Since it is Lupus Awareness Month I would like to talk about my experiences with Lupus. Most people don’t know what Lupus is. So, for the people who do not know, Lupus is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that attacks your own connective tissues. I was diagnosed with Lupus in August of 2022, after a major flare-up. A flare-up is a sudden outburst of an existing disease. I was hospitalized for “chest pains”, my heart rate was above 160! So, I was hospitalized for four days and they did so many tests on me including an ANA test that can help detect certain autoimmune diseases. EVERYTHING was so new to me, I had to adjust myself to taking medications every day so I would not end up in the hospital again for a flare again. Boy, I was wrong two months later I ended up in the hospital again for the same flare. The doctors had to increase my dosage and they saw that I had fluid over my heart. But it was not enough fluid for surgery. I have to go to the doctor so frequently because of my autoimmune disease. There are some good days and some bad days. Currently, I am living with the bad ones because my body is completely inflamed from my neck down to my back and my arms. The weather causes my flares too, when it’s windy and rainy my chest starts to get heavy and it hurts to breathe. But, all I can do is take it one day at a time, I can not stress myself out when my body is already stressed out. Sometimes my disease affects me not to exercise because of the pain I am in and how fatigued I can get. When I think back on it before my diagnosis through high school, I was always fatigued. I also found out I was anemic when I was in the 10th grade because I wanted to donate blood. I thought maybe because I just had my monthly, that’s why my iron is probably low. I tried again and then I actually knew I was anemic. My hair had cycles when it would fall out, I’ve honestly just got my hair back long and healthy again.
Make sure to wear purple in honor of our Lupus Warriors on May 10th.