Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

how is there everyday life?

how long did it take for the doctors to make a diagnoses?

did they suffer for long before they were diagnosed?

thanks

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

yes, my aunt our family has a VERY long list of autoimmunes

it took a few months to confirm the diagnosis. she lives a great life. she battled breast cancer at the same time she was diagnosed so im sure that complicated everything

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

My brother-in-law and my cousin both have Lupus. The diagnosis did take a while. My BIL used medication to control it and now no longer does. My cousin went the holistic route. She went to the Northport Wellness Center where they changed her diet, did supplements, etc. She even got her old fillings replaced because she thought the mercury in them might be making the symptoms worse.

They are both doing great. Good Luck!

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

my Aunt does, she was diagnosed a long time ago (early 90s). She was well more often than sick, eventually needed a kidney transplant but is doing great now.

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

My mother, she was diagnosed in the early / mid 90's. She used to get the butterfly rash on her face, was tired all the time and had pain in her joints. She handled her care w/medication. She gained a lot of weight from the medication.
We no longer have a relationship, so I'm not sure about how she is now. Last time we had a civilized conversation, about 7 yrs ago, she was doing really well on the meds.

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

My sister does. There are several forms of Lupus, she has the form that is the not that serious. She will get joint pain and very tired but other than that she is fine. She has blood disorder as well, so she has to go in regularly for bloodwork.
I am not too sure on the specifics of how long the doctors took to diagnose her.

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

My Aunt does. It took a long time for her to get diagnosed as her rash was on her feet not her face. By that time, it had done a lot of damage to her lungs and heart But she is doing fine now about 15yrs later. She was on steroids initially but they were able to reduce the medication as her body stopped being so aggressive. She is the most amazing person I know-she lives a full, fun life.
I want to add that since its a multi-system disease-each person will have a different set of symptoms. The severity of the disease depends on the organ affected.

Message edited 3/28/2011 2:16:33 PM.

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

Yes, one of my very best friends - and my son's Godmother.

She had issues on and off for a few years. Unexplained fevers, infections, etc.. Then she started to have seizures. It was a crazy few years for her.
A year ago she got breast cancer (I know - awful luck!!) and had to undergo chemo after her mastectomy and the chemo not only killed the cancer, it put her Lupus symptoms into remission also So she's feeling pretty good now a year later.

Message edited 3/28/2011 2:54:01 PM.

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

Yup, my grandmother. She had symptoms for YEARS but was only diagnosed at age 50 So far she's done so, so well. She has other health issues totally unrelated to the lupus (she is 80, almost 81), but I will say that the only thing I have noticed is that she takes a lot longer to heal from conditions such as shingles, which would probably not be the case if she didn't have lupus.

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

My cousin has lupus. She was diagnosed around age 12 (This was in the'80's). It took awhile to diagnosis. She has had her ups and downs over the years.

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

Posted by maymama

yes, my aunt our family has a VERY long list of autoimmunes

it took a few months to confirm the diagnosis. she lives a great life. she battled breast cancer at the same time she was diagnosed so im sure that complicated everything

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

My mother has SLE.

How is there everyday life? She has good days and bad days but she is never the type of person to let you know when she is having a bad day. Bad days consist of a lot of joint pain. There was a point in her treatment when they treated her with a form of chemo. This saved her life but caused her many other issues, such as early menopause which caused brittle bones.

how long did it take for the doctors to make a diagnoses? years. She was diagnosed almost 30 years ago though. I'm sure if they had today's technology, it would have been a faster process.

did they suffer for long before they were diagnosed? I'm noit sure. I was really young and once again, she is not the type who ever admits to being in pain.
If I can answer anymore questions, please fm me. I can always put you in touch with her or dh's cousin who was also recently diagnosed with lupus at 39.

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

My best friend had it. she was diganosied when she was a child and had lots of ups and down with sickness. Sadly she passed away 2 years ago after getting very ill and could not fight off the disease.. overall she lived everyday to the fullest and never complained about it.. may she RIP..

Re: Anyone know of anyone ,close to them, that has lupus?

My father has Lupus. He has good days and bad. He's recently had to have surgery on both knees, and has gone blind in his right eye. He may also have MS, but that requires more testing.

Not sure how long the diagnosis took, as it was over 14 years ago. I want to say it came fairly quick, though.