Dx'd in August 2016 with GPA - Prior to this diagnosis, I was a healthy, active, health conscious 54 year old. I had been dx'd with seronegative RA 10 years ago that was managed easily with minimal medication and in remission. (We now think that I never had it...but Wegener's all along). We had been in Colorado on vacation, came home and got sick. Tested positive for the flu. The cough got out of hand, so we ended up at the ER. Chest XRay revealed pneumonia (It wasn't). Admitted to the hospital on the weekend, so had to deal with the interns. They tested me for everything from A-Z. One night early on, I lifted the sheet and noticed that my leg was swollen to three times its normal size...blood clot. By the time the surgeon got involved, he told my family that he was unsure if it could be saved. Yes. But, thankfully due to a skilled surgeon and the prayers of family and friends, it was saved and I now only deal with some nerve damage. It was determined that my lungs were full of blood, so I was intubated. Due to the DVT, I had to be placed on blood thinners which made the bleeding in my lungs continue. I eventually came off the vent, went to rehab only to have to return to be intubated again. The doctors decided to place a IVC filter to prevent a clot from reaching my heart. I had two rounds of plasmapharesis with 4 units of plasma and 6 units of blood. High doses of Prednisone and Rituxin were the drug therapies chosen. After 31 days, I got to go home 25 lbs lighter. My husband was able to take another month off of work to care for me. I left the hospital in a wheelchair due to the muscle atrophy that occurred from being in the bed so long. I experienced the typical prednisone side effects that I hated...moon face, mood swings, emotions on a rollercoaster, heart rate acceleration, shortness of breath, and my food didn't taste normal. I have now tapered down, but may be going up soon....I have a feeling. My hair started falling out in November due to telogen effluvium. I have lost 2/3 of it and have to wear it up for it to look close to normal. But, it is already growing back..so it's ok! That is one of the many things I've learned since August of last year...gratitude. I've always been a positive person and thankful for my family and health, but this has made me even more so. This was my second attempt at posting this...I wasn't ready the first time. Too emotional. Anyway, I'm here now and hope I can be of help to someone new that was as scared as I was at diagnosis. I'm still scared, but have learned to live with my new normal.