Stress and Autoimmune diseases

Research has shown that stress can bring on autoimmune diseases, you are predisposed but it can bring it out if you are under a lot of stress I always thought this it seemed to make sense, but when I went to a scleroderma specialist in Chicago, she asked me if I had an elderly parent and I said yes and then she asked if I was a sole caregiver and I said yes, and she said, that studies have found that baby boomers (such as I am) they have found develop a lot of autoimmune diseases and problems because of the stress brought on by care giving a loved one. As our parents and elderly are living longer, so is the care giving living longer, then add in to the fact that the brain was not designed to live that long, it develops things such as my mom had dementia. I know for myself I was under such extreme stress at the time everything started to fall apart for me for my health.  I believe this is true at least for me.

But there is a problem, They tell you to limit stress, stay away from it, it can make your diseases worst, or put you into a flare.  But how do  you do this? Just living in this day and age is stress. Add on just one Chronic, illness and you have stress, now add several rare chronic diseases, and sure I will limit my stress. Then you have the financial burden you have with chronic illnesses. Unless you have the best insurance in the world, it is a burden. I had to quit my job, (I had worked for over 25 years) no retirement benefits, or insurance as my husband has paid over 1350.00 per month for insurance for us and until the last few years we never used it, but we are using it now. So add in loss of wages, and meeting your 3,000 per year deductible every year by Feb 1, it is a stressful situation for all. As far as disability or SSD that is also very stressful to try to apply for. So stress is in our life's we just have to learn to handle it the best way we can. I have never been a believer in drugs, never even took an aspirin, but things are different now. With the stress that the illnesses cause I have agreed with the docs to help me out with medication. I am not ashamed to admit. I would have been a few years ago, but not now. In the past year and a half, we have lost our home, that we loved, my mom three weeks later, that I loved with all my heart and soul. We are still fighting with insurance to get our house rebuilt, and my husband is losing his eyesight to Macular Degeneration. So yes give me drugs. lol.