Just Out of My Grasp - My Personal Journey with SLE

October 10, 2013

Ahoy Fellow Fathomers, I’ve decided to use my blog not only to writing, music, and other facets of entertainment, but, also to share my journey. I found out on June 19, 2013 the reason for many of my ongoing health problems is because I have systemic lupus, also known as SLE.

Thank you for listening, each week I will have a new installment chronicling my journey. Please, please feel free to comment, write, share. I hope to use this forum as a help to all of us, no matter what pain you are experiencing. You may also send stories to me via finlessbook at gmail dot com. I will respect your privacy and maintain your anonymity, if you so desire.

Hugs for today …

This autoimmune disease that takes on several forms and can affect any part of the body. I found the following information from the Lupus Foundation of America-

Lupus.Org

The four main types include:

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
Drug-induced Lupus Erythematosus
Neonatal Lupus

I will talk about each of the four main types in separate blogs. I begin with SLE, the type that affects me.

*Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

”Systemic lupus is the most common form of lupus, and is what most people mean when they refer to "lupus." Systemic lupus can be mild or severe. Some of the more serious complications involving major organ systems are:

inflammation of the kidneys (lupus nephritis), which can affect the body’s ability to filter waste from the blood and can be so damaging that dialysis or kidney transplant may be needed
an increase in blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension)
inflammation of the nervous system and brain, which can cause memory problems, confusion, headaches, and strokes
inflammation in the brain’s blood vessels, which can cause high fevers, seizures, behavioral changes,
hardening of the arteries (coronary artery disease), which is a buildup of deposits on coronary artery walls that can lead to a heart attack”

I knew that I had more sticky notes, lists, and doodles than ever before just to remember simple things like needing milk at the store. I would leave a room not remembering what I left for. I realize many of you will say, "I do that ALL the time." well, I literally do it ALL the time and even began forgetting words or the names of things.

I also had chest pains for several years and after periodic visits to cardiologists, they never detected anything abnormal on the tests.

It's very difficult to explain how you feel like you're falling apart piece by piece when you cannot distinctly verbalize what exactly is wrong. In a way the SLE diagnosis was a relief of sorts, but, I didn't feel that way for long.

Lupus.Org