Questions & Answers

From the beginning of treatment my rheumy put me on 400mg of Plaquenil daily. I take one pill in the morning and one at night. I struggled sticking to my meds and treatment plan for the first couple months or my diagnosis because I was in denial and didn't really believe it so I just recently started taking my medications again as prescribed (I was diagnosed October 2015).

The Plaquenil really upsets my stomach. I get acid reflux and it triggers my GERD and I wake up with a sore throat all… read more

I keep getting head spins and have noticed my memory seems to have just gone. I'll be asked to do something and 2 mins later, I've completely forgotten. Does anyone know if memory fog/loss is mainly during a flare up or does it come back?

New to this site :) This is not a question but rather a comment regarding the diagnosis of Lupus and it's symptoms. :)

When I was first diagnosed with Lupus, a ANA test and others I told the Physician, a GP that I would worry about "that" (meaning Lupus) if I ever had any symptoms.

Almost three years later I began having problems walking, using my hands, washing my hair, I lost tolerance to cold in my hands and feet and my cognitive function had really gone south. I went in a few times over… read more

My question is about memory issues. I hear people talk all the time about memory fog but I sometimes feel like that is not accurate for what I am experiencing. I am forgetting simple things like spelling words correctly, finding the right words to make sentences, forgetting names and faces of people I should know and this is the small stuff. I have laughed it off from time to time. I went to eat with my co workers and when the waitress brought our food out I forgot what I ordered! I luckily… read more

Does anyone have good treatments for mouth sores? I’ve gotten painful lesions on my tongue and inside my mouth for the last 35 years, and only recently found a couple products that helped. The best one is the over the counter Colgate mouthwash called Peroxyl. You are only supposed to use it for a week, but mine were gone in five days. The other thing I found is L-Lysine, an over the counter protein precursor. I take it daily and after serval weeks it started helping my mouth sores but… read more

Lupus and Depression: Knowing the Signs

Life with lupus can be challenging. With symptoms that come and go, disease flares and remissions, and the uncertainty of what each day will bring, it’s normal to experience feelings of unhappiness, frustration, anger, or sadness. It’s also normal to grieve for the loss of the life you had before lupus.

There is a difference between temporary negative feelings and negative feelings that become overwhelming and long-lasting, which may signal a serious but… read more

Lupus Fact:
Up to 60% of all people with lupus will develop kidney complications.

BEING AWARE
Kidney disease often presents without obvious symptoms. Because of this, it is important to be on the lookout for the following symptoms:
1. Foamy urine
2. Blood in the urine
3. Dark urine
4. Changes in the frequency of urination
5. Water retention or weight gain throughout the body, including the legs and hands

I am new to the Lupie world and have a question. On the days, mornings, nights when you are not in a flare but, feeling extreme exhaustion and pain which is better? Do you push through the pain or rest til it passes? I am finding myself washing dishes with a dizzy head and shaking hands, doing laundry on the floor because I cannot stand to fold, and I have started to sleep downstairs more due to the stairs. On the days I'm pushing through I find myself praying that I make it through without… read more

The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test is commonly used to look for autoantibodies that attack components of your cells’ nucleus, or “command” center, triggering autoimmune disorders like lupus.  95% of people with lupus test positive for ANA, but a number of other, non-lupus causes can trigger a positive ANA, including infections and other autoimmune diseases. The ANA test simply provides another clue for making an accurate diagnosis.

For patients with a positive ANA, more tests are usually… read more