TAK Resources
Providence is not always kind. Empathy is a very human trait...
This page is dedicated to all my fellow patients with Takayasu’s Arteritis and their caregivers.
For those who have never heard of this disease… Takayasu’s Arteritis is a rare, idiopathic disorder in which the body’s immune system starts damaging the aorta and its branches that constitute the entire plumbing to supply blood throughout the body. It is a disease with no known cause or cure. It mimics symptoms of several other diseases, which makes timely diagnosis a big challenge. Patients are usually put on prolonged courses of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Surgical intervention is required when the chronic inflammation threatens to rupture a major blood vessel or hinders blood supply to a vital organ. It is a life-altering condition.
More frustrating than the disease is the lack of awareness about it. I have had so many encounters where people simply assumed that either I was pranking them with the term Takayasu’s Arteritis or I had been duped by a doctor into believing something that does not exist. Sadly, some of these people were doctors themselves. It is not the lack of knowledge that upsets me. Nobody can be familiar with everything in the world. The real disappointments are the total lack of empathy and inflated professional egos that render people incapable of admitting their ignorance.
Patients with TAK, before and after a confirmed diagnosis, often require intervention from medical specialists with different expertise. Depending on the symptoms the disease is presenting, these may include physicians, neurologists, pulmonologists, orthopedists, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, surgeons and rheumatologists. Therefore, there is a pressing need to build a collective understanding about TAK in the medical community.
Here are a few references if you wish to know more or spread awareness about Takayasu’s Arteritis. Please mention it to people and Share this Page on WhatsApp with the doctors and medical caregivers you know. It may help some patients get treated with a better understanding of their underlying condition.
*The above resources are not a substitute for proper diagnosis and medical treatment.
I got diagnosed with Takayasu’s Arteritis in 2014. By that time, I was sick of being unwell for no apparent reason for months; had been treated for completely unrelated diseases; and nearly died from episodes of hypotension — twice. My Aortic Valve and Ascending Aorta were eventually replaced; medication still continues; and life since then has always been split into before and after. I understand that struggle, so here is a big shout out to all my fellow TAK patients. Wish to show your support for the TAK community? Tap the heart…
If you come across someone who is learning to coexist with TAK or battling any other lifelong ailment, please connect us. We might be able to share some experiences and find more people travelling the same road. Meanwhile, stay safe. May God bless you.
