Lisa's Story

Twelve years ago, I woke up one morning and could not move! I thought that I was in a really bad dream. After coming to the realization that it was not a dream, I started to panic. I tried so hard to get help and started to cry because of the pain and the fear of not being able to move. My husband helped me up slowly as I could not get up on my own. I could not shower, dress myself or walk. Eating had become excruciatingly painful because my jaws were in severe pain and I could not open and close my hands to even hold the food. Arthritis had ravaged through my entire body which caused my joints to stiffen.
This was the beginning of my long journey to recovery. Since being diagnosed with lupus, I have also suffered from short term memory loss due to my central nervous system becoming ‘flared’. Having my short term memory affected was very frustrating. Conversations became extremely difficult because I would forget words and lose my train of thought. I can hear them talk and see their lips move but I could not clearly hear nor comprehend what they were saying to me. All I was left with was pointing to objects or drawing pictures to get my thought across to people. Reading had become a challenge as well. I would read the same sentence over and over again until I can understand what I was reading. Summer are the most difficult months for me. I cannot be outdoors to enjoy the warmth of the sun. The sun’s UV and the heat cause severe headaches, heart palpitation, dizziness and overall swelling. I used to play golf but now I can’t. I stay mostly indoors during this season to keep cool.
With my lupus, I also suffer from fibromyalgia, raynauds phenomenon, migranes, sun sensitivity and high blood pressure. Through a ‘cocktail’ of medication such as methotrexate (oral chemo), immune suppresent drugs (imuran), steroid (predisone), and other medications, I have been able to control my lupus.
Having lupus has taught me not to take anything for granted. Instead of feeling self pity and say ‘why me?’ instead, I say… ‘Why, not me?’ I firmly believe that we all have a purpose in life and I think that my purpose is to raise funds and awareness for lupus research.
My story can be found at www.lupusspringfling.com.
Good luck.
Lisa Cherry