Lupus has a way of masking itself as other ailments. In the past, I’ve had to go to opthamologists because I briefly lost sight in my eyes. They said it was swelling, gave me some medicine and told me to come back in a few days. When I lost hearing in both my ears, the audiologist said it was swelling in my ears, gave me some medicine and told me to come back in a few days. Once, my heart felt as if it was going to explode. It felt like it was too big for my chest (only way to define the pain). The emergency room physician said the tests determined that my heart was fine, the EKG didn’t show anything but gave me some Dilaudid and sent me home. It was if I’d made it up in my head, but I didn’t. So, now I just don’t go to the doctor whenever something happens. I figure it’s probably Lupus.
A couple of days ago, I started to get some swelling in my left foot. I took a couple of Extra Strength Tylenol. I figured it would just go away. It didn’t. As a matter of fact, the pain began to travel up my left side and rested in my lower pelvic area. That’s when the pain sat me down. Yesterday, I woke up and the pain was in the left side of my chest, near my heart (again). I never assume it’s a heart attack anymore, but always assume it’s Lupus.
I get tired of doctors watching me having total body spasms or pains that are out of reach inside my body and them saying that they don’t understand why it’s happening and would rather just give me prescriptions for pain, and inflammation and also muscle relaxers just to get me out of their faces. I get it. This is why I don’t go whenever I feel bad. I just take my medicines and rest. There’s really nothing else they can do. There’s no cure.
The only drawback to taking those meds is that they are so strong, I am unable to take care of myself or anyone else. I can’t do any work because it’s hard to string two thoughts together. I don’t like the high. I don’t get how people want to feel like that. It feels like an out of body experience – like things are happening around you and you can’t do anything about it.
Well, I’m writing this blog as I am coming out of the high from this last round of drugs. Some of the pain is still there, but I can function better now. I’m still a little dizzy, able to write, but not much else. I won’t push it.
Lupus sucks. Please pray for a cure.
lavender fields creations 
Hello,
To every lupus patient, a different symptom and a different experience; so anything i might add might not even be relevant, but do give it a thought.
My wife has been battling lupus for 9 years now and somewhere in between, we got the same answers from different doctors to take painkiller and muscle relaxants. Her rheumatologist was the one who suggested, “treating symptoms with pain killers is not enough, you need to take care of the cause.” as it turns out she was on a flair. Her lupus meds slowly worked on controlling her flair and things went back to pain free then on.
Some swelling and pain do pop up time to time but not a severe as it would have been before.
Hope this helps.
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Thank you so much for the support. The Plaquenil helps me function from day to day but when I do have flares, nothing works except lots of rest. I’m learning what my triggers are currently, such as diet and lack of rest and working to improve in those areas.
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