Doris S. - Diagnosed Age 45

To be honest with you I can’t really say how long I have had lupus but I can tell you how long I’ve been dealing with flare ups. I remember going to the doctor about my aches and pains in my wrist, knees and ankles and being told that it was arthritis, that I need knee surgery, that I need a carpal tunnel surgery. The pain only got worse. It hurts to get out of bed, my finger started to curl up all the way – I thought it was just arthritis until one night I was laying in my bed and I was hurting so badly. Everything was hurting, my hands were hurting, my legs were hurting, my bones were hurting. I showered and I soaked in the tub of hot water, but the pain just wouldn’t go away. One night I laid in my bed and the pain got bad, everything was hurting, my heart felt like it was coming out of my chest and I didn’t know what to do. All I could do was cry. The next day my boyfriend took me to the heart doctor. I walked into the doctor and explained all the problems that I’ve been having for about two years and all the surgeries that I had within those two years. She tested me and when the test came back I had lupus. All I could do was cry, but today my life is different. I married, I take my meds, I live a stress free life sometimes and I live without pain. Hopefully one day they’ll find a cure and I’ll be lupus free.