Recently I was contacted by a representative of Healthline, a fantastic medical website which offers information and resources on just about any illness or medical issue you can think of. I highly recommend you check it out. The reason I was contacted was because their goal this year is to raise awareness about Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of a person's body. The representative who contacted me was hoping I would help them raise awareness. Of course, I jumped at the chance. First of all, it is my goal to raise as much awareness about chronic illness and chronic pain as possible. Second of all, I have been dealing with chronic illnesses since I was 18 months old and I know how empowering education and resources can be.
When I was 18 months old, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. It went into remission when I was six years old and came back when I was fifteen. At that time it was difficult to control my symptoms, so my rheumatologist wanted to test me for Lupus. I remember being so afraid of that word and what it meant. I didn't have a great understanding of what Lupus was. All I knew was what I had seen from a woman on T.V. who had Lupus. She said that she was extremely tired all of the time and that she was in a lot of pain. At the time, there was not a lot of information available about Lupus. I wish I had a resource like Healthline. It would have made that possible diagnosis a little less scary. If you or someone you know has Lupus, or you think you may have Lupus, please check out this link:
http://www.healthline.com/health/lupus/effects-on-body
It is a virtual guide of the symptoms of Lupus and how it affects the body. It's a great resource.
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