Honorary Member Susan Gisler recently shared this health update. She sends greetings to the Club:

 

"I have been very seriously ill since August with a very rare autoimmune disorder that no one has ever heard of in this area.  It is called antisynthetase syndrome and can affect every autoimmune system in my body.  I was in the hospital 28 days (half of that in ICU on respirator) and another 2 weeks in rehab.  Home since Halloween but on oxygen 24/7.  Needless to say my life has changed quite a bit.  So I read my e mails. 

 

"Recovery is very slow and is usually 2 steps forward and one back....we measure how I'm doing not by the day but by the month.  I can walk up to get the mail with my oxygen which is about the distance from Players to the gas station. When I get back I usually sit down for a few minutes.....if anyone wants to know more about this nasty syndrome they can do a google search just using "Jo 1 antibodies" or "anti synthetase syndrome".  The good news is the severity of it is  measured on a scale of 1-7 and I am at a 2.  I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a 7!  One of the very first things I decided when I was out of ICU was that this was not going to stop me from living a full life.  I just have to go at it a little slower until those antibodies decide to call it quits and go bother someone else!"