Newly Diagnosed Autoimmune Disease: What You Need to Know Right Now

If you’ve been diagnosed with one of the 80+ autoimmune diseases, then consider yourself among good company here. If getting your diagnosis took months or even years, you may have initially felt relieved that there was a name for what you were experiencing and a sense of validation after all the doctor visits that yielded no results. At the same time, you may also be feeling as if you’re no longer you. As if the AI label changes who you are…and not in a fun way.

I imagine you’re feeling a wealth of emotions right now, and that’s normal. We all react differently to health-related news, but when it comes to chronic conditions, those that have no foreseeable cure, the days, weeks, and months that follow can be a minefield of emotions.

Before the movie, “The Bucket List,” many people were unfamiliar with the five stages of grief that Elizabeth Kubler-Ross wrote about nearly 50 years ago. Handling your immediate reaction, which may be denial, anger, bargaining, depression, or acceptance, and balancing that with hope and optimism may seem like an impossible challenge. But stay with me here, you will find it. Trust me…I’ve been through it and put together this article to help you today, particularly if you just received your diagnosis.

Give Yourself Permission to Feel What You Feel

My best advice is to allow yourself to feel what you feel. Put it down in writing if you aren’t comfortable talking about it, but give yourself a chance to honestly grieve right now if that’s what feels natural. There is no singular way to approach what you’re facing, but there’s definitely a right way for you, so don’t be pressured into accepting everything at this moment. Coming to grips with what’s happening to your body takes time, so be patient with yourself.

Use Your Anger to Fuel Your New Journey

It’s completely natural to be upset about what’s happening to your body. After all, you didn’t ask for this. You already have plenty of things to focus on. But holding on to anger is like carrying a bag of bricks. The weight will become unbearable, and you may actually be letting it change your personality without even realizing it. If you feel anger bubbling up and threatening to take over, then you’ll need some way to release it without hurting yourself or the ones that you love. Some people like to exercise. Maybe now’s the time to take up a physical activity that you can literally throw yourself into…like kickboxing. On the flip side, Tai Chi, Qigong, yoga, and meditation are great ways to calm your inner self through gentle movements.

Implement a Self-Care Routine to Help Combat Depression

When you feel overwhelmed by what you’re facing, it’s easy to slip into a state of depression. Doubts can fill your mind. Worries take over, and the next thing you’re hard pressed to feel anything even close to joy or happiness. There’s no correct way to battle depression. We all handle it differently. Opening up about your feelings, whether with others or in private in a journal, can help because it lightens the burden you carry. Believe it or not, your friends and family want to help…they just need you to guide them.

If you’d rather deal with your emotions privately, that’s perfectly fine. One way to keep those negative feelings at bay is to do something every day that fulfills you or puts you in a good mental state. You may not be able to control what’s happening to your body, but you can pamper it in a variety of ways as a means to fight off the blues. Treat yourself on a daily basis by doing something just for you. Take a hot bath, watch an episode of your favorite show, or spend a few minutes in your garden. Define self-care any way you want, then implement it religiously. When you take control of just one aspect on a regular basis, you’ll feel a difference almost instantly.

Start Taking Control Through Education

Another way to take control of your condition is to start learning about autoimmune diseases as a whole, not just your specific disease. The more you understand symptoms and their triggers (as well as things that are completely unrelated to your disease), the more you’ll be able to adjust your habits to control and perhaps prevent them. A good place to start is the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA). Their comprehensive website can guide you not just in the beginning but throughout your life. Here are some important questions you should get answered right away:

What common symptoms should I be aware of?
What symptoms should be treated as an emergency?
What effects does my autoimmune disease have on my body?
Are there tests to monitor my condition? If so, what are they?
How is my disease commonly treated?
Are there experimental or alternative treatments that I can do instead of following conventional ones?
Do I need to have a doctor who specializes in autoimmune diseases?
Is there a timeline for how my disease will progress?
What type of research is being conducted to treat or cure my disease?

See Yourself Through a New Lens

You may be thinking, “Just how am I supposed to turn this diagnosis into an advantage?” Perhaps you won’t, but viewing your life, your new diagnosis, and what you have that can be shared with others, is an important step in coping not only with your autoimmune disease, but your future as well. AI can be challenging, I won’t deny that, but how you choose to view and adapt to those challenges remains to be seen.

Finally, and most importantly, your diagnosis is not the end of life as you’ve known it; it can be a new beginning filled with support for the taking. Whether you choose to engage with family, therapists, or Facebook community health and awareness sites, there are more than 50 million people dealing with autoimmune diseases every day, and they’re happy to help you in your journey.