To the editor: Lauran Neergaard’s article exploring the medical thriller that’s lupus (and different autoimmune situations) successfully highlights many sufferers’ journeys, together with mine (“The push to search out assist for autoimmune illnesses, together with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus,” Nov. 10).
The “dismissiveness” and “gaslighting” talked about are very actual, particularly in terms of girls’s signs. But I’ve been dismissed and misdiagnosed by each female and male docs, all medical professionals with little bedside method and an lack of ability to really pay attention. Equally traumatic is being ceaselessly dismissed by members of the general public, and even shut associates, because of the invisible nature of autoimmune situations. If individuals can’t see it, they don’t consider it.
My saving grace has been discovering docs (and different medical practitioners) with genuine compassion, an open ear and a capability to look deeper. Kudos to affected person Ruth Wilson for not solely standing up for herself to discover a correct prognosis, but additionally volunteering to teach others about lupus and power sickness typically. It took advocating for myself, enough medical health insurance, household assist and braveness to lastly shine a light-weight by myself medical thriller.
Alexis P. Markowitz, Playa Vista
