This is so sad! So many people suffer when not diagnosed or when there is no possible treatment! Maybe much of what we have is inherited. I suppose it has to come from some place but it does not explain why the immune system starts to attack itself for some people who have inherited the tendency for the immune system to attack itself while for others it does not happen.

That would suggest environmental reasons as well. Perhaps a combination of both. Environment is not only to be understood as nature and pollution , as in the cases of allergies, but also as emotional having to do with family or society.

There is one consolation as in the case of the loving grandmother, who donated to the ms foundation, and who lived to lend an ear to the granddaughter. We also inherit a loving heart and love. People die; love lives forever.

Journey,
Interesting that you bring up environmental causes for autoimmune diseases to crop up...
This weekend, my DH and I were at a get together of some neighbors. some of us women were discussing health issues, and I told them about the fact that there have been 7 cases out of 21 homes on my block of cancer...then they started counting up people they knew in the neighborhood who've gotten dxd with cancer; quite a number. Sounds like a cluster, hmmm?
There's no high wires nearby; but there are some houses with high radon numbers...it's scary when you hear things like this. Feels creepy...

My Mother's side of my family is absolutely covered up with AI problems - my Dad's, none that I am aware of.

I was dx with Hashimoto's this Spring then my Neuro this summer told me that the Hashimotos dx makes my likelihood of MS even greater. I have been in limbo for about 12 years now and really don't desire to be dx'd with MS at this point - long story - unimportant. I am treated as if I have an MS dx symptomatically - just like the rest of you - but I am not on an MS med yet and honestly don't want to take the drugs yet since my progression has been quite slow (I do understand the reasoning about get treated as soon as possible - but my body reacts violently to many medications and I just hate to start down that road just yet). I'm not sure I could continue working if I were on the meds...

I am also dx with Fibro and I think it is considered AI (I haven't read all the
post with AI info yet).

Interesting Topic.
Snoods

Debbie D,
It sure makes you wonder with so many cases of cancer in the neighborhood. I wonder if this is coincidence or a 'cluster'. In hte latter, environment would have had to play a role.



Moodles ( I hope I got this right): It is really strange that one side of the family should have all the AI diseases but nothing on the other! Unless, we all have the possibility of an AI disease that lays latent until there is an additional factor that brings it on.

I understand your not going on one of the therapies because knowing your body it would react to that.

Father = Diabetes, Arthritis, Neuropathy

Gr Father *Dad's* Diabetes

Uncle & Cousin *Dad's* = MS

3 cousins = Fibromyalgia

Sis's DD = Chiari Malformation

There is RA and alot of Diabetes on my Dad's side.

Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My DD = Fibro and Migraines

My Aunt has MS, I have MS diagnosed about a year apart.

Another Aunt on my Mom's side has Parkinson's, my Mom's Dad died of Parkinson's and my Dad's brother has Parkinson's.

My daughter has arthritis and celiac.

My other daughter has a metabolic disorder.

My brother has fibromyalgia.

My Mom has chronic fatigue and a thyroid thing.

When you go to cousins and aunts/uncles we aren't as close to... you cover just about every auto immune thing there is. Arthritis, chrohns, thyroid, etc.

Auto immune in general definitely runs in families. Specific conditions, it seems to vary.

There is no known AI disease on either side of my family. I'm the only one with it. It could be passed to me from the older generation of my family but no one knows of any.

A big goose egg here, too. Large families on both sides, no sign of MS, RA, or any of the other illnesses on the autoimmune lists..In fact, I'm the only one with MS, the only one with Hashimoto's, the only one with a sudden allergy to pennicillan (sp?)..I feel so lucky..

Hi,
Both my mom and aunt have rheumatoid arthritis and I have an uncle with Lupus.
SS

Ovarian cysts run in my family, as well as Crohn's, MS, aneurysm, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes ... My Mom had a thyroid disorder in middle age, that's all I can think of right now.