My name is Karissa and I am a 21 year old college student living with Common Variable Immune Deficiency often referred to as CVID. When I was born I was considered a healthy baby, weighing 5lbs 7oz. and 17 inches long. Not long after I was born I began getting eye infections, ear infections, and colds. My mom began to think she was a paranoid mother because she was always having to bring me to the doctor for one thing or another. At six months old a cold turned to pneumonia, at eight months I had a severe allergic reaction to Sulfa given for an ear infection, ear tubes were put in at 9 months, and so on. I seemed to be developing completely normal but something did not seem right to my parents - I was always sick.
On April 15th 1989 I began with yet another cold and wheezing. By midnight that night I was at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) in intensive care with double pneumonia on a ventilator. The doctors at TCH told my mother that I was not leaving that hospital until they figured out what the underlying problem was. I was at TCH for 3 weeks and tested for countless things. TCH Immunology ran a full study and found that I was IGA deficient. I became a regular at TCH. From then on my mom had to stay on top of every infection, hoping to prevent anything from worsening.
At 26 months I tested positive for tuberculoses and was put on a 9th month antibiotic that only came in a pill. My mother says it was an awful 9 months! I had a tonsillectomy, adenoids removed, and another set of tubes right after my 3rd birthday. By this time I was also diagnosed with asthma. I was sick so often that my mom had to stop working as a dental hygienist to stay home with me. By the age of 5 I had been admitted to TCH 10 times all respiratory related. When I was 7 years old TCH used me as a case study in medical books for students to recognize immune deficiencies. By age 13 my mother and I believe I had then progressed to CVID, but we did not realize it at the time. I was hospitalized 4 times from October-February with respiratory problems. At 15 I got Shingles and was hospitalized for weeks. At this time, I was finally diagnosed with CVID.
I began IVIG monthly at TCH. Since then I have been a lot healthier and seen less of the inside of a hospital! After several years using IVIG, my doctors and I made the decision to switch to Sub-Q based on my convenience and comfort. I have done great using Sub-Q and can live a happy normal life. I am a senior in college getting a double major in Psychology and Child Development. I hope to one day work at Texas Children's Hospital helping sick children as others did for me. I feel blessed to have been able to become involved with the Immune Deficiency Foundation and hope others can find peace and hope through this organization like I did.