Life with the Wolf

The Wolf... a common nickname for Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE), usually just called Lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder where your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your body. It can attack many organs in your body, hence "systemic." Common symptoms are rash (often aggravated by the sun), joint pain and fatigue. Since pretty much any organ or connective tissue can be attacked and the symptoms vary so much that it is called "The disease with 1000 faces." As recently as the 1950's, the 10 year survival rate for Lupus sufferers was 50%. Improved treatment with drugs combined with recent advances in diagnosing Lupus have resulted in much improved lives, with many Lupus sufferers living a relatively normal life. There can be times of remission lasting months or years. The most common cause of death these days is the result of infection due to immunosuppression. For me, life with Lupus means a lot of joint pain and severe fatigue. It comes and goes and can be aggravated by many things. I have also become very sensitive to chemicals such as perfumes, chlorine, insect repellant and many others. Reactions can be almost instant and can result in acute headaches, dizziness and nausea. There is a very good Wicki about Lupus here. It goes into quite a bit of detail and has a wealth of accurate information. The Wicki appears to have been written by medical professionals but can be understood by lay persons as well. Overall it is an excellent reference article. There is also an excellent article at Emedecine.com here but it is a bit harder to understand. There is quite a bit of mis-information about Lupus mainly because in the past it was usually diagnosed very late in the progression of the disease and many people died as a result. There are also a bunch of "alternative" treatments and "cures" but they should be taken with more than a grain of salt. A recent book, "Positive Options for Living with Lupus," which the library owns, is an excellent resource.