Hi @lemouth, thanks so much for those kind words. Not courage...an awareness of good fortune. Mine was restricted to one lesion and the knowledge that this is part of my medical profile. The first time I went to the pemphigus specialist I was a bit frightened. She told me that eveyone (there were many) who was in her waiting room had pemphigus and they were all doing fine. They certainly looked fine.
In the US, as you know, one of the biggest issues in health is access to care. In my case, that was never an obstacle. But for all autoimmune diseases, as a class, as you also know, there is little that can be done to control the course of active, refractory disease beyond some rather brutal drug regimens. I think hope rests in looking at causes--those causes often rest in the environment. Many articles here on SteemSTEM address that. I'm thinking of @chappertron and @scienceblocks in particular, who address epigenetic influences and how we might affect them. SteemSTEM is a science library :)
I really appreciate your stopping by and commenting. For me, feedback and networking are most rewarding.
I would have personally felt really scared if a doctor would have asked me to come back for more tests. For some reasons, I usually always think about the worst option. And living in the US makes it even worse (as you said, this is a country where a decent health is somehow a luxury, in my understanding of you system).
I tend to jump to the worst case also, but I'd been through a few rather weird scares already and learned I couldn't panic every time the prospect of bad news came my way. Now I stay calm and hope for the best. So far, my luck has held out 🙂 One day, that won't be true, but that's how we all end up, isn't it.
And yes, healthcare is a luxury in this country. That is cruel and immoral. It must seem like madness to you and others who see healthcare as a basic right. It seems like madness to me also. Many of us are working for change.
I appreciate your empathy. I do love Steemit because I get to meet people like you.
There is only one certainty: we are all slowly moving towards death. No matter who we are, this is how it is :)
Thanks for the nice words! I hope the US will see a change soon (I have doubts about it, but I still have hope in the American people).