Mr S

In my eBook I have described Sarcoidosis or Mr S as a slippery customer and a master of disguise or shape shifter, who can manifest in many different ways. But to start at the beginning – and here comes the ‘science bit’ – this is the medical definition of Sarcoidosis: Sarcoidosis is a disease involving abnormal collections of inflammatory cells that form lumps known as granulomas. The disease usually begins in the lungs, skin, or in the lymph nodes.

Less commonly it can affect the eyes, liver, heart, and brain. Any organ, however, can be affected. Well that description, stark as it is, was all a world away when I was first unknowingly introduced to Mr S. Like a thief in the night Sarcoidosis sneaks up on you and one by one steals things away from you, as I was to discover. I was like any other busy career minded professional girl at the time, running my working life and a healthy social life and trying to spin and keep all the plates in the air.

When you are so busy there is always much more to think about than your own health! I was fulfilled and happy and illness was the furthest thing from my mind. In fact my sister whom I shared a flat with, was the first to notice when I started having a persistent little cough.

It was nothing much but it was pretty annoying and she was not slow to point that out when I kept her awake at night with it! She grumbled that she would probably soon go down with whatever germs I had and that would throw our finely honed work and fun routine into chaos. But no, it was just me! Then another thing started to happen. I had no appetite. And yet I felt full most of the time. As I felt fine otherwise and was losing weight, I took that as a definite win! At this point I was thinking some strange virus was ravaging me, although if it wanted to help me drop a couple of dress sizes, it could be my guest! I did think about going to the doctor but then thought that with such vague symptoms she would most likely say that it was a virus, so I didn’t bother.

Life went on and my weight continued to fall (blessed), but apart from the slight cough, I felt fine. Little did I know that all the while Mr S was making himself at home, and throwing out these odd and seemingly unconnected symptoms to throw me and any medical person I consulted, off the scent. In my next blog I will go into more detail about my symptoms. I hope that you can come on my journey with me, so that you will recognise Mr S if he comes knocking on your door, or if he has already moved in, we can share our experiences!