Lupus and Giggles!

Life Before Lupus

It was 1999, and once again I found myself draped in a white paper gown sitting on an exam table waiting for the doctor.  I was a young single woman in her mid 30's, living in San Diego, and in excellent health (up to this point, anyway).  Lately, I'd been experiencing a series of bizarre symptoms; unexplained face rash, sleep disturbances, severe joint pain, chronic sinus & respiratory infections, fevers, migraines and debilitating lower back pain. 

I didn't have time for this. After all, I lived in paradise (a.k.a., San Diego), had an amazing career as a Special Agent with the FBI, worked out 7 days a week, enjoyed hiking, boxing aerobics and competed regularly in tennis tournaments.  So, when my doctor uttered the word "lupus" I had a million questions.  What is that and how do you spell it?  How did I get it?  How is it treated?  How will this affect my livelihood?  This did not fit into my life plan.

As a newly diagnosed lupus patient, there's a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and fear.  In 1999-2000, there weren't a lot of websites about lupus; except the basic clinical definitions and how the average patients' life expectancy dwindled 5 years after diagnosis.  Oh, great!  That's what I needed to hear!  There were no bloggers or local lupus chapters for guidance and trying to find a support group was a serious challenge.  Fast forward to 2017, I've now been living with lupus for 17+ years and hope my blog will provide insight, support and understanding, or just some comic relief ... a place to go that I wish had existed when I was diagnosed.

For more information, please visit The Lupus Foundation of America.  

Blogs and Bank Robbers

"Arresting Lupus" is a blog about my journey with lupus; understanding how to live with, manage and even thrive.  As an FBI Agent, assigned to a bank robbery squad, the goal of an investigation was to identify the subject and ultimately arrest him/her.  If lupus was a bank robber, I'd hunt it down, slap on the cuffs and send it to federal prison for life (without the possibility of parole).  However, it's never that simple.  All investigations have twists/turns, unexpected outcomes and can take on a life of their own; much like lupus.  The key is to manage the expectations with the outcome. It's a life long learning process.

You won't see me making any medical recommendations on this blog, as I'm not a doctor.  However, I will say the best therapy I ever paid for was when I adopted my dog, Giggles!  She provides never ending amounts of love, companionship and comic relief .... laughter truly is the best medicine.  

Giggles