Re: Introduction: audi

[Guest guest]

Hi Audi, welcome.

> I just joined the list yesterday and got the impression (good) that

I should introduce myself. I apologize if this seems longwinded or

anything.

>

> My name is audi. I live in northern NJ with my husband, 6 cats, an

occasional daughter (in college) and my father-in-law (no comment).

I am a special education teacher in a " sending school " (private

school). I share 12 male students between the ages of 9 and 12 with

two other teachers. My daughter attends The College of New Jersey

(formerly Trenton State College). In order of age, my kitties are:

Bibs (black male with a small bib); Puma (gray " blotched tiger " - a

real street fighter that we got at a flea market); PC (orange tiger

whose name is really Petty Cash); Mamacita (feral female calico with

munchkin tendencies); Shayna (she had a feral mother, a very ugly

calico - which is why her name means pretty) and Raven (our baby -

99% black, feral and another munchkin).

>

> What I am really supposed to be writing about: I first became sick

at around the age of 4. Somewhere around 6 I was diagnosed with ITP

(Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura). At age 8, I was admitted to

NY Hospital where Dr. Carl

(http://www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/2129.html) diagnosed my lupus.

This was 2/64. I took a new miracle drug - prednisone, from the age

of 6 through 16. When I finally went off it, I grew 3 inches in one

year topping out at just under 4'10 " . At that point, I only had

minor inconvenience type problems.

>

> I finished high school in 73, finished college in 77, got married

in 77, pregnant in around 80 (but lost the baby very early), pregnant

in 84 and had our " miracle baby, " finished college again in 89, went

back to teaching and then the problems began all over again. The

exterminator came into my classroom and sprayed the heat pipes. The

heat came on, the chemicals cooked and I suddenly developed asthma.

Then the lupus flared. Then the ITP came back full force. On

2/18/99 it was raining and a sweet, young cherub pulled the fire

alarm at school. We stood 1.5-2 hours in the rain. The next day I

was in the hospital. My platelets were zero, I was anemic.

>

> As of this point, my Lupus is probably Mixed Connective Tissue

Disease, I have Auto-Immune Hemolytic Anemia, ITP, APS (probably the

reason I lost the first baby), Lupus Anticoagulant (resulting in

DVT), FM.

>

> Among other things, I take prednisone, procrit, coumadin,

(sometimes) Lovenox. I also have all the other little medications to

treat the side affects of the prednisone.

>

> I have actually been hospitalized 4 times for lupus/itp: 1961,

1964, 1999, 2004. Other than that, I can't comment on the impact it

has had on my life because I have no memories of life without lupus.

>

> glad to be here,

> audi

[Guest guest]

Welcome to our wonderful, awesome Lupies - group. My name is Debi - Busy ......I'll keep a watch. I'm also one of hte pacific coast late-ones. So if you leave an e-mail.. please keep in mine that you'll get it late. That's seem to be my problem with conecting with everyone else. Who knows what they are thinking when I try to get involved in conversations.... When to them it old news. But I keep on typing away. in hopes that some-day-some-one, will strick up a convbersation with little ole' Busy .....I need to buzz away now so BUZZ.....................................BUZZ..........................

Introduction: audi

I just joined the list yesterday and got the impression (good) that I should introduce myself. I apologize if this seems longwinded or anything.

My name is audi. I live in northern NJ with my husband, 6 cats, an occasional daughter (in college) and my father-in-law (no comment). I am a special education teacher in a "sending school" (private school). I share 12 male students between the ages of 9 and 12 with two other teachers. My daughter attends The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College). In order of age, my kitties are: Bibs (black male with a small bib); Puma (gray "blotched tiger" - a real street fighter that we got at a flea market); PC (orange tiger whose name is really Petty Cash); Mamacita (feral female calico with munchkin tendencies); Shayna (she had a feral mother, a very ugly calico - which is why her name means pretty) and Raven (our baby - 99% black, feral and another munchkin).

What I am really supposed to be writing about: I first became sick at around the age of 4. Somewhere around 6 I was diagnosed with ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura). At age 8, I was admitted to NY Hospital where Dr. Carl (http://www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/2129.html) diagnosed my lupus. This was 2/64. I took a new miracle drug - prednisone, from the age of 6 through 16. When I finally went off it, I grew 3 inches in one year topping out at just under 4'10". At that point, I only had minor inconvenience type problems.

I finished high school in 73, finished college in 77, got married in 77, pregnant in around 80 (but lost the baby very early), pregnant in 84 and had our "miracle baby," finished college again in 89, went back to teaching and then the problems began all over again. The exterminator came into my classroom and sprayed the heat pipes. The heat came on, the chemicals cooked and I suddenly developed asthma. Then the lupus flared. Then the ITP came back full force. On 2/18/99 it was raining and a sweet, young cherub pulled the fire alarm at school. We stood 1.5-2 hours in the rain. The next day I was in the hospital. My platelets were zero, I was anemic.

As of this point, my Lupus is probably Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, I have Auto-Immune Hemolytic Anemia, ITP, APS (probably the reason I lost the first baby), Lupus Anticoagulant (resulting in DVT), FM.

Among other things, I take prednisone, procrit, coumadin, (sometimes) Lovenox. I also have all the other little medications to treat the side affects of the prednisone.

I have actually been hospitalized 4 times for lupus/itp: 1961, 1964, 1999, 2004. Other than that, I can't comment on the impact it has had on my life because I have no memories of life without lupus.

glad to be here,

audi"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