Recently, my kidneys had been acting up a lot. It was painful, inconvenient, and honestly a bit scary. I'd also had a lot of headaches and I was not down to deal with those during my workday. I ended up getting some tests done at the hospital (ANA, urinalysis, and MRI), and the results actually made a lot of sense.
The Official diagnosis?
I have Lupus, and honestly, I'm not even mad! More specifically, I have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, the most common variation. This is an autoimmune disease. Essentially, what's happening is my body is attacking itself, because it can't tell the difference between where the enemy (harmful bacteria and such that could kill) ends and I (my cells) begin. This results in a lot of inflammation throughout my body, most notably kidneys, joints, blood vessels, heart, and brain. For me personally, I have a lot of kidney damage and my brain has been rather inflamed as well. I also have a joint in my right arm that has been permanently injured due to the severity of the inflammation. Every part of my body has suffered from damage due to inflammation, the blood vessels and brain being the most inconvenient to experience, but those are my biggest trouble spots.How long have I had this?
Looking back, I started to experience odd symptoms (like random fevers, having a generally lower immune system, aching kidneys, etc.) around the age of eleven. I didn't talk much about them, for a lot of different reasons. It started to become more severe and give me more grief around the age of about sixteen or seventeen, and has become quite a bit more severe now that I'm twenty. To help you understand, I could eat onions fairly safely (though here and there I did have issues) up until the age of fifteen or so.
What is to be done...
On the topic of my weird food allergies, turns out the doctors were wrong! I'm not allergic, those are just foods that trigger the inflammation in my body! Those aren't just normal headaches, that's a lot of inflammation in my brain! So now I have a list of foods to avoid so my body has more of a chance of being its normal self. This includes potatoes. Please put me out to pasture.
To help with it all, I've been prescribed a few medications (probably best not to disclose the specifics!) like immunosuppressants, diuretics, and some strong anti-inflammatory meds that aren't NSAIDS. Plus, I get to use a personal aromatherapy device that will help to open up my lungs and ease my breathing when inflammation is triggered there, and I get to use a lot of supplements.
When it comes to exercise, I've always made the good choice to never run. With everything going on in my lungs, it could be a bit of a mess to do something in the high impact cardio area. Instead, I should opt for things like yoga, which help to reduce stress and build strength, without causing too many issues for a body that needs a lot of help.
It's also super important that I keep up on my rest. Lupus patients tend to have less energy available to them than others, and need to take care of that.
The damage my kidneys have taken is serious, but I'm not in need of a new one yet! I could probably go quite a few years without needing any surgery, so here's hoping!
How I feel about all of this.
I already miss potatoes. Terribly. Nightshade plants don't always cause problems for Lupus patients, but in my (incredibly unfortunate, take pity upon me!) case, they do. So no more tomatoes or potatoes. Good thing I only smoked socially! (JUST KIDDING!)
Honestly, I'm kind of excited about the diagnosis now! I feel validated for all of the weird things I've experienced and pain i've gone through. Having the diagnosis gives me the opportunity to find relief, as well as the knowledge of which damaging behaviors I need to avoid that I never realized were hurting me before. I've been given directions on where to go to feel healthy again!
I am a little nervous about the brain inflammation bit. Those headaches are atrocious, and knowing that it puts me at a higher risk for a stroke is scary. Strokes don't sound fun! However, they can be prevented, especially since now I know for sure what I'm dealing with.
An interesting thing occured the morning of my MRI. I don't typically have as big of flare ups in my lungs. That said, the night before I'd eaten hashbrowns (oh my lord I miss them) and had had a difficult time sleeping. That morning I woke up and felt a lot of pressure in my chest, and was actually a little concerned I wasn't going to make it (that's just how bad the pressure was and how hard it was to breathe!). The only times I'd had any breathing problems near this was when I'd eat eggs or onions. Nonetheless, I continued my trek over to the hospital. The doctor said after reviewing the MRI that the inflammation in my lungs was a big deal, and actually ended up playing a big role in helping them determine it definitely was Lupus, and not something similar. It wasn't pleasant, and even though I tried going to work, I only stayed about an hour. It was worth it though, to have a final and firm diagnosis! For that, I'm very grateful.
My friends are the best!
I only keep them around in case I end up needing a new kidney (just kidding!), but I have some really amazing friends. Nathan jokes with me that I need to watch out for cracks in the sidewalk due to my lupus, and Vianey has already offered her internal organs! I love them so much. Truly, I've got nothing to fear, and I've been blessed with the best of people to live beside!
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