{"id":4249,"date":"2026-06-19T16:55:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/?p=4249"},"modified":"2026-06-22T14:44:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T12:44:42","slug":"autoimmune-diseases-spain-fresh-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/autoimmun-betegsegek-spanyolorszag-ujrakezdes\/","title":{"rendered":"Autoimmune diseases, pain, Spain, a fresh start"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Autoimmune diseases, pain, Spain, a fresh start \u2013 my story<\/b><\/h2>

If you were to meet me on the Costa Blanca today, you\u2019d probably see a smiling woman who works in property, is building a business, meets with clients, and talks about the joys of life in Spain. Few people realise, however, just how long, painful and arduous the journey here has been.<\/span><\/p>

My name is \u00c9va Csernay, and I am a co-founder of La Fodi Property Advisory. More than ten years ago, I decided to move to Germany. I didn\u2019t speak a word of German. I had no established network of contacts, no opportunities were waiting for me, and I had no idea how I would manage in a completely new country. I simply felt that I had to take the plunge.<\/span><\/p>

I started everything from scratch. I taught myself the language, worked hard, made progress, and built my life up step by step. Back then, I thought I\u2019d already got the hardest part out of the way. I was wrong.<\/span><\/p>

The depression that defined my life for years<\/b><\/h2>

Before autoimmune diseases came into my life, I struggled with severe depression for many years. We\u2019re not talking about feeling a bit down. Nor are we talking about a difficult patch. We\u2019re talking about years.<\/span><\/p>

Anyone who has ever experienced it knows that depression is not simply sadness. Rather, it is a state in which a person loses touch with hope, with the future and, often, with themselves. There were times when I simply couldn\u2019t see a way out, yet there was something inside me that wouldn\u2019t let me give up. Perhaps it was stubbornness. Perhaps it was faith. Perhaps it was just that inner voice that kept repeating that one day it would all be over.<\/span><\/p>

I finally managed to pull myself out of my depression. I thought everything would be all right from then on. That was when the illnesses started to take hold.<\/span><\/p>

When the diagnoses came thick and fast<\/b><\/h2>

First came one diagnosis. Then another. Followed by more and more problems. Over the years, the list grew longer and longer. Systemic lupus, cutaneous lupus, adipose tissue inflammation, asthma, severe osteoporosis, joint problems, spinal problems, chronic inflammation and operations.<\/span><\/p>

By the end, there were more than twenty diagnoses listed on my medical records.<\/span><\/p>

Anyone living with an autoimmune disease knows that it\u2019s not the diagnosis itself that\u2019s the worst part. It\u2019s the pain. Not knowing what state you\u2019ll wake up in the next day. Things that come completely naturally to others becoming a struggle. And, after a while, getting used to the suffering.<\/span><\/p>

There were times when I simply took it for granted that something was hurting. Now I know that\u2019s no way to live. Back then, however, that was my reality.<\/span><\/p>

The thought that changed everything<\/b><\/h2>

After a while, the same thought began to cross my mind more and more often. It wasn\u2019t that I wanted to get better. It wasn\u2019t that I was looking for a miracle. It was something much simpler.<\/span><\/p>

If I have to live with an illness. If I have to live with pain. If I have to suffer. Then at least let me do it by the seaside.<\/span><\/p>

I remember feeling more and more strongly that I wanted to give myself the chance to live in a Mediterranean country. Not because I was sure it would be better, but because I didn\u2019t want to go through life without even having tried.<\/span><\/p>

A new life in Spain<\/b><\/h2>

In the end, my partner and I made the decision together. We moved to Spain. And Lola, our dachshund, came with us too.<\/span><\/p>

Back then, neither of us knew what the future held. We didn\u2019t know if we\u2019d succeed. We didn\u2019t know if I\u2019d get better. We didn\u2019t know what life had in store for us. There was just one thing we knew for certain: we wanted to give ourselves a chance.<\/span><\/p>

Looking back on it now, I feel that this was one of the best decisions we ever made.<\/span><\/p>

The turning point<\/b><\/h2>

Real change didn\u2019t happen overnight. There was no magic bullet. There wasn\u2019t a single magical moment.<\/span><\/p>

On the other hand, there was a huge amount of work. A huge amount of research. A huge amount of self-discovery. A huge number of questions.<\/span><\/p>

