Diane

Hi members and friends.  My story is not to much unlike anyone elses in this group, but maybe it will help in some way. I used to work for the post office as a rural carrier and I had three boys at home that are very active in sports and all. About 3 yrs. ago I noticed something was wrong but just brushed it off as fatigue from my job, raising 3 boys, and keeping a home for husband and myself.  It was in july that we decided to take a family outing to the taste of chicago. We took the train. It was a very nice day, but my tolerance and shortness of breath kind of took me out of the walking around. So I found a shady space by the Lake front and sat while husband and boys walked around. I didn't mind it all.  I noticed these red blotches by my right ankle and the tenderness to the touch. We stayed for the fireworks and had a great time.  The next morning it was much worse where I went to emergency room. The drs. there thought I had a blood clot and treated me as such. Told me to go to my gp.  I did and she thought the same thing.  Well some time went by and I developed a very harsh heart burn where I was liteally sick. Was scheduled for an endoscopy and had an eye appt for the same day. The eye appt was in the morning and endoscopy that afternoon. After a brief examination which I though would turn up with a diagnosis of a cold in the eye turned out to be more severe. I had to cancel endoscopy and go to eye specialist that day for I almost lost my sight in left eye.  The eye dr. asked me questions of my symptoms and I told him weight loss, fatigue, losing balance, heart burn, pain in my ankles and tenderness to the touch, some dry coughing. He said it sounded like sarcoidosis. I was so scared. I never heard of that word. He in turn sent me to another specialist that day. An internal dr. He ordered chest xrays, did blood work, and then when they came back I had to have a bronchoscopy that came back inclusive so from there a lung biopsy. It was confirmed sarcoidosis and I have uveitus and glaucoma as well. Now a couple of years has gone by and I am still fighting things like neuropathy, and GERD, uveitus, glaucoma, lesions on legs, spasms in stomach, tenderness to touch, light sensitivity, can't be in sun, shortness of breath, blood gases drop so am on oxygen at night, headaches, joint involvement, and I am on many meds.  I am going to continue to research and fight this thing. God Bless you all.