u/Trick-Anybody8756

Hi! I'm 27F and I was recently diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, Takayasu arteritis. Apparently I've had it for a while, but my fatigue just felt normal to me, and I blamed the pain on not exercising enough.

Now I have to take methylprednisolone and methotrexate. The side effects scare me, especially because I love my university studies and need to work, so I'm worried I'll end up missing a lot because of viruses and bacteria.

Any tips on living with this and getting sick less often? My treatment might be lifelong, and my doctors didn't say anything about wearing masks or other precautions.