I have SLE lupus, which it affected my kidneys. Hear is a little bit about my story with lupus: For me it was completely out of the blue! I was in the hospital in Nov of 07 with pneumonia and it was at that time the doctors noticed I was passing high amounts of protein in my urine. They did a series of tests and couldn't find anything, so my family doctor kept an eye on things and sent me to a local kidney specialist. By Jan. of 08, I started to pass more protein in my urine and my creatinine number started to elevate. In Nov, my creatinine number was a .7 and by Jan. it was a 1.9. When the kidney specialist saw that he decided to have me get a kidney biopsy done. So I went to the hospital on Jan 28th so just an outpatient procedure, thinking nothing of it and by that afternoon I was getting admitted into the hospital and the doctor came into the room saying that I would be starting on chemotherapy the next day and high dosages of Predinsone (100mg). He told my family and me that I had lupus which affected my kidneys and that my creatinine number was a 3.9 and I was on the verge of dialysis. So to say the least I was scared to death! I went into the hospital feeling overall healthy. I was a little tired, but I just thought it was because I was working full-time and taking three classes in graduate school and doing an internship. I never thought I had a chronic illness!
I spent a week in the hospital and that is when everything in my life changed. I had to quit grad school and my internship, and I was put on temporary disability from work. The doctors put me on cytoxan, and high dosages of Prednisone, along with 15 other different medications, Plaquenil is one of them. The prednisone has made me gain over 70 pounds within the past 7 months, and from the chemotherapy drugs I started to lose my hair. I am a very self-conscious person, so even these adjