MYTH: Sickle Cell Disease is very painful and can cause severe pain crises in patients.
FACT: True. Common activities and normal circumstances can bring on sudden, severe pain crises in people with Sickle Cell Disease. Any activity that decreases the amount of oxygen in a person’s body can abruptly change red blood cells from round-shape to sickle-shape, thereby increasing likelihood the sickle cells getting stuck in tiny blood vessels and clogging the blood flow. The intensity of the pain varies from person to person and can last for a few hours, up to a few weeks. Some people may only have a few pain episodes in their lifetime, while others will have a dozen or more crises a year. (Mayo Clinic, 2017)
Typical circumstances that might bring on a severe pain crisis in a person with Sickle Cell Disease are fever, vomiting or diarrhea causing dehydration, fatigue, stress, extremely cold weather, profuse sweating in hot weather, and pregnancy. Common activities that have also been known to cause a pain crisis are swimming underwater, flying at a high altitude, squatting down, heavy or excessive exercise, and prolonged labour during child birth. Any of these circumstances may require someone with Sickle Cell Disease to seek immediate medical attention at a hospital.
MYTH: Sickle Cell Disease is a life-long illness.
FACT: True. The presence of Sickle Cell disease is known at birth. It is a life-long illness that can be managed with treatment. The disease affects all people differently and the severity differs from person to person. Early diagnosis, regular medical care by a qualified doctor and awareness of pain triggers all contribute to improved quality of life for patients with Sickle Cell Disease.
MYTH: If People Do Not Look Like They Are In Pain – They Must Not Be In Pain.
FACT: People with sickle cell may have high pain tolerance, or they may be masking their pain.
MYTH: Sickle cell warriors can leave a life no different from the rest of the population.
FACT: Sickle cell disease can be a painful condition that carries other complications and increased risk factors for other diseases. Managing sickle cell disease takes prevention strategies, including: attending regular checkups with a primary care provider, following treatments prescribed by a provider, including taking medication as directed like hydroxyurea, preventing infections by regularly washing hands and practicing healthy habits like drinking eight to 10 glasses of water per day and eating nutrient-rich, non-processed foods.
MYTH: When infants are born with SCD, they do not survive to adulthood.
FACT: Incorrect. Children with parents carrying haemoglobin gene-related flaws go through genetic screening to assist in the early diagnosis of sickle cell disease. This, in turn, helps provide timely treatment, preventing the occurrence of infections, organ damage, stroke, which ensures the long life and endurance of the affected person well beyond 21 years of age.
