Our Voice / May 2014 23
go away. Later that night after sitting in a local emergency room for hours, I finally called my parents and they took me to the nearest military hospital. I spent over 2 weeks in the hospital at that time, and it that was determined to have been a problem with my liver for the most part. I mentioned this episode because it was from that point on I have had to fight chronic fatigue, skin problems, anemia, and joint pain. As with most lupus patients I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia which also includes widespread muscle and joint pain. Looking back on that day I feel like I went to bed the night before in great health and woke up to the beginning of an ongoing fight to feel and be healthy.
Living with lupus on days when a flare-up occurs can be a challenge.
When the disease affects your joints, you can wake up literally hurting
in multiple places, from your fingers and wrists to knees and elbows
and any other joint in your body. Anemia and other blood disorders
are also common with lupus; the need for a blood transfusion is not
uncommon in lupus patients. I have had some days where I could
sleep 15 hours or more hours and still feel extreme fatigue. And
then there are times when I cannot sleep for more than 5 to 6 hours
with mostly tossing and turning all night searching for a
position in which my body will not hurt. With lupus it is a
battle within your body, the immune system thinks it is
under attack by something foreign; and simultaneously both
joints and organs are fighting to survive. It is literally like
your body doesn’t recognize itself. In an effort to keep flare-ups
from occurring it is best to keep stress levels to a minimum. While
that can be a seemingly enormous feat in this day and age, having
lupus makes you work that much harder at reducing stress in your
life. Stressful situations can and have caused me to come out of
remission if I do not get a handle on it before a flare-up occurs.
While there are no known exact causes for SLE, I try to have
healthier foods in my daily diet. I stay away artificial sweeteners,
limit carbonated drinks to maybe one or two a week, if any;
and prepare fresh over processed whenever possible. I also
include lots of fruits and vegetables, with smaller amounts
of meats, but more fish. For any person reading this, if
you think you may have SLE please see your doctor, you
may not experience the same symptoms as I have or
the next person with lupus, because it is different in
everyone. The most important part is to find out
what is wrong, for then you can began to try to help
your body get better and gain for yourself some
peace of mind. Not knowing what is wrong can be
very frightening, but knowing and taking action
gives you power. I have a disease called
SLE (lupus) but it does not have me. Join the
cause and help find a cure!