When I was pregnant, I was unbelievably sick. I really can't even describe how awful I felt. I suffered from chronic headaches and eventually started twitching. My head and neck would move uncontrollably. I was told by one doctor it was nerves and hormones. My mom, bless her heart, did so much research. That summer she figured out that I had Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS).
The morning my son was born I went into the hospital with vomiting, high blood pressure and massive swelling. It turns out my kidneys and liver were shutting down and Little Man's heart rate was dropping. I had really, really bad Preeclampsia. I ended up having an emergency c-section two months before my due date. My son was 3 pounds 11 ounces when he was born...the reason why I call him Little Man. It took over a week in the hospital and I was finally well enough to go home. A hematologist diagnosed me with APS and prescribed me blood thinners. I just celebrated my five year anniversary with my blood thinners this summer.
A few years later, I saw a rheumatologist and he diagnosed me with Lupus. Most likely, my APS is just part of my Lupus. This is a super fast version of my diagnosis!
Living with Lupus is a lot harder than being diagnosed. I have arthritis in both hands, my right knee, and left foot. I have extreme fatigue. I have flares about every three-four months. My flares usually put me in bed. There is no way of knowing when a flare will jump up or how long it will last.
Not everything is bad though. I have a built in excuse to not do stuff. I have a better appreciation for good days. Oh and I was on the show Mystery Diagnosis when I was 18.
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