Lupus and Cancer

By tmonterosso

1 min read

It was discovered that I have lupus while the doctors were searching for the tumor that they eventually located in my pancreas. Unfortunately, the symptoms of lupus and neuroendocrine cancer of the pancreas are similar and with the exception of joint pain and swelling, it’s difficult to know which one is acting up.

Fighting for my life

I am fighting so damn hard to live some kind of life. I am only 59 and I have a wonderful family including 4 beautiful grandchildren. My rheumatologist has prescribed hydroxychloroquine and methylprednisone, which I believe to be helping with the joint swelling.

Treatments for lupus and cancer

The oncologist was providing lanreotide injections every 28 days but insurance failed me. Between these 2 conditions I can barely eat nor keep food in. As a result I am severely malnourished which is only exacerbating the situation. I wish all my fellow warriors well. I know how hard this is especially when no one else does.

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Ava Meena Moderator & Contributor
<inline-mention username="tmonterosso" user-id="5838056"/> what an incredibly difficult journey you have been on. How long has it been since you were diagnosed with lupus and cancer? It's very tough when two health conditions cause similar symptoms. I had something like that during my pregnancies, where we struggled to know if a symptom (such as protein in my urine or swelling) was coming from lupus or a pregnancy issue. I'm so sorry to hear that your insurance has made your cancer treatment harder to access. Do you think there are any doctors that could help you solve the eating problems, perhaps a GI doctor or a pain management doctor? Thank you so much for your well wishes for the lupus community. That means a lot to the others that are also struggling. Thank you for sharing your story, we wish you well and we're here for you. -Ava, <a href='http://lupus.net' target='_blank'>lupus.net</a> team
1. tmonterosso Member
 <inline-mention username="Ava Meena" user-id="2042408"/> Hi Ava. Thank you for your kind words. I was formally diagnosed with both just last year. While I have been suffering symptoms of the cancer for several years, which were supported by lab results, they couldn’t find the tumor. This is very common with Neuroendocrine. As far as my GI issues, I finally got a referral to a dietitian and have a video consultation on Thursday. Yes, the struggle IS real and is even more difficult when family and friends just don’t understand the magnitude of it. I told my son who is 28 years old, that he only see what I let him and if he thinks that’s bad, it’s actually a million times worse. He seemed to grasp the concept. I’m sorry that we’re all having to be in this club but also grateful to be here and give/receive love and support whenever is needed. ❤️
2. Ava Meena Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="tmonterosso" user-id="5838056"/> I'm glad you found this community and you're being proactive. A year isn't a lot of time when it comes to understanding the disease and hydroxychloroquine can take 6 months to a year to take full effect, so I hope things improve for you. I hope the dietitian is a great help and you can have the food you need to nourish your body. I'm glad your son listened to your explanation. Our family can never fully understand, but making an effort goes a long way. So glad you're here. 😀 -Ava, <a href='http://lupus.net' target='_blank'>lupus.net</a> team

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