Lupus And The Problems It Causes
Everyone knows when you have a flare it can cause major problems with dealing with lupus. It can attack every part and any part of your body. As lupus flares worsen, it can mess with our organs. Almost nearly, everyone, I met has said lupus caused kidney problems for them, including me.
Sometimes it can cause other symptoms like swelling, protein in the urine, weakness in your body, ulcers, skin rashes, and even more. Lupus with a kidney issue will make you go through it and it is sometimes not easy for a doctor to figure it out and diagnose you. I remember when I was first diagnosed with lupus nephritis the emergency room doctors had a hard time diagnosing me with lupus until they thought of a test that could help and it did. But it took so long (2 months) to where I started to have severe kidney damage. So my scar tissue shows stage 5, but my kidneys are now in stage 2.
Lupus heart complications
My mother would always call me and tell me it is affecting her heart and that I would have to come down and take care of her. Her blood pressure was always high and her heart rate was either too low or too high. When my mother and I used to deal with a flare-up, we would have major chest pain. When we would visit any doctor they would say it might be a clog in our arteries, inflammation of the heart muscle sometimes. So I would always call the police and ambulance because your heart is something serious and should not be played with. DO not try and just lay down because your chest hurt. You do not know how serious of a condition it can be.
Lupus lung complications
When the tissue is inflamed around the lungs it can cause you to have trouble breathing and it would be painful. One time I was supposed to go to work, but I kept having this pain on my side and every time I breathe it will hurt. I ended up going to the emergency room. I wondered why the doctor kept me in the room all day. I thought I would be discharged. I ended up doing many tests and I was diagnosed with inflammation of the lungs and a pulmonary embolism on my right lung. The doctor ended up admitting me and treated me with steroids and put me on blood thinners. I was on a drug called Xarelto. It supposed to be a lifetime-drug but the blood clot I had disappeared.
Digestive complications with lupus
Last but not least, lupus can cause digestive issues. It can cause problems like nausea, vomiting, and inflammation of the liver and pancreas. One morning, I ended up feeling nausea and ended up vomiting and could not stop. Then blood started to come up and I had to call an ambulance because I threw up so much I was not able to stand let alone walk. When I made it to the hospital, they admitted me and diagnosed me with inflammation of the pancreas.
Lupus can have a serious effect on our body so make sure you take care of yourself and love yourself first.
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