I’d like to submit a brief anecdote from my diagnostic process. It’s taken me awhile to find this truly funny, but I think almost seven years and relatively good health can go a long way. ;)
The first signs of my deteriorating health began the summer I was sixteen. I got the flu. I’d only had the flu once before and I was honestly unaccustomed to getting sick; it was awful. It came and went (along with about 5-7lbs which I did not want to lose) and then I went to summer camp the next week. I was exhausted. All day in the heat and sun— I was a wreck. And what I now know and recognize as the SIGNATURE physical sign of lupus popped up all over my face. When I get the rash now, it isn’t raised and it goes away when I calm down or begin to rest. This rash was THE RASH. Raised, mottled, and fierce.
Initial diagnosis from my family doctor? An allergic reaction to strawberries.
It did not matter to him that I do not have food allergies and had, regardless, not eaten any strawberries for more than a few months. He gave me some claritin and sent me on my way. I came back a bunch more times and all he ever had to say was that I had a virus and “it would go away on its own”. Three months later, after I’d been diagnosed with end-stage renal failure thanks to a rampant lupus flare, this guy had the nerve to comment on how he knows ALL ABOUT LUPUS.
Really? Could have fooled me. Needless to say I do not have any connections whatsoever to this asshat any longer. I’m so grateful that I got an infection that led me to a compassionate orthopedic surgeon who did not dismiss me or my symptoms. I don’t know how much longer my body could have kept itself alive.
LUPUS AWARENESS? Yeah, I’d say it’s a pretty big deal. <3
