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Current Topic: LIVING WITH LUPUS

I was diagnosed with lupus six years ago while completing grad school. Life has been good compared to that of many people who have the disease. i am on some strong meds but sometimrs i cant afford them when i need them i am in a job....so i dont take the right 'mix' sometimes and that's when i feel like dying....I get tired, achy, depressed and spaced out. To make this worse my job is laborious and very high paced most of the time. To be honest even on the pills at the end of my work day I wish i had not chosen this new career path. I ask myself,"How much longer can i last?" I try to be positive all the time and make people around me happy in order to keep me happy. I see my job as the exercise part of my therapy since i dont exercise as my doctor advised.
My family dont really know the extent of my condition neither my coworkers. I limit the information i convey about my condition,,,, i dont know why. Sooner or later though i will have to return to Jamaica....

I was diagnosed with lupus over ten years ago and I have had my ups and down, my highs and my lows. My bibbest threat is paying for the medications that I am on. I try to deal with the pain the best that I can. I can relate with you about others not thinking that anything is wrong but my Doctor did tell me that this would happen because one day you can feel ok and the next you feel as if you were dying.My Faith in God has helped me deal with this illness and I do believe that it has kept me from going insane.

Audrey, your words hit close to my heart. I also work in healthcare, a high-paced profession, work odd hours, weekends, holidays & feel exhausted so much. I wonder in my mind, "will it always be this hard?" Like you, my family doesn't really understand the condition and I don't burdon them with it. It's a lonely road to travel, but we are here for each other. Please feel free to contact me whenever you are feeling down and need a friend.

Hi Audrey,
thank you for your post. I recently read up on lupus and i found it quite interesting that it seems to be a condition with general effects, targeting mainly, the immune system. You might have heard how the world in general, is being hit by wave after wave of immuno attacks from all kinds of viruses and bacteria, which mind you, have been around since the dawn of time.

My post is merely a suggestion for you to take a better look at what is happening around you, and ask different questions from what you are used to asking. I hope this will help you create a life you deserve, rather than one to which you suffer, alone no less, and help others with your radiance and beautiful character.

Good luck!

So young, many of you are so very young to be so ill. Be of good faith as you can and will find the guidelines you need to live with Lupus. It is challengeing and most people do not understand what is goin on in your body and the obstacles you must face, but you can do it. I am 72 and I am still here, not as active as I once was, but still active none the less and happy. I am in another flare but I believe that will pass soon and I pray that your Lupus will subside soon. Blessings and prayers Harriett

Hi Audrey,

I am new to the site and I was reading some of the discussion threads. I was diagnosed with lupus around 8 years ago. I had such a major flare up that the doctors did not think I would make it through the night. But I thank God for my husband. Before my diagnosis - I had joint pain and very fatigued. People would ask me if I was in a car accident that's how much pain I had. My husband took me to his clinic and the doctor looked at me and knew what was wrong and gave me prednisone. He also gave me plaquneil and methotraxte and everyday was fine but I got tired of taking medicine because I wanted to be normal. But I learned after that big flare and almost dying that I will be taking medication for the rest of my life. Not only was I diagnosed with lupus, I have high blood pressure and my kidneys were scarred from my lupus.
I have been to every doctor you can imagine and had all kinds of test because my doctors are through. I have a wonderful rhemy and kidney doctor. That last thing I had was a kidney transplant on 2/18/10. I thank God for every moment because He gives me the gift of life. I have lots of faith and I know plenty of people who pray for me.
In terms of my job I was upfront with my manager and supervisor because I had doctor's appointsment that I had to go to. They were very understanding and I understood when I could not do certain things. My manager even gave me an article on lupus because he thought it would interest me. Keep a positive attitude, have faith and be your own patient advocate. That is the best advice I can give you. If you want to speak more, let me know.
I will be praying for you.