Living with Lupus

i am a 42 year old african american female. i was diagnosed with lupus sle march 2006. the year prior in may i noticed my fingers bluish in color. i was reading the newspaper at the time and i was quite sure it was the ink from the paper. i realized i was a bit chilly from the weather and being in the medical profession i immediately new this was raynauds syndrome. every where i went from that day on from airconditioned places to holding a cold drink in my hands my fingers would turn white and stiff because of insufficient blood to the area. also my feet would become numb(i wear uggs during the winter- i still think they are little odd looking but hey). my shoulder joints would hurt often but i thought it was from occasionally lifting a patient. when my fingers started to swell and it became painful to turn the doorknob only then i felt that something was seriously wrong.

i am not on any medications now thankfully because i dont have any med coverge but it seems to be in remission except my hair sheds tremendously everyday. and i mean everyday. i have a 2 year old son and i am a stay at home mom right now. my memory is a bit jarred, but i am also multitasking like nobodys business :). ofcourse i wish i could have done something sooner (although through my research there is no way to know you will get this) but coming from a healthy person an occasional ache or pain did not bother me at all.

please note my own personal feeling of how i contacted this is from many years of birth control pills and not managing my stress. my diet is high in antioxidants. having that type of diet helps me feed my son healthy. i usually skip the tanning when i am on vacation (bummer). i have yet to find the correct gloves for my hands. i spent a lot of money ordering different kinds and nothing helps. i tend to run my hands under hot water to get the blood flowing before i take off my sons clothing when we come in from the cold. i live in nyc so there is only 2 months of really hot weather. — written sept 2009