My name is Fabian Bacchus and I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis in October 2012 at the age of 24. It all started when I woke up one morning and I could see a blood spot in my vision of my right eye. I went to the ER but they couldn't find anything so they referred me to Lenscrafters for further testing. I went there that's when they discovered that I had a busted vessel on my optic nerve. I was then referred to an opthalmologist which he started me on steroids eye drops. I started the drops and I had follow-up appointment. The opthalmologist noticed I had a nodule on my optic nerve and had an excessive amount of inflammation in my eye. So he had me go to my primary care doctor for blood work to determine what caused the inflammation. I did the blood work and got a call the following week from my primary care doctor to come in for a follow up. Went to the appointment and he tells me I have a disease called Sarcoidosis and hands me a paper about Sarcoidosis and started me on 40mg of prednisone. So at the age of 24 and not to mention a first-time father being told you have a disease that's not curable wasn't what I was expecting. I started the prednisone and I was miserable bc this was the first time I had to take medicine every day. I was still doing the eye drops until the opthalmologist stopped them bc he said it wasn't helping. I went back to my primary care for a follow up and he suggested lowering the mg on the prednisone from 40mg a day to 20mg a day. Around that time I had set up an appointment with the doctor at MUSC which is the same doctor my older brother was seeing bc he has Sarcoidosis too. When I went to an appointment at MUSC I did a pulmonary breathing test and that's when they said I had Sarcoidosis in my lungs. While I was there my doctor's noticed I kept rubbing my right eye and that's when they noticed that my right side of my face was drooping which they said I had bell's palsy. I told them about my primary care doctor had reduce my prednisone and they said he dropped me down too fast and that's what caused the Bell's Palsy. After that incident I stopped going to that doctor bc he didn't seem to care when I told him what had happened. I started going to MUSC for my Sarcoidosis treatment and doctor visits. Over the years I have experience many flare ups and been on numerous kinds of medicine. Like methotrexate, folic acid, remicade, and humira. It's been time when I was taking 11 pills in one day. I took prednisone for 4yrs and my doctor frequently tried to wing me off of them. I managed to get off of them and been off of them going on 5yrs now.  I haven't had much lungs problems but my right eye was the one that was giving me the most problems. I frequently get breathing test and eye exam done to keep an track on things. Having Sarcoidosis has been an life changer for me but I don't let it get me down. As of right now the nodule on my optic nerve has gone down and I have significant scarring from it but my vision is fine. My pulmonary breathing test are normal and I'm currently on 3 medication. I wouldn't say I'm in perfect shape but everything is under control right now. "WE DON'T KNOW HOW STRONG WE ARE UNTIL BEING STRONG IS THE ONLY CHOICE WE HAVE".

Psalm 18:1-3 KJV

[1] I will love thee, O Lord , my strength. [2] The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. [3] I will call upon the Lord , who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.