Robi Domingo’s fiancée Maiqui Pineda reveals autoimmune diagnosis
MANILA, Philippines – Maiqui Pineda, fiancée of host Robi Domingo, opened up that she has started her treatment for her autoimmune disease, but added that her “journey to recovery is far from over.”
On Friday, August 4, Pineda shared photos of her in the hospital as she disclosed her ongoing health battle.
“What was supposed to be an exciting year of wedding planning, preparing for a new home, and working on my career, life had other plans for me – I got sick,” she began her post.
She revealed that she was diagnosed with dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness, inflammation, and skin rash.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the exact cause for dermatomyositis is not known. As for the treatment, they said that there is “no cure for the condition, but the symptoms can be managed.”
Pineda also detailed her health journey in a blog post, writing that it all started in April with dryness and skin rashes on her hands and fingers. Aside from the rashes and dryness, she said that she also started experiencing pain in her joints, which led her to consult medical specialists.
Pineda said she had to take several blood tests.
“What made it hard was also not knowing what it was and the long wait it took before getting a diagnosis,” she said.
Given her symptoms, Pineda shared that her doctors placed her on oral steroids to manage the pain. Although these helped alleviate it, she said that there were still “days when [she] couldn’t even get out of bed because of the stiffness, pain, and fatigue.”
Pineda continued that she thought she was already getting better in June, as she was able to travel to London and come back to the Philippines “feeling much more in control of [her] body.”
But by the first week of July, she started experiencing symptoms of fever, headache, and shortness of breath. She shared that her laboratory results showed that her lungs have signs of being restrictive, so she was placed on treatment right away.
After a one-week stay at the hospital, Pineda said that she’s now at home recovering.
“There are good days but there are still bad days especially knowing that I can’t just wake up in the morning and go out to do whatever I want, see friends and eat out, go to work, make travel plans or even exercise again,” she said.
Despite this, Pineda shared that she still remains hopeful. “I know this is only temporary. It will be one of the hardest things I will ever have to do but I will work on it one day at a time.”
She went on to express her gratitude for her her family, friends, workmates, and fiancée Domingo, whom she described as her “rock and strength.”
Meanwhile for his part, Domingo couldn’t help but get emotional when he renewed his contract with ABS-CBN, saying that he “just couldn’t stop thinking about [his] fiancé and her condition.”
“There has been that tug-of-war of feelings so maybe that’s why the floodgates just kept pouring,” he continued.
Domingo also left a message for Pineda, saying: “Whatever happens, I choose you. Can’t wait to sign our [marriage] contract.”
Domingo and Pineda got engaged in November 2022 after four years of dating. – Rappler.com