Welcome Ronika

[Guest guest]

Hi Ronika ,  My name is Cheryl.  I have had lupus

since a teen.  I had cervical cancer about 7 ½ years ago.  Mine was advanced

and my treatment was REALLY rough.  I was in the hosp for a week on chemo drip

and rolled into radiation daily.  I got out and started going for radiation

daily.  After a few days, I had a brain hemorrhage and several seizures.  I had

to stop treatment for a bit.  I had to see the dentist as I fell on the edge of

the bathroom tile shelf and then the hard floor.  My husband came to pick me up

for radiation and found me on the floor passed out.  Then when I got out of the

hosp for the brain thing, I started going to radiation daily again (with a

banged up face).  I had external radiation daily and about once every week I

had internal radiation.  They inserted 3 rods into my vigina and blasted away

with me yelling in a closed room.  They gave me drugs but it still hurt like

hell.  They burned scars and a while later I had to go to the hospital to have

some of them scraped off.  Sex is very painful.  While I had daily radiation

(except weekends), I was on a chemo IV drip & carried the poison in a fanny

pack.  Try sleeping like that!  My mouth was packed with blisters.  To hide the

pick in my arm I cut off a white sock & slipped it on.  The drip went into

my heart.  I puked my guts out for I don’t know how long because I had a

big memory loss due to the brain thing.  I couldn’t talk or think well

and couldn’t read at all.  I got to where I couldn’t walk without

someone holding me up.  I went down to 95lbs.  I am 5’1”.  I had

great muscle tone and went to the gym regularly and danced quite a bit despite

my lupus.  After months in bed with cancer I lost all my muscle tone.  Cancer

also gave me fibromyalgia.  That seems to hurt me worse than lupus now.  My

life completely changed & went to hell in a hand basket after cancer.  It

also gave me interstitial cystitis.  It is a painful bladder problem and the

meds for it are super expensive.  I have to wear a pad day and night!  Sexy

huh?  I had IBS before cancer and have that worse too.  I now have arthritis, osteoporosis,

TMJ dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, partly lupus fog and partly the hemorrhage.

 I tried to go back to work after cancer and couldn’t think clearly

enough to do the job.  After all, I had just figured out how to read again.  I

have been put on perminate disability and haven’t worked since the cancer

except for the week I tried to go back.  I don’t even remember if it was

a whole week.  My memory sucks.  I can’t remember what else is wrong, oh

yes, depression.

 My husband is bipolar and has had about

20 jobs in the 25 years since we have been married.  He got fired last week.  

It has been real hard on him to have to handle the load alone since I can’t

work.  We bought this house when we both made good money.  We may loose it. 

Life is the pits without the cherries right now.  I hope I haven’t chased

you away from the group.  

Is your chemo making you sick?  There are

a lot of kinds of chemo.  I am real sorry you are stuck on dialysis.  I am

especially sorry about the rat you married!!  Did he actually say “for

better or for worse, in sickness and in health”?  How long did you know

him?  My husband and I try to help each other but we are a sick couple

Who can’t act as effectively as one

whole person.          

From: Ronika

Lancaster

Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 1:00

PM

To: LUPIES

Subject: greetings to all

This is my very first post! I am a new member to lupies group, I am

excited about getting to know you all. I have enjoyed reading all of your post.

I was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2000 I went thru six months of chemo

and I am now cancer free. At the end of my chemotherapy I was diagnosed with

systemic lupus. Fun, Fun! I am now 25, I actually turn 26 on Thursday. Since my

diagnoses I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and graves disease. The Lupus

as really affected my kindeys to the point were I have to be on dialysis and I

am currently going thru chemotherapy and am suppose to have treatments for the

next six months. I am currently separated from my husband, we were married in

2000, shortly after I became sick. He couldn't take me being sick anymore, and

with the stress of a marriage falling apart it wasn't helping my illness any at

all. Ok, enough about me!!!!! I can't wait to learn more about all of you!

Ronika