Re: To Kas

[Guest guest]

Thanks Mojo for answering me... Its hard to be in Athenas(Peggys)

shoes, or anyone elses that has this disease. Im trying to be here

for her, but its very difficult. Weve always played around boxing

and what have you and now i cant touch her hardly at all because it

hurts her. Im supportive to her in every way possible. Im just

hoping it will be enough. As you can tell Im not on as much as she

is so Im sorry it took me so long to reply.

Kas

> Hello Kas. It is so nice of you to be so involved in Peggy's

illness. She

> definitely needs your support now than ever.

>

> I was about 22 when I was diagnosed and I was considered lucky to

be

> diagnosed immediately. My symptoms started in August of 1986, that

was at

> the time when I was getting married. My legs started to swell and I

was

> generally tired. I blamed it all on the wedding. By the end of that

year I

> started getting up " stiff " in the morning, but I was 22 and could

not be

> bothered. I have suffered from kidney sand and colic for years

before then

> as well, but it was always treated as a forming stone problem and

that was

> that. By April of 1987 I was in major pain, had a constant low

grade fever

> and a rash formed on my face. Getting up in the morning was

painful, my

> hubby couldn't touch me and actually started sleeping separately

being

> afraid he would hurt me. Even his slightest touch was hurting to

me. Due to

> family history of arthritis, I decided to seek help with a

rheumatologist. I

> lived in Warsaw, Poland at that time and a block away from the

Rheumatology

> Institute. When one of the doctors saw me there she hospitalized me

> immediately. I was in the hospital for two months with major joint

and

> kidney involvement. That was the first time I heard of the name

Lupus.

>

> My first few years were very rocky, but then I went into a long

lasting

> remission during which I was able to consider pregnancies. Two were

planned,

> the third one kind of happened (ha). Now I am a mother of three

boys 9,

> almost 7 and 3.5. Almost two years ago I went into a major flare

and into

> renal failure and have since been on cytoxan.

>

> As far as your question is concerned. It really varies from

person to

> person on the symptoms they start of with and how soon they are

diagnosed.

> Diagnosis is still not always so easy, therefore some people have

the

> symptoms but not the test results.

>

> This is my first message to you. Please forgive me for not

answering right

> away, but you may be aware that you have joined at a very sad time

for the

> group and some of us needed to get our thoughts and our hearts

together.

>

> Mojo

>

>

> Thanking y'all for welcoming me

>

>

> > Hi all,

> >

> > My name is Kasandra, my friends call me Kas, and my life partner

> > (Peggy) was just diagnosed 3 weeks ago with Lupus. We are

trying to

> > get a handle on what she can and cant do, and where to go from

> > here. Im 28 and she turned 40 yesterday. Im hoping to get

> > knowledge from people such as yourselves that deal with this

disease

> > on a daily basis. We have done a lot of research on our own,

but as

> > you all know it helps to hear the truth about this disease from

> > others with it. I was wondering if some of you can tell me how

it

> > started out for you? How long did you have Lupus symptoms

before

> > you were diagnosed? Were you to the point of degenteration

before

> > you knew, or did it start out with fatigue and achiness or other

> > slight symptoms?

> >

> > Thanks for your time...

> >

> > Kas

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > " The LUPIES Store " Come check out our store...

> > http://www.cafepress.com/thelupies

> >

> > " The LUPIES Web Page "

> > http://www.itzarion.com/lupusgroup.html

> >

> > " The LUPIES online photo albums! "

> > Check out what your fellow Lupies look like...

> > http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=lupies

> >