Lupus Essay

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“But you don't look sick.”. “If you just exercised more you would feel better.” , “It's all in your head.” , “You are just being lazy.”. These phrases are just a hand full of unkind things that people have said to me, simply because they do not understand my disease. Who could blame them? Doctors do not understand it. Researchers do not understand it. My parents do not understand it. My boyfriend does not understand it. Even I cannot understand it. I have Lupus. It is an unresolved disease that millions of people suffer with. Though there are numerous people diagnosed with lupus, there are very few people who know what it is, and how it impacts us from the time we wake up, to when we finally escape our pain with sleep. In this essay, I will explain what we know about lupus, what the symptoms are, and what kind of treatments are accessible for lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease. Normal immune system purposes are designed to defend our bodies from harmful bacteria, infections, foreign bodies etc.. People with lupus are unfortunate when it comes to immunity, because their immune systems attacks normal body tissue, and causes a terrible amount of inflammation. Lupus impacts numerous parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, blood vessels and even the brain. According to lupusresearch.org, women are more likely to have this disease than men. The website also informs us that African American women are two to three times at higher risk of being diagnosed with lupus than Caucasian women. Hispanic, Asian, and Native American women are also at a higher risk for lupus. What is even more alarming, is that major organ involvement, and grave varieties of lupus are found in African American and Hispanic women. Lupus is a... ... middle of paper ... ...lots of stomach pain and ulcers due to prednisone. It also carries the risk of causing diabetes and cataracts. Though prednisone helps me the most, I call them “the devil's tic tacs” due to the destructive consequences of overuse. Lupus has me utterly exhausted, overwhelmed, and hurts nearly every inch of my body. I do not remember what normal feels like, and it has completely changed me as a human being, as well as affecting every aspect of my life. to May is lupus awareness month. Instead of being sad, feeling sorry for myself, and hiding my disease from people, I will be spreading awareness. I think that if more people know about lupus, the better chance I have with people understanding my struggles instead of putting me down, and calling me lazy. To show support, and spread awareness, wear purple. I can only dream that someday we will defeat the wolf within me.

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