Saturday, July 01, 2006

My Sarcoidosis Symptoms Past and Present

This is a list of symptoms and effects of sarcoidosis that have personally happened to me. As I remember them, I update.

  • There is scar tissue in my lungs and around my heart.
  • Reduced lung capacity.
  • There are concerns about pulmonary heart failure much further down the line.
  • My chest has a lot of shadows in it which is caused by lymph nodes
  • My left knee swells up periodically
  • I have had a cold for 11 months
  • My body used to be riddled with lumps or granulomas. I have had them in my neck, face, back, bum cheeks, things, legs, arms, fingers, and I think I had at the back of my head. These lumps have sometimes caused problems with walking or sleeping.
  • A reappearing and disappearing cough
  • Joint pain in fingers and feet
  • I got a moon face from the steroids, my whole body seemed to bloat with water retention so at the time I was on steroids I put on almost 2 stone
  • Before I went on steroids I dropped to 6.5 stone but looked skinnier than that
  • Since finishing steroids my weight leveledlled at just under 7.5 stone
  • I had uveitus (this was how they discovered I had the disease) and my vision was significantly reduced for a number of months. I had to take steroid eye drops for almost 6 months and my sight has never been the same again.
  • I have red marks on my face (quite small and look like bruises) which I've had for almost 3 years
  • My skin goes through periods of immense dryness but has settled down since I started acupuncture and kinesiology and stopped steroids
  • Used to be very short of breath and still am slightly short of breath
  • My spleen became grossly enlarged which was one of the main triggers of the doctors saying that I had to go on steroids
  • I have become intolerant to some foods such as white bread, chicken and pork. I became intolerant to nuts for a while and had a violent reaction to them in June 2005
  • Had a couple of bad panic attacks in 2004
  • Had to stop putting chemicals on my hair as my hair became weak whilst on steroids
  • Teeth became deficient
  • Kidneys and bladder play up occasionally
  • Can't touch my face near my ears as there are subtle sores
  • Fingers are still puffy and swollen despite being off steroids for almost a year
  • I get flutters in my chest
  • Temporary coughs
  • Had a tickly cough for several months which had me clearing my throat constantly
  • Lethargy
  • Malaise
  • Night sweats
  • Sudden stomach aches
  • Migraines
  • Headaches
  • A sudden aversion to the contraceptive pill
  • Tightness in my chest
  • Anxiety
  • Mood swings
  • Eye pain
  • Rash all over torso and thighs (think it's called pruritus rosa)
  • Sluggishness
  • Memory loss with particular respect to short term
  • Kept waking up as it felt like I was stopping breathing
  • Lightness in bones due to steroid use so balance went to pot
  • Purple skin patches
  • Raised bubbled lumps below knee and on face
  • Persistent sore throat

Last update July 6th 2006