My name is Arianna. I have Lupus. But I am NOT Lupus. I have a life outside of Lupus, in spite of Lupus.  So, I'll give you some background on me. :) This is the boring part, but I guess I've gotta get through it. 

I go by Sunshine. I like to be Sunny. I am a 31 year old divorced mother of one 14 year old amazing young lady. I have a boyfriend that has stood by my side for 7 years. I grew up playing the violin and loving every instrument I could get my hands on that had strings. I don't play so much anymore, but I love music still. I listen to so many different types of music and it's always evolving. I love to make stuff. I have made boxes, wreaths, artificial centerpieces, tie dye, and anything else that I can come up with. I like to travel and I love music concerts. I work for an large online retailer and I LOVE it. 

I got diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosis with Lupus Nephritis in January 2015. I had so many symptoms that were undiagnosed for so long. And this is a common theme for Lupus Patients. We go through so many different diagnoses before we ever get the right one. I was told I had fibromyalgia, possibly arthritis, depression. Nothing explained it all. It wasn't until I had actually gotten really really really sick before I got the right diagnosis. 
So what IS Lupus? I'd say that's easy to explain. But it's not. 

Lupus is an autoimmune disease. Put as simply as I can, Lupus basically means that sometimes, my immune system is working when it doesn't need to be. Other times, it works way too hard and starts to attack my organs. That's how I ended up with lupus nephritis (Lupus that's affected the kidneys at some point.) Until my diagnosis, I had never had the flu. True story...never had the flu. I didn't actually understand what the flu wass supposed to feel like. Lupus is much deeper and much more complex than that, but I don't fully understand it myself. Hopefully, we'll discover more together as I learn and write about it.
Lupus can have complications that can be fatal, especially if not properly treated. Lupus is a managable disease, not a terminal disease. Having lupus doesn't mean I'm going to die soon. In fact, if I take my medications, stay somewhat mobile and active, and maintain a healthier diet, I'll live pretty close to a normal life span. There are some pretty awesome resources for learning more about Lupus and I would love it if people would take a second to learn one fact. We can't raise awareness about something that can be so debilitating if no one learns anything or asks any questions. I would love it if someone asked me some questions. :-) 

  • Lupus.Org is a great beginning resource. It's a link to the Lupus Foundation of America and they break things down pretty well for understanding. 
  • The Spoon Theory is an article written by Christine Miserandino. She writes about trying to explain to her best friend what it's like to live with Lupus. It's become a universal way to communicate among "Lupies" about how we're doing. We say things like, "How are your spoons today?" and "I'm out of spoons today." Please read her article. I'm not sure what the word I'm looking for is this: It's like the Lupus anthem, only in article form.Whatever the word is for anthem in article form would be, that's it. :) 



I have something called Borderline Personality Disorder. I can explain even less of that than I can lupus. It's kind of like I have a hard time regulating my emotions. When I feel, I feel deeply. Also, much much more complicated than that. So again, I give you links. Lol. 


I tell you all of this because it makes me part of who I am. But I am NOT my lupus. I am NOT Borderline Personality Disorder. I AM a mother, a girlfriend, a coworker, an employee, a crafter, a musician, a friend. I want to start this blog so I can talk about all of the things in my life. Sometimes, my day is completely occupied by my lupus. Other days, I'm so busy living my life that I don't even remember that I have lupus. :) Hopefully this gives you the beginning of an idea of who I am and hopefully you come back and read more! :) Any questions, let me know! :) 

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