Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes the immune system to attack the body's own tissues and organs (such as kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, blood, or the skin), it all depends on the type of Lupus you have.
Well, the pain and stiffness just keep getting worse as the days went by. By November 2001, I called my doctor and scheduled a check-up. The next several months, would bring things that I was not really mentally prepared to deal with. But Life Goes On!!!
Well after several checkups, x-rays, blood test, and urine tests. The doctor was stump to say the least. He sent me for an EMG. This is for Carpial Tunnel. He felt that I may possibly have Carpial Tunnel due to the fact that my job and my life, doing Data Entry and computers, at this was the problem. Since Jr High, I had been working with computers. Seemed like a reasonable explaniation to me.
I called and scheduled the appointment. I had asked my husband to go with me. Most of my life I had always gone to my appointments alone. Unless my husband wanted to go. But this time, I wanted him to go. So he did.
The Doctor was very nice, she explained what she was going to do to me and that it would not hurt.
She wondered why the electros were going off the screen. So I guess at that point I knew that we were back to square 1 again!!!!
I went back to my regular doctor and he felt that maybe it was Fibmayloaga. So it was agreed upon at that point to seek the advice of my mother's Rhomeistlogist that she has had since her Lupus (SLE) diagnoses in 1984.
I made an appointment. Again, another round of checkups, questions, and more blood/urine tests. I was starting to feel like a pin cushion....
Anyways, he came back with Borderline Lupus. And that it was going to effect my lungs and joints. Ok, something that I know is not all in my head. Fine, now let's deal with it and let's not let things in my life control me any longer. But there was a part of me that just wanted to cry like there ws no tomorrow. I have two small children, how was I going to explain to them that Mom was going to have bads days and there was nothing that anyone could do about it? I remember when I was 14, when my was diagnosed with Lupus, the horrible stinking feeling that I had, wondering if I went to school was she going to be ok. And wondering if she was being punished for something that I did.
However, he put me a large dose of Naproxen. 500mg 3x a day. I'm not a pill popper. So there were days when I would forget to take them. After all I have two small children in the house. I am lucky when I get to bed by midnight. I noticed that if I took the last pill at dinner time. My energy level was up by 8 PM. Not something I want happening when I want to go to sleep in 3 hours. So I decided to start taking the last pill just before bed. My doctor was big on the idea that I was to remain on this drug and others. I decided to seek a second opinion.
Someone referred me to a doctor that was well known with diagnosing and treating this type of issue.
By March 2002, once again, I was going through checkups, quetsions, xrays, and blood/urine tests. I think if I had to see one more doctor after this, I would have given up.
This doctor was very nice. Much older gentleman. But I knew that he knew his stuff. And that was want I was looking. Not that the other doctor
(rh) didn't, but when someone is seeing there telling you, that they are not a pill person and you totally avoid their decision to try things there way. Then I get a little fustrated.... If the meds were a life and death situation that would be a different story. But when you feel your best in the summer, in the sun. I know that is not suppose to happen like that. Doctors need to take that into consideration.
Anyways, this last doctor decided that yes, I was borderline Lupus/
Lupus Foundation
of America