Tap each to understand what it means for day-to-day care.
A rare autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks cartilage throughout the body — ears, nose, throat, airways, joints, and eyes. Her ear swelling, throat issues, vertigo, and airway problems are all part of this. Flares can be triggered by illness, stress, or nothing at all. This is her primary diagnosis and drives most of her complexity.
Inflammatory arthritis that affects her joints throughout the body. "Seronegative" means standard blood markers are negative, which can make it harder to get taken seriously — but it's real. Contributes to her global joint pain and morning stiffness.
She has neuropathic pain with areas of numbness. Her pain is real and often severe — the scale on this app reflects her actual experience, not exaggeration. Burning, stabbing, aching, and numbness can occur throughout her body simultaneously.
Her oxygen levels drop below normal, especially with activity. She started home oxygen in April 2024. If she looks labored, tired, or her lips/fingernails look bluish, check her oxygen. Her 6-minute walk test showed SpO₂ at 89% — she desaturates with minimal exertion.
She had a cardiac ablation in Feb 2022. Afib can still recur. Signs: rapid irregular heartbeat, palpitations, dizziness, chest discomfort. She also has borderline pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) found on echo in 2024, with an abnormal right heart cath in 2025. Her heart is under real stress.
She has had 4+ pathological fractures — meaning bones that broke without significant trauma, due to bone fragility from steroids and inflammation. Both 5th metatarsals have been surgically repaired. Falls are a serious risk. Help clear pathways, ensure floors are safe, and always take a fall or sudden bone pain seriously.
She takes Cellcept, Prednisone, and Cimzia — all of which suppress her immune system significantly. This means infections that would be minor for most people can become serious quickly for her. She has a history of MRSA and sepsis. Take any sign of infection — fever, unusual redness, wound changes — seriously.
Left hip replaced Nov 2017, right hip Feb 2018. These are prosthetics — they need to be disclosed to any surgical team. She also has cervical disc prosthetics at C5–C7 (2024). Do not let any provider give her CHG skin prep without flagging her allergies first.
Long-term prednisone use has weakened her muscles. She may tire quickly, have difficulty getting up from chairs or the floor, and have less strength than she appears to have. Don't underestimate how hard physical tasks can be for her.