\"Writing.Com
*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
Printed from https://writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/2073259-a-new-autoimmune-disease
Item Icon
by Rhyssa Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 18+ · Poetry · Contest Entry · #2073259
Hashimoto's
this blood test here
she points and I blink at an unusual
acronym, more ready to sleep
than to learn a new series
of tests, or a new medication
designed to replace a hormone
which I no longer make.

this proves it.
your body’s breaking down,
she tells me, and I wonder if she’s happy
now that she’s been proven right.
she’s suspected Hashimoto’s
since I first met her,
checking my thyroid function with a keen
and eager eye—
a vulture, a raven of ill omen.

autoimmune diseases travel in packs,
you know,
she says,
like sharks, sensing weakness
from oceans away—
then going for your organs,
one autoimmune at a time,
and I’m so tired,
knowing my next step is research
into something I’ve barely
heard of, and never associated with myself.
I’ve ridden that ride before.

type one diabetes is
a perfect companion
to Hashimoto’s
,
she says, little armies
of overactive soldiers,
attacking your thyroid
with enthusiasm—as excited as when
they attack your pancreas,
and I wonder whether it’s appropriate
to be proud of my immune system,
which works to such broad effect.
all it lacks is precision.

no way to stop it,
she says, and I shake her hand
and thank her for
this new prescription,
this new obsession,
this new series of questions
to ask random strangers online
who will welcome me
to their ranks, and sorrow with me
for my new diagnosis.

line count: 49

Prompt for: Jan 26, 2016
© Copyright 2016 Rhyssa (sadilou at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates have been granted non-exclusive rights to display this work.
Printed from https://writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/2073259-a-new-autoimmune-disease