet LOL).

Now I have a few more blood tests and a month on Celebrex to see how I do and feel.. At least it is a start.  Even with the grim outlook of the disease and I just so very thankful to finally know what it is and what to do.  If the basics don't work there is a long list of other treatments to try.  maybe now I can have some of my life back!!!  Thank you Lord :)