New Beginnings

I am a teacher and a very busy school year finally came to an end in June. I can honestly say I was the most tired I have ever been in my teaching career. Not because this year was any different; not because I was doing any more than usual (in fact, I was doing less); and not because the heat was particularly intense this year. But, because my body had decided it had had enough and it was going to show me who's boss. I actually had moments where it was rejecting being in the upright-let's-get-stuff-done position. I had many moments where the mere act of talking about work made me drowsy and a change of topic to something non-work related was like a shot of caffeine in my system springing me back to life. So, I decided that this needed to be a summer break of healing with little or no work. But...I'm a bit ahead of myself. Let me get back to the reason that I must embrace a new beginning and take control of my body and, essentially, my life. Let me start with the fact that I have lupus.

I would never have thought this diagnosis would reach me. I was always healthy, very active and had no sort of telltale signs (that I recognized) that anything could be wrong. Then in April 2006, one of my locks fell out. I didn't see or feel it fall; I just suddenly realised there was a space in my head where a lock was. And then it wasn't. There was also a dark mark at the spot and a slight pain when I touched it. I didn't take it too seriously, but still thought it was worth checking out. Went to my doctor and she referred me to a dermatologist who confirmed what she thought: I had discoid lupus. A very nonchalant response from the dermatologist put my mind slightly at ease. This was not the "bad" kind. It was the easy-going, funloving sibling of the killer disease I had heard of and that had already taken the lives of two persons I loved. So, this was going to be an easy ride, right? Wrong! There is no "nice" or "easy-going" lupus. It doesn't take much for it to rapidly get out of control and affect you even further. It is certainly not a disease to be nonchalant about. Maybe this is a good point to explain the whole lupus thing.

Basically, lupus is an autoimmune disease where your defense cells (white blood cells) in your body get confused about the difference between the cells that are dangerous for you (viruses, bacteria, etc.) and your healthy cells. As a result, they try to kill them all. We generally say a lupus patient has an overactive immune system. This makes it important to avoid getting sick. A simple cold can send the immune system into attack mode. These attacks then get manifested in various ways: sun sensitivity, sores, butterfly rashes, discoid lesions, organ trouble and joint pains, to name a few. Through tests, other blood related abnormalities can be revealed. Of course, this is just a brief overview of the disease and it's characteristics. There's far more to it which I'll try to address in later posts.

It has been a roller coaster ride since my diagnosis, but everyday I give thanks that it is not any worse than it could be. This disease affects everyone in different ways and to different levels of intensity. Thankfully, none of my internal organs have been affected so far. However, over the years I have experienced severe hair loss, joint pains, fatigue, face rashes and photosensitivity (sensitivity to sunlight). I think my burnt-out feelings at the end of last term were a sign to finally knock this thing out for good. Of course, I have been working with doctors since my diagnosis, however, there are many lifestyle changes I can make to ensure good health, whether or not I have a condition. We hear it everyday; stress is the root cause of many diseases and lupus is no exception. Also, everything we expose our bodies to (whether through food, topical creams or various chemicals in our environment) can affect it negatively and in the same breath, can heal it.

I am not a doctor, but this disease has taught me so much about my body and what I need to do to help bring it to a healed state and keep it there. I would love to raise more awareness about the disease and help others who are suffering from it by sharing any tidbits I have picked up and continue to find along the way. So...I will TRY to update this blog weekly and touch on a different topic each time while sharing my understanding of this learning experience. Feel free to comment, ask questions, share stories...whatever it takes for us to garner more understanding of this condition that affects so many.

Here's to new beginnings and the start of a healthier life!