THE IRON MATRON
My blogs
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arts |
| Occupation | Artist / Designer |
| Location | Port Saint Lucie, Florida, United States |
| Introduction | I was diagnosed with hemochromatosis in 1994. There wasn't a whole lot of information out there back then. In fact, because I was a young female - I was considered somewhat of an oddity. I remember the GI that did my liver biopsy bringing in a small group of med students to meet me. I did my best not to feel like a freak show. For the next 10 years I dutifully went through regular phlebotomies, but in my 13th year I'm really struggling with collapsed and scarred veins, 3 hour phlebotomies and (at times) a bad attitude. I've never met anyone outside my own family with hemochromatosis, and at many times I've felt alone and misunderstood. Recent statistics indicate that there are 1.5 million people with hemochromatosis. Are you out there?? Let's connect and share information! Photo: Courtesy of the Library of Medicine |