Butterfly Warrior

Unbelievable

Lupus is not contagious. You cannot "catch" lupus from someone or "give" lupus to someone.

 Lupus is not like or related to cancer. Cancer is a condition of malignant, abnormal tissues that grow rapidly and spread into surrounding tissues. Having Lupus is neither better than nor worse than having Cancer. The two diseases are very different. One commonality Lupus and Cancer have is using chemotherapy as treatment. 

Lupus is not like or related to HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). In HIV or AIDS, the immune system is under-active; in lupus, the immune system is overactive.*

 

 

  Having Lupus isn't like having a cold, flu, or an STD. If I breathe on you, share your drink, or share body fluids you aren't going to suddenly come down with a raging case of Lupus. I can't run to my doctor’s office for a shot of rocephin in my hip and expect to be all better in 7-10 days. 

There isn't a cure for Lupus and there are very few treatments specifically for this disease. We get a hodge podge of medications and treatments from other diseases to help us fight our disease. For example Cytoxan is a chemotherapy used to treat Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Lung cancer, breast cancer, and reproductive organ cancers. Cytoxan is also used to treat Lupus Nephritis; it can be taken orally or given intravenously. Methotrexate is another drug that is used both as a treatment for cancer and a treatment for Lupus and other autoimmune diseases. In autoimmune diseases it is used to treat inflammatory arthritis. 

 Living with Lupus is not easy but having support and understanding from family and friends helps each of us. Please don't make assumptions about or believe in the myths that are out there about Lupus. Instead find out the facts about Lupus. Visit the Lupus Foundation of America site (www.lupus.org) or the Lupus Alliance of America site (www.lupusalliance.org).  

 

www.lupus.org *  

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Medications Used in Lupus Treatment

Combating Fatigue

As many as 80 percent of people with lupus experience fatigue. For some people with lupus, fatigue is their main symptom and can be debilitating, even to the point of forcing them to stop working. It is unclear why extreme fatigue occurs in so many people with lupus, but disease activity, pain, age, and medicines being taken, as well as poor physical and mental health and lack of good social support, all appear to play a role.

As many as 80 percent of people with lupus experience fatigue. For some people with lupus, fatigue is their main symptom and can be debilitating, even to the point of forcing them to stop working. It is unclear why extreme fatigue occurs in so many people with lupus, but disease activity, pain, age, and medicines being taken, as well as poor physical and mental health and lack of good social support, all appear to play a role.*

  

 This year I decided to change some things in my life as well as the lives of my husband and daughter.  At 42 years old I really needed to work on losing weight. My prednisone dosage has been stable for the last 2 years but unlike years past the weight didn't come off when the dosage went down. I imagine that has more to do with my getting older than anything else. Once our diets improved we were able to lose about 20lbs each. The next obvious step was exercise.

For years I've heard that exercising helps with fatigue. In my mind it didn't make any sense whatsoever. I mean how in the world was I going to find the energy to exercise when I barely had the energy to brush my teeth? For me fatigue is one of the worst parts of having Lupus.  Nothing is more depressing than having to sit down and rest after taking a shower except for resting after getting dressed.  I could never wrap my mind around how something so strenuous as exercise was going to help combat fatigue. 

 We joined a health-club that is a part of one of local hospitals. They specialize in helping people with serious and debilitating illnesses strengthen themselves. I had to have a current physical, labs, and a note from my doctor before I could join. Once all that was in place I met with a trainer, who set me up on several low impact machines and the treadmill. I've progressed from 10-15 minutes on each piece of equipment to using only 2 apparatuses for 30 minutes each! I can walk a mile on the treadmill in less that a half hour. 

 I can honestly say that I noticed the difference immediately in my energy level. When we get home from the gym I'd start dinner, toss in a load of laundry, and straighten up the living room. It was truly amazing to me that something that should drain energy actually energizes me! It's like a whole new me! Once I stopped over thinking the whole process and just went with the flow it worked. I feel better both physically and mentally since we've been working out. Even if I don't feel good enough to get a hard workout in then I just do what I can and it still makes a difference. There are times when my joints hurt really badly and I'm only able to work with the low impact equipment. But regardless of that I am still there doing something.  

 I don't have the energy of a person who doesn't have Lupus or any other autoimmune disease and I probably never will. The energy I do have is a VAST improvement of what it was even 3 months ago. I am going to continue to exercise and I hope that means I will continue to see improvement in my energy level, weight, and health overall. It isn't easy to get started but it's definitely worth it when you give it a chance.

The next step for me is light weight training. I'll keep you informed of how that progresses. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.lupus.org*

Related articles

The Benefits of Exercise in Lupus Management

Combating Fatigue

As many as 80 percent of people with lupus experience fatigue. For some people with lupus, fatigue is their main symptom and can be debilitating, even to the point of forcing them to stop working. It is unclear why extreme fatigue occurs in so many people with lupus, but disease activity, pain, age, and medicines being taken, as well as poor physical and mental health and lack of good social support, all appear to play a role.

As many as 80 percent of people with lupus experience fatigue. For some people with lupus, fatigue is their main symptom and can be debilitating, even to the point of forcing them to stop working. It is unclear why extreme fatigue occurs in so many people with lupus, but disease activity, pain, age, and medicines being taken, as well as poor physical and mental health and lack of good social support, all appear to play a role.*

  

 This year I decided to change some things in my life as well as the lives of my husband and daughter.  At 42 years old I really needed to work on losing weight. My prednisone dosage has been stable for the last 2 years but unlike years past the weight didn't come off when the dosage went down. I imagine that has more to do with my getting older than anything else. Once our diets improved we were able to lose about 20lbs each. The next obvious step was exercise.

For years I've heard that exercising helps with fatigue. In my mind it didn't make any sense whatsoever. I mean how in the world was I going to find the energy to exercise when I barely had the energy to brush my teeth? For me fatigue is one of the worst parts of having Lupus.  Nothing is more depressing than having to sit down and rest after taking a shower except for resting after getting dressed.  I could never wrap my mind around how something so strenuous as exercise was going to help combat fatigue. 

 We joined a health-club that is a part of one of local hospitals. They specialize in helping people with serious and debilitating illnesses strengthen themselves. I had to have a current physical, labs, and a note from my doctor before I could join. Once all that was in place I met with a trainer, who set me up on several low impact machines and the treadmill. I've progressed from 10-15 minutes on each piece of equipment to using only 2 apparatuses for 30 minutes each! I can walk a mile on the treadmill in less that a half hour. 

 I can honestly say that I noticed the difference immediately in my energy level. When we get home from the gym I'd start dinner, toss in a load of laundry, and straighten up the living room. It was truly amazing to me that something that should drain energy actually energizes me! It's like a whole new me! Once I stopped over thinking the whole process and just went with the flow it worked. I feel better both physically and mentally since we've been working out. Even if I don't feel good enough to get a hard workout in then I just do what I can and it still makes a difference. There are times when my joints hurt really badly and I'm only able to work with the low impact equipment. But regardless of that I am still there doing something.  

 I don't have the energy of a person who doesn't have Lupus or any other autoimmune disease and I probably never will. The energy I do have is a VAST improvement of what it was even 3 months ago. I am going to continue to exercise and I hope that means I will continue to see improvement in my energy level, weight, and health overall. It isn't easy to get started but it's definitely worth it when you give it a chance.

The next step for me is light weight training. I'll keep you informed of how that progresses. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.lupus.org*

Related articles

The Benefits of Exercise in Lupus Management