In the Current - a Column by Ariana Barton

I’ve always been aware of factors beyond my control; I just never considered that something outside my control might actually seriously affect me. Mysterious illnesses with complicated names have always existed, but they were something that happened to other people. When I received my immunoglobulin A neuropathy (IgAN) diagnosis,…

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) taught me how little I actually understood about my health and my body. One of the earliest hurdles I faced after being diagnosed was learning how to read and interpret my lab results. My whole life, I had been relying on doctors to analyze my…

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) has taken a lot from me, including my health, my money, my energy, and my free time. The loss of most of these things didn’t surprise me. I have a few family members who are chronically ill, so I wasn’t naive to the reality of coexisting…

I knew something was wrong years before I was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). I was constantly exhausted, my blood pressure was slowly creeping higher, and I was starting to feel strangely foggy and disconnected. I was working as a hairstylist at the time, pulling 12-hour days, six days…