In Nursing School with SLE

I was diagnosed when I was 20, and I am now only still 21, so this is all very new to me and I’m finding it hard to navigate through life.

Managing school

I’m currently in nursing school, which makes it all that much more difficult. My classmates can get up before dawn for clinical, spend 8-10 hours working, and then go home to study until 3 AM, where I can barely make it through 10 in the morning.

Lessons I have learned

This has definitely been a nightmare brought to life, but I think it has taught me to be grateful for all I do have. My health isn’t perfect, but I’m still here and my family and friends are huge support systems. I have learned how important it is to take advantage of the good days, never judge someone because you never know what’s going on, but it has also taught me the importance in reminding myself I am still in control of my life.

It's okay to take a step back

I am also an emergency department technician so some days can be really hard on me, but so many of the patients and experiences I have had made me realize how important it is to just try your best in life, it is okay to fail and it is okay to have to take a step back.

Lupus has definitely put me in a different place than my peers and coworkers, but it has taught me lessons I would have never learned.

Interested in sharing your own diagnosis story, treatment experience, or another aspect of living with lupus?