All lupies are aware of the dreaded joint pain. I can remember when it first happened to me. I thought I was getting Old!! :? I later found out that I was experiencing "structural changes" in my knees. I also suffered from infracts or bone death. Taking stairs made my knees feel as if they were breaking. The only cure was to rebuild bone. How? By using glucosamine chondroitin. Its something that older people use to help with joint pain. My doctor coupled that with regular old pain meds and 2 years later, I only have joint pain with bad weather and over-activity.
Of course, the Lupus Foundation has articles that speak on this very issue.
The best way to deal with the issue of joint pain is to seek out a doctor that will listen to your needs and determine the best course of action. While you (like me) may not be able to run any more marathons, you should be able to walk without much pain.
Every day, 1.5 million Americans (enough people to fill thirty baseball stadiums) struggle with the often disabling and life-altering impact of lupus. Lupus is the result of an unbalanced immune system that can become destructive to any major organ or tissue in the body. Lupus is unpredictable and potentially fatal, yet no satisfactory treatment or cure exists.
Why is awareness of lupus important? To save lives! Consider these facts:
- Lupus can attack the body for years before the disease is diagnosed. Symptoms of lupus mimic common illnesses and often are dismissed as nothing serious.
- More than half of the people with lupus suffer four or more years and visit three or more doctors before receiving a correct diagnosis.
- Awareness of lupus is lowest among women 18-24 –- the age group most likely to develop the disease.
- Late diagnosis and delayed treatment contribute to poor outcomes and increased morbidity and mortality.
- Lupus is a serious disease that can damage vital organs, such as the kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain. The disease can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages, and organ failure leading to significant disability or death.
But there is hope. Early diagnosis and proper medical care greatly improve the quality of life for people with lupus. The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) seeks to educate the public about early warning signs of lupus and all aspects of living and coping with the disease.
Could it be lupus?
The LFA has created a simple self-screening tool to help individuals determine whether they should consult with their doctor about lupus. Take the test now.
Alot of people don't know or understand what lupus is. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that essentially turns the body on itself. So instead of fighting off all of the bad things out there, the lupus body fights the bad things and itself. It can't tell that it isn't something bad.
Lupus can affect every organ in the body. There are mild sufferers of the disease and some that suffer severely. I consider myself a mild sufferer. That means that everyday I am reminded that I have lupus. I still take 17 pills daily, but lupus doesn't prevent me from doing things.
There is absolutely no cure for lupus and in fact there have been no new drugs created specially for lupus in 50 years.
Lupus can run in families. However, it doesn't always happen that way. In my family I am the only person (as far as I know) that has lupus. I know some people that have generations of lupus or other autoimmune diseases.
Lastly, a person with lupus is likely to have other autoimmune diseases.
For more information about lupus see: www.lupus.org
History was made today. Barack Obama just became the first black president of the United States.
Voting matters.
We changed history.
Obama 2008!
Lupus is an interesting condition. Lots of people don't understand it. I don't understand it. But one of the worse things you can say to a person with Lupus is "you don't look sick." Recently, my younger brother said these offending words to me. He knows what is going on with me. HE KNOWS! Yet, in rage he told but "you don't look sick." What a terrible thing to say. I may not look sick on the outside every day, but I feel it. When I do look sick, I don't leave my home. When I look sick it is a real problem. So yes, I may not look sick, but be happy about that. Because when I look sick it may be my worse day.
Here lately, I haven't been posting. I've gone through some things. My lupus has been playing with me. I've been in more pain than a person that doesn't have lupus can understand. I don't complain but at the end of the day it gets to me. My great-grandmother passed away. My family has been rocked by the news. She was essentially my dad's mom. I've been preparing for her upcoming funeral. There has been stress from lots of sources. All of which I usually do better handling, but for some reason can't seem to get under control. I'm sure everything will be okay. This too shall pass. I'll be back in my true form soon.
