lupusfightermichelle

Sorry it's been so long. It's been an interesting but when my boys start school I'll post most days, if not daily. Today was a rough one. Higher fevers, fatigue, headaches and my gums aren't fully healed from the extractions but they are on their way. So, with the help of pain meds today I got the balls to submit a request to do an open mic in October for the Tacoma Comedy Club because Vicodin told me I'm freaking hilarious. Dammit Vicodin!!!! I invited awesome friends who I know will both support and talk shit at me instead of about me. I love them. So, there was that. If I do well, I'll post it. If I suck, I'll just let you know I bombed and comically write about how awful that went. Bonus each way I suppose. Either way, you may get a laugh. I'm pretty sure I never mentioned my eldest son has high functioning autism. We've had many difficulties with this but he is doing well at the school he is at. One of his brothers is going into high school and ...

Greetings Readers! Well, today, I woke up at 2 am because my tooth said it was time for a new ice pack. Prednisone is an immunosuppressant and I already have a short bus sort of “special” immune system that can’t find it’s baseball, let alone a virus or bacterial infection. So, between the dry mouth, chronic vitamin D deficiency that is synonymous with Lupus, and the latest prednisone taper, it’s no surprise that I got myself a nice, raging tooth infection. Also, during Lupus flares, your gums can get swollen and bleed easily making them that much more susceptible to infection. The infected tooth will be removed next Wednesday. I’ve been living on toast and no sugar added ice cream since the tooth infection started last Sunday. It’s been a gas. No really, that damn sugar alcohol has caused a serious hole in our ozone. So, I’ve been on Penicillin for a few days and if you know anything about Lupus, it’s that Penicillin is generally considered bad because it can cause flares. Well, I j...

Good morning everyone! So today I have an emergency dental appointment because one of my teeth may be infected and the my gums are all kinds of bleeding and painful when I floss. Umm, yes, I am still on prednisone so the whole prednisone/antibiotics discussion will be fun. Today was going to be my first 5 milligram day of the taper so, we’ll see. Either way, this tooth HURTS!!! And it won’t let me sleep since it’s been my hourly wake up call these last two nights. Two things today. Prednisone and what it looks like to have a super suppressed immune system…. I’ve been on prednisone many times and for long periods of time. Last year, after being on low doses of prednisone for a couple months with not a lot of change in disease activity, I asked my fuddy duddy Rheumatologist if we could try a high dose of prednisone for a short amount of time in an attempt to knock out the flare. You know, if this isn’t working, try something different…. He told me that prednisone makes many people fee...

Greetings everyone!!! So, over a thousand viewers, but no followers. Why? Well, I didn’t have a “follow” button on my page. Go me! Lol! Well, if you like my blog, please click follow. I’d sure appreciate it. Now, on to the post. Anyone know what it’s like to walk around stoned, without actually getting stoned? Yesterday, on my Facebook page,I saw MyLupusCorner talk about Lupus fog being a frequently experienced symptom of Lupus flares. Ironically, I’ve been dealing with this symptom during my latest flare hardcore, but I wasn’t overly knowledgeable about this issue and all it entails until I recently researched it and recognized it as being among my catalog of symptoms. I feel like Lupus fog and other CNS issues like aphasia (recall and speaking issues) can go hand in hand, but they don’t always have to occur simultaneously. I could be wrong but hear me out. I have recall, speaking, and memory issues, almost always. My husband, who isn’t noted as having the best memory, is now the ...

Ok, I know... TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY!?!?! I know; crazy, but it’s important. Remember that whole migraine, currently on prednisone issue,?  Oh, and boy am I all about floating in the air with that Lupus fog. Well, my husband, 14-year-old, and one of my best friend’s sons (otherwise known as one of my chosen nephews) just left to the Metallica concert. This concert was my special one-on-one bonding time with my son because I introduced him to Metallica. We LOVE Metallica!!!! We battle on Guitar Hero Metallica. He's better than I am now. I bought myself a Metallica T-shirt to wear in the hospital when I got my tonsillectomy to symbolize my son being there with me so he knew I was thinking of him. (I also had Pokémon pants for my eldest, and socks my youngest picked out for me to represent him) Anyway, my son took my Metallica shirt the second I got home. He is wearing it tonight. My husband loves Metallica too and he totally deserves to go because he never gets to do f...

Hello. Well, I am back on prednisone. Today will be my third day on 15 mg. so I’m six days in. The arthritis got so bad I couldn’t sleep and the headaches weren’t getting any better so I had to put myself on it. When you have Lupus, you’re given a prednisone for when you need it and you’re provided with a taper schedule so that you don’t have to run to the doctor or wait for appointments when you’re in crisis. I appreciate this; however, I do not like having to take it. Last year, I would take it and gain a little weight but not much. This year, I’d take it and gain sooo much weight. And, of course, I lost my a lot of my immune system because of the DMARDS and couldn’t fight infections for over three months until I had my tonsils out (strep, staph and more all in the tonsils). I wasn’t responsive to two rounds of penicillin (which can cause a flare), 10 days of azithromycin, and one round of bactrim. When none of it worked, due to my circumstances, they removed my tonsils and I’ve sinc...

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great day. This morning, I felt the ends of my hair and remembered another traumatizing symptom of Lupus. Hair loss. The ends of my hair are super thin because between January to April this year, I slowly lost about half of my hair. One day, I noticed there was an awful lot of hair in the shower drain. Next thing I know, my hair brushes are full of hair and have to be cleaned out daily. Prior to this, I’d only thin a little bit on one side of my head or the other, and while I could feel the difference, it wasn’t a big deal. My hair is thin but I have a LOT of it which keeps salons on their toes. They’ll book an up-do for an hour and realize it’s gonna take a it longer than that because holy cow there’s more than meets the eye, with my hair.   Watching your hair fall out is freaking terrifying. I put on a strong face in front of people, but I was mortified at the thought of possibly going bald. I had may break downs bawling to my husband abo...