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Karen Bartle, MSc, BSc (psychology)
Lifestyle medicine practitioner specialising in health psychology and autoimmune healing
I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune blistering disease called Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid (MMP) in 2020 at the age of 48 after a 4 year battle with severe dry eye, light sensitivity, and trichiasis which was causing severe irritation in my left eye.
From that day forward my life would never be the same again. My one and only 'good' eye, was irreversibly scarred causing a shortened fornix, shrunken conjunctiva, and constant irritation from trichiasis.
I was started on powerful immunosuppressive therapy and still continue to attend hospital every month for treatment due to the risk the posed with only having one functional eye. I was doing well until a flare removed the graft I had inserted to turn out the lower lid to prevent the eyelashes affecting my eye.
Despite the treatment to manage my condition, I've experienced systemic inflammatation triggering ulcers, sores, hives, dryness, and so on in other areas of my body which haven't responded so well to medical treatment.
Enough was enough! After a long conversation with my immunologist after my latest flare, and knowing my only option was to add another medication to the mix which had unpleasant side effects, it was time to take things into my own hands. Despite being a whole food vegan I couldn't shift the chronic inflammation that was causing my symptoms and it was necessary for me to embark on a journey of self-discovery to eliminate my autoimmune symptoms!
