In the ensuing days Nazy sprang into action
and followed doctor’s orders to a T. She
stayed out of the sun, exercised, tried to eat
well, took her prednisone to keep the
inflammation down and kept all her doctor
appointments. She seemed to have had it
under control. But as per the nature of the
beast, one minute the lupus would be in
remission and Nazy felt OK, the next minute
the wolf within awakened and all hell broke
loose.
Chest pains, shortness of breath, and
incessant coughing were usually among the
symptoms of a flare. All day and all night
she’d spit out the white and foamy saliva
that accumulated in her mouth. The doctor
said fluid was accumulating around her
heart and lungs. This autoimmune disease
affects virtually every organ in the body.
One minute she was losing weight the next
she was gaining. There were days when the
rim of her fingernails were so black and blue