A Journey Through

In the late Spring of 2021, while spending time in the sun at the beach, I became sick with severe fatigue that lasted weeks. One morning, I woke up to severe pain. After going to urgent care, the urgent care doctor wasn’t much help and sent me home. A week later, I began to feel very sick, so I took myself to the local family urgent care center. After being sent for an MRI and lots of blood work, found out I had kidney issues. This was what we later guessed was my first major Luspus flare. After a lot of life stresses with church, school, and having to move. In 2023, I again had a major flare-up, sending me to the hospital due to heart issues. This leading me to a heart specialist. And so on and so on….

Over that period of time, I went to see a Hematologist to review my blood work, a Dermatologist due to a skin issue, and a Cardiologist every few months due to new heart issues. I have currently added an Ophthalmologist to my team of doctors and am looking to add a new PCP in the coming week because my current PCP moved out of town. It is very hard to find good health care in this state. Just another thing I dislike about this state. At this time, I still have yet to have a positive ANA test, so I am listed as having Seronegative Lupus until then. I have had multiple doctors confirm my symptoms of having Lupus with other patients. I have found a few Lupus support groups online that have been a major help during this journey. Every day I am learning new things and finding comfort in knowing I am not the only person who deals with my daily struggles.