Thanks mygrljes -- that's what I was afraid of. Sigh. My plan was to get my flu shot the exact same week I came down with it. Now that things have settled down and the fever is gone, I shall go get...
Well, THAT wasn't fun. I had the flu for the first time since lupus came into my life. Apparently, my immune system is too busy misbehaving to do what it's supposed to do. I was useless for a whole...
Here's something worth a try. I've been tortured by excruciating, intractable leg cramps (charlie horses, if you will) for years. They keep me up all night sometimes. I'm a plaquenil resister, but...
Doctors in general, yes. It's pandemic. Years ago, I took care of a partner who had (still has, that is, altho she dumped me) AIDS. She was very symptomatic and unable to work. One day, after years...
I love my job, as jobs go, but if I had only six months left I would quit it. I would need the time to finish the current book and write the next one. When I wasn't writing, I would practice...
Pain is a prison. I get out and walk in the yard. The sun blinds me. My guts warn me that this better not be a prelude to wanders further afield. The analgesic that comes closest to working is... TV....
At last! A topic I know something about . :o) Go here to find an APP (Association of Professional Piercers) member. APP members have been trained to create and maintain a sterile field, much the same...
Yes, the reason I don't want to try the plaquenil is because I already have eye problems. I have scarring and a cyst in the right retina, so that eye is pretty much toast already. I have floaters and...
What if my visual field is already significantly compromised? At what point does this test indicate to stop the plaquenil, or can it under the circumstances? (I know, I know, I will ask the doc......
First, the thanks: Thank you all for being here! You scare the bajeezus out of me and talk so openly and are so supportive. On the hours of the days when I am willing to believe my diagnosis (denial...
As of yesterday's anti-dsDNA results and the pretty pictures I showed the rheumy of my butterfly rash, I am diagnosed. Dandy. I feel pretty good most days. I'm in great shape, actually. But I am more...
The intARnets tell me that, besides the drugs (that I so far refuse to take because the side effects would be worse than my current lupus symptoms), the way to prevent flares is to avoid sun...
My wee bravery, to be honest, is avoidance of the bigger bravery I need. I will need to do a presentation in May. I know I can do it, but I want to do it WELL -- i.e., not gripping the sides of the...
I have no advice, but this thread is giving me some, so thanks. Doc suggested I start Plaquenil (he used the generic name, and I went crazy trying to research it, doh!) for the leg cramps that often...
Welcome, Percy! /community/emoticons/smile.gif (I can say that even though I'm brand new myself, right?) I'm so glad you had the endoscopy! As I read this thread, I wondered why your original doc...
Noob! Not new to anxiety/panic/agoraphobia, unfortunately, but new to this forum. I've been struggling with some level of agoraphobia on and off since my mid-20s, when I was homebound for several...