Step by step, I began to understand what was happening inside my body, how my body works, and how stress, my lifestyle, my environment and all the other things I\u2019d previously taken for granted affect me.<\/span><\/p>

I don\u2019t know to what extent Spain, the climate, the change in lifestyle, my way of thinking, or the fact that I simply refused to give up the search played a part in this change. What I do know, however, is that I\u2019m now in a place that no one would ever have thought I\u2019d end up in.<\/span><\/p>

What was previously considered almost impossible<\/b><\/h2>

One of the biggest surprises for me in recent years has been that the laboratory markers which were previously positive have now turned negative. Every single one of them.<\/span><\/p>

We are talking about a number of benefits which, until recently, almost every doctor would have said were impossible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

These days, it\u2019s not just my lab results that are fine. I\u2019m not in any pain. And I\u2019m not taking any medication either.<\/span><\/p>

Anyone who has ever lived with an autoimmune disease knows exactly what this means. It\u2019s not just a good day. It\u2019s not just a good week. It\u2019s something I used to think I might never experience.<\/span><\/p>

Recently, one of my doctors looked at my lab results and then said:<\/span><\/p>

\u201eIf I were only looking at these results, I would never have guessed that he had ever been ill.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>

I must admit, a few years ago I wouldn\u2019t have believed I\u2019d ever hear this either.<\/span><\/p>

I haven\u2019t got my life back<\/b><\/h2>

Many people think of recovery as a final destination. I don\u2019t see it that way.<\/span><\/p>

I don\u2019t feel as though I\u2019ve got my life back.<\/span><\/p>

I feel as though I\u2019ve regained control of my life.<\/span><\/p>

For a long time, I felt that my circumstances, my diagnoses, my pain and my illnesses were controlling my daily life. Now, I\u2019m in control. And perhaps that\u2019s the biggest change of all.<\/span><\/p>

Why did I write this story?<\/b><\/h2>

It\u2019s not because I want to convince anyone of anything. It\u2019s not because I\u2019m claiming that the same path works for everyone.<\/span><\/p>

I just know that someone is reading this right now who might be going through a difficult time. Perhaps they\u2019re struggling with depression. Perhaps they\u2019re living with an autoimmune disease. Perhaps they want to start a new life. Perhaps they\u2019re wondering whether there\u2019s still any hope.<\/span><\/p>

If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019d like to get across from this story, it\u2019s this:<\/span><\/p>

We are much stronger than we might think on our hardest days.<\/b><\/p>

I now live on the Costa Blanca with my partner and our dachshund, Lola. As a co-founder of La Fodi Property Advisory, I meet people every day who, for one reason or another, are looking to make a change in their lives. Some want to invest. Some long for a more peaceful life. And some simply want to start a new chapter.<\/span><\/p>

Perhaps that\u2019s why I feel such a strong connection to stories about starting afresh. Because I know exactly what it feels like when you feel as though you\u2019ve run out of options. And I also know what it feels like when you suddenly realise that\u2019s not the case after all.<\/span><\/p>

I know exactly what it feels like to start a new chapter.<\/span><\/p>

That\u2019s why Spain has become so much more than just a country to me. It has become my home. And perhaps the place where I\u2019ve finally started not just to survive, but to truly live. \u2764\ufe0f<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Autoimmun betegs\u00e9gek, f\u00e1jdalom, Spanyolorsz\u00e1g, \u00fajrakezd\u00e9s \u2013 az \u00e9n t\u00f6rt\u00e9netem Ha valaki ma tal\u00e1lkozik velem a Costa Blanc\u00e1n, val\u00f3sz\u00edn\u0171leg egy mosolyg\u00f3s n\u0151t l\u00e1t, aki ingatlanokkal foglalkozik, v\u00e1llalkoz\u00e1st \u00e9p\u00edt, \u00fcgyfelekkel tal\u00e1lkozik, \u00e9s a spanyolorsz\u00e1gi \u00e9let sz\u00e9ps\u00e9geir\u0151l mes\u00e9l. Kevesen tudj\u00e1k azonban, hogy az ide vezet\u0151 \u00fat mennyire hossz\u00fa, f\u00e1jdalmas \u00e9s k\u00fczdelmes volt. A nevem Csernay \u00c9va, a La […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"unboxed","site-sidebar-style":"unboxed","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"enabled","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4249"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4333,"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249\/revisions\/4333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafodi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}