Support is great !!!

[Guest guest]

Hello to all,

Thank You so Much for allowing me to join in on your group, i haven't

posted anything since my introduction letter sorry, i have been sick

with bronchitis. I have been keeping up with all the posted messages,

you are all very supportive. I feel like its that light at the end

of a long tunnel. I now know that i am not the only one with all

these problems.

A little more about me.....

I am 31 with one child a 10 yr old boy, have been married to a

wonderful man for 3 yrs now, right after we married in 2001 i

started to get sick all the time, then my mom passed in may of 2001

from lupus, i went down hill from there and was in denial for a very

long time about having lupus, i just thought i was going crazy. the

first Dr i went to pretty much said the same thing as well as the

first rheumy i went to in Wilmington NC. Since then i have seen 2

more doctors and they have confirmed that it is not all in my head

that i am sick. my new rheumy is running test upon test to make sure

we don't miss anything, i was told in Aug 03 that i had lupus. I

delta with it pretty well at first but now am having major problems

with it. Every time i get sick or have a flare up my anger is

renewed, i sometimes take it out on my husband and i feel very badly

for it. thats why i joined this group so i could learn how to deal

with this deise and all the complications that come with it. I am a

911 operator and have a very stressful job i work very long hours and

feel guilty if i have to miss work if i get sick so i work when i am

sick and i am slowly learning that it only makes it worse. I have

tried to explain what lupus is to my boss and well needless to say he

doesn'tn uderstand the concept of your body fighting it self so he

gives me a hard time when i am sick and that seems to make me feel

worse.

I took predisone for almost 3 yrs 20 mg a day and it induced diabetes

as well as a 70 -80lb weight gain. so my self esteem is probably at

its lowest point. I have stopped taking predisone and try to avoid it

at all cost but every time i get sick it seems to be the only thing

that clears up the congestion in my lungs. so i feel like i never

will get off the drug.

Sorry to hear about all the members that are sick, hope you all start

to feel better soon,

and to Nelly sorry to hear about your mom, i have been there and

there is no grief greater than loosing your mom, i will keep you in

my paprayers

to the new member i live in North Carolina well what part are

you in ?

also don'tgo to Dr Harsburger Wilmington he is with Carolina

Arthritis association if you haven't already he is the biggest jerk

that i think i have come in contact with in a while.

well i have to run for now need to start dinner again thank you all

for wonderful insight to this illness its seems to help to know i am

not alone in the mess that it causes

and to know that i am not crazy it is real.

Jackie