@ Writer Dad – Thanks

@ XUP – Thanks. I agree to some extent. I also think part of it is better diagnosis and people living longer.

@ Rummuser – What we are going through is a pretty normal life. The hard part of this really was the early days 20 years ago when we didn’t know what the problem was and until the medication had it under control. When it was first diagnosed, I was very worried that it would be much, much worse and, with others that we have known, it was. We’ve been fortunate.

@ Vered – Thank you!

@ Urban Panther – That’s great that they were able to finally diagnose that for your brother!

@ Cheerful Monk – I’m glad that your daughter can live a full life. Those disorders can be very challenging.

@ Teeni – Thanks. Karen doesn’t have to be super careful of the sun as long as she uses plenty sun screen. And I like that picture, too!

@ Jay – Thanks! We are lucky to have each other. Thanks for sharing your information. Karen has been looking at some of those issues, too, but not with much intent on changing things since everything seems to be pretty much under control.

@chris – Thanks! and thank goodness for modern medicine — for all its problems.

I have fibromyalgia, and interestingly, I am a lot better if I keep away from yeast, so who knows – it may be related to candida. The docs ain’t saying. But they seem to know so little about this range of disorders.

I believe the plague of auto-immune disorders is caused in no small part by pollution of our environment and of our food. Vaccines contribute too. My Mum was a healthy active 84 year old until she was persuaded to have the pneumonia vaccine, and almost immediately she began to suffer frightening pain and disability. She has been diagnosed with chronic inflammatory polyarthritis and is now registered disabled and cannot even knit anymore, something which used to give her an enormous amount of pleasure.

My own fibromyalgia, and also myxoedema, appeared within months of my being persuaded to get the pneumonia vaccine. I haven’t been pain-free for much of the decade or so since then.

Thank heavens for the dermatologist who recognised what your wife was suffering from and referred her to the correct specialist. Some people go undiagnosed for years.

I am SO HAPPY for both of you that Karen can lead a normal life.

What this has made for me however is more important. It has given me a purpose in my life after retirement. Seeing to that she is comfortable and contented gives me a great deal of joy and in a way that I never knew possible, humbling.

Her Physician who we see every few months keeps warning me that I should live my life too lest I too become his patient! It has not happened yet and I doubt that it will in the foreseeable future. I keep myself quite busy and fit and pray that I am around for her for as long as I am needed.