Sofia G. - Diagnosed at age 20

Almost one year ago, I was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). I was about to turn 21 years old, finishing my junior year of college at The University of Texas at Austin, and was suddenly thrust into a situation far beyond the scope of anything I had ever been prepared for. I've had health problems my entire life: Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, asthma, chronic pain, ADHD, you name it. I thought I already had been through the ringer, health wise, and was aptly proven wrong. It is hard to identify when symptoms began presenting themselves to me, as I already had plenty of features indicative of lupus that I had just attributed to my existing health problems. I could explain them all away, and ignorantly did so.

One day I began to have sudden and abrupt joint pain; I thought it was due to a change in weather and, obviously, didn't do anything about it. After one week, I could no longer go to classes due to joint pain, and was nearly unable to walk. Not even two weeks later, I had an official diagnosis of lupus. I was very lucky to have been diagnosed so soon, but it only supports the conclusion that I had most likely had lupus for quite a long time before being diagnosed. It was only during a flare-up that I was advised to look into things, and both myself and those around me all accepted that my unexplained symptoms were just that: unexplainable. 

Since that first bout of joint pain, there has not been a day where I have not felt the effects of my disease. Whether it be joint pain, migraines, exhaustion, depression, hair loss, fever, every symptom listed on the wiki page, I've felt it. At first, I mourned the loss of what could have been; the care-free, irresponsible years that everyone tells you to enjoy and take advantage of. But being so young, I've been able to approach my future with this disease in the blithe, confident manner that young twenty-somethings have always seemed to possess. I am realistic about the major role lupus will play in my life, but I am not defeated or morose. I know that things will get worse, but I also know that they can get better, too. As cliche as it is, the adage "one day at a time" has never been so appropriate.