So I finally made the decision to start a blog that showcases my everyday struggles with Lupus. It’s definitely been a long time coming, and while I am a bit nervous to communicate my ups and downs, I KNOW that there are Lupies out there just like me that perhaps just need some encouragement every now and then, someone to talk to, or maybe even some updated information on Lupus research.
Any who, here’s a bit about my history with SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus). During the fall semester of 2009 (I can’t believe its been that long), I began to feel consistently sick. It seemed that I’d caught the flu and was just not recovering from it. On top of feeling ill, I slowly began to develop joint pains. Over the course of 7 months, I got progressively worse–I was ALWAYS tired, I needed help doing everything from walking up and down stairs to getting dressed, and at 5’8 and 117 pounds, I was severely underweight.
I know that you’re probably wondering why I suffered for so long without going to see a doctor…well, unfortunately, I did not have heath insurance at the time. Thankfully my manager (yes, I was working and going to school full-time during this entire ordeal!) fought for me to get insurance. When I finally had the opportunity to go in and see a doctor, he ran tests and called me back several days later with some news. According to him, it was clear that I had an autoimmune disease but he was not a specialist and needed to refer me to a physician who specialized in autoimmune diseases. At The Hospital for Special Surgery (NYC), I met my rheumatologist who ran even more tests and eventually diagnosed with me with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
Since then, it has been a LONG journey filled with some good days and some bad days. I’ve gone from refusing to take my medication (“This isn’t a disease. I’m going to pray and it’ll go away.”) to finally reaching acceptance and doing everything in my power to live the healthiest lifestyle that I can.
I’m sure that there are many of you out there that may be in my position (7+ years post diagnosis), as well as many of you who are right at the beginning of this journey, not knowing where to start, how to cope, and “how long this is going to take to go away”. Regardless of where you are, I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and hopefully making this walk just a bit more enjoyable.
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©joezettesjourney/Feb2017
Joezette's Journey: My Everyday Walk With Lupus 
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