Dealing with Sarcoidosis

(2)

(1)

Add Your Vote

I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis 16 years ago. I have worsening lungs issues, necessitating inhalers and steroids. Additionally, as Sarcoidosis is an auto-immune disease which affects the lymph nodes in the body, I also have issues with nausea, coughing, stiffness of the joints. In additional to the inhalers, I have been taking Valium (Brand name only) on an as needed basis. It has been a life saver for me. My quality of life has improved as I can get a good night sleep, calm down my nausea and help with the shakes from the inhalers and steroid treatments. I use the medication as needed, as a result I am not abusing a very addictive medication. Currently Valium is NOT on the acceptable medication list for Medicare or from Roche Pharmaceutical in the Brand name version. My cost is in excess of $130 for 30 pills. Additionally, I have many allergies including serious reactions Sulfa and Sulfa based medications. I can not take many generic medications as I either get a reaction or they don't work the same way as the Brand name does. This can get very expensive. If anyone reading this been diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, I highly recommend you join one of the support groups on-line. Sarcoidosis can be a debilitating condition, and talking to others experiencing the same thing is paramount in learning to live with it. Find and using a physician who truly is knowledgeable about Sarcoidosis is very important to proper care. I have had Pulmonary Doctors tell me the Sarcoidosis has burned out in my system, only to get a biopsy of a different part of my body a month later to only to find "granulomas" which are nodules created by this disease. Some people take Prednisone for a few months and no longer have symptoms. Others, like me, can suffer with episodes for the rest of their lives. Finding help and support gets you through it all to have a meaningful life. Story goes here...

Tags:

Sarcoidosis, Valium, support-groups

Posted By:

Tgcieri

6 months, 1 Week, 1 day, 13 hours, 10 minutes ago

Personal Story

All Votes: 3

Bookmark

Report abuse

Comments (2) | Who voted on this story (3) | Email this story

UnitedProject.org Inc. (c) 2006-2008 All content published on UnitedProject.org is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by your physician or other healthcare professionals. If you think you are experiencing a medical problem or an emergency please contact your physician, local emergency room or call 911. Healthcare benefits and discounts are not insurance and not intended as a substitute for health insurance. Except when other source is cited, all content posted by members is licensed under Creative Commons Public Domain License.

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

Site last updated 12/02/08 - loaded in 0.0112 seconds