Articles

Lupus is an invisible illness. I don't walk with a limp, need a wheelchair, or show any of the typical physical signs most people associate with disability. My pain almost...

When you are in the hospital, all you can think about is going home and crawling into your bed, putting on your clothes or jammies, and loving your pets. You...

When I was first diagnosed with lupus, the Plaquenil alone was less effective than my rheumatologist wanted. So, he told me they would add prednisone and taper me off it...

You don’t look sick. Sigh, this is one of the hardest things to hear. Am I alone in getting mad every time I hear those words? As I fight for...

What health issue have you spent the most time seeking treatment, only to end up with the poorest results? For me, it’s my chronic neck pain. The list of things...

Are there any objective lab markers that can be checked when a flare of lupus is suspected? Are there any markers correlating with disease severity and progression in patients with...

I find it a little bizarre that an increase in disease activity is typically referred to as a flare or flare-up. Google’s English dictionary for flare includes definitions such as...

I recently had a follow-up visit with my pulmonologist. The first thing we did was my pulmonary function test and I was happy to see that my results were the...

Lupus is a chronic (long-term) autoimmune disease. The disease is most common among women between the ages of 14 and 55. These are prime career-building years. Many people with lupus...

There is nothing like dragging through your day just trying to make it to your next moment. One of the hardest symptoms of lupus for me has been fatigue. Fatigue...

Knowing what to eat after receiving a kidney transplant can be difficult. Diets during dialysis and before surgery may be very restrictive. After a kidney transplant, you may think you...

Treating depression can be a complicated journey. Not every medication works for every person, and the process of finding the right treatment can be grueling. People with treatment-resistant depression, or...

When I was first diagnosed, I had various symptoms, and many of them related to my lungs. I had shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, and fluid around my lungs...

I recently experienced many medical issues, a 7-day hospital stay, and being discharged on IV antibiotics 3 times a day for 6-8 weeks. More doctor appointments and visits from home...

If you are struggling to get diagnosed, you are not alone. Most people search for answers for 7 years before they are diagnosed with lupus. The pre-diagnosis stage is one...

If I hear one more person tell me to move when I am in pain, I will scream! How many of you have said this to yourself? I know I...

Since becoming unwell on my lupus journey, I have struggled with stress. It seems that my body can't seem to handle it, and my nervous system goes into overdrive. This...

One of the most discouraging parts of being diagnosed with lupus was that my friends and family had no idea what lupus even was. More well-known diseases, like cancer and...

When a family member or a friend gets diagnosed with lupus it may be hard to know how to react or what to do. I know when I got diagnosed...

I dread that time of the month. Lupus has made it even worse – both the dread and the experience. Some menstrual cycles are more painful or inconvenient than others...