When and how did you find out you had Lupus?
I was diagnosed with at the age of 21. After visiting numerous hospitals and doctors, I went to Jackson Memorial and after spending 18 hours in the ER this little Asian doctor came in and told me that he had good and bad news. The good news was that he figured out what was wrong with me and the bad news was that I have a disease that's going to change my life. He proceeded to tell me that I had Lupus and that I probably wouldn't live to see 40. He told me to take the prescribed meds and make an appointment with a rheumatologist. He looked at my mom and told her that he hopes she is ready to see me thru this terrible ordeal. Of course I knew nothing about Lupus, aside from knowing that the fictitious character on the soap opera, One Life To Live, had it. And that doctor didn't help me to know any more.
"Of course I knew nothing about lupus, aside from knowing that the fictitious character on the soap opera, One Life To Live, had it. And that doctor didn't help me to know any more."
How Has Life Changed Since Your Diagnosis?
My life has changed more than you can imagine. I was diagnosed while in school at the University of Miami, with continually being sick it took me an extra year and a half to graduate due to the fact that I had to take time off. I always ended up in the hospital around finals and mid-terms because of the stress and anxiety that caused me to have Lupus flares. Over the past twenty years, I've had to deal with taking meds every day, living with chronic pain pretty much every day, dealing with many physical changes to my body, being told that I was lying about how sick I was because I don't always look sick, dealing with hair loss, and much much more. As of recent I've had to fight the whole disability and insurance battle because Lupus isn't viewed as a "serious" disease. I recall being told many times "it's not like you have cancer". I've lost many boyfriends because of Lupus. Women that are sick often intimidate men. The changes and effects list goes on and on.