PATIENT DIARIES: LIVING WITH MULTIPLE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES,
Aformer corporate executive and athlete, Gerald Major has faced many challenges over the last 30 years, the greatest being his many health issues.
In his youth, he was a gifted athlete and frequently won major awards.
“Then, when I was 14, I started feeling that things weren’t right,” says the Oakville, Ont., resident. “I took much longer to recover at track meets and my knees started swelling, first one and then the other. But my older brother had some knee issues, so I just thought that bad knees was a family trait.”
In fact, he was to learn that there was a genetic component to his disease, he says. In the decade that it took to diagnose his condition, he was discovered to carry the HLA (human leukocyte antigen) B27 gene, which is associated with some forms of arthritis and psoriasis.
Major was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis and iritis and had numerous orthopedic surgeries in the last six years, causing him to suffer from depression because of all the issues with his health.
“There were definitely many times when I wondered why all this had happened to me,” says Major, who is now on disability after 20 years as a senior international banker. “But, in the last six months, I have switched my mind to accept what I have.”
“I’m surrounded by compassionate people — my wife and family, friends and bosses,” he says, adding that he is the proud father of a five- year- old daughter. “I’m a firm believer in taking the medications prescribed for me, even if there are some hard side effects. You have to make a lot of choices when you have a chronic disease.”
It took some time to be placed on an effective medication, says Major, but after going through various options, he was given a treatment plan that brought him some relief.
Major responded immediately to the treatment. He says, “I could be bedridden the day before and playing golf the day after.”
In an effort to feel even better, Major’s physician tried a different treatment plan. He adds, “I gave it nine weeks, which was probably four weeks too much, and suffered some permanent damage making the switch. I have now been switched back to the original treatment and am feeling much better. If you have a chronic illness, you need to have the medication that is right for you, the right doctors and the right pharmacist, too.”
He says he is now living a new normal. “But getting there has not been without a great deal of effort,” adds Major, who sits on the board of directors for the Canadian Spondylitis Association ( CSA). “Your life becomes a struggle every day. But I’ve been a competitor all my life. My objective is to win more than I lose and to make my body as functional as possible.”
There are many options in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. All treatments have benefits and risks, some of which can be serious, and can vary by individual. If you are living with ankylosing spondylitis, talk to your doctor about treatment options that might be right for you.
Every patient’s journey towards stability is different.