Today is World Lupus Day. May is Lupus Awareness Month.
Some of you may be aware that I have Lupus and I thought I would share with you all a little bit about this disease.
Systemic lupus erythematosus ~ Lupus is an auto-immune disease.
In a normal healthy body the immune system attacks foreign objects like bacteria and viruses. With Lupus the immune system creates an excess of antibodies which attach themselves to healthy tissue causing inflammation, pain and damage.
There are varying degrees of Lupus and it is a life threatening disease.
Lupus can affect anyone but 90% of cases are women and most develop this condition in their reproductive years.
After many years of research they still don't know what causes Lupus but they believe some possible triggers are;
Hormones, some medications, diet, viruses, bacteria, stress, genetics, pregnancy and exposure to UV light.
Lupus can affect every part of the body, Brain and Nervous System, Heart, Lungs, Liver, Reproductive, Blood, Immune System, Kidneys, Joints, Muscles, Tendons etc....
Some of the symptoms of Lupus are:
Fatigue, pain, fever, skin rashes, joint swelling, Pleurisy (Lung inflammation), Depression, Nephritis (Kidney inflammation), visual disturbances, Anaemia, Pericarditis (Heart inflammation), Brain seizures, swollen Lymph nodes etc.......
Lupus is a difficult disease to diagnose because it mimics many other diseases and it can take years for a proper diagnosis to be made.
THERE IS NO CURE
Treatment depends on your symptoms and the severity of your Lupus. Some treatments include:
Pain killers, Anti-depressants, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Steroids, Antimalarial drugs, Immune suppressants such as those used in Cancer treatment.
One of the best descriptions I have ever read about what it is like to live with Lupus is called
"The Spoon Theory" and you can read about it here.
I have had Lupus since I was 15 but it took many years for a proper diagnosis and it has been a long and often very painful journey.
What has hurt me the most is people's lack of understanding and compassion about my disease because,
"You look so well"
and the most hurtful comment I have ever received is;
"Well at least you don't have Cancer"
If you would like to learn more about Lupus please click on these links below.
http://www.lupusnsw.org.au/
http://www.lupus.com.au/
http://www.lupuswa.com.au/
http://www.lupusresearch.org/
http://www.lupusuk.org.uk/
http://www.lupus.org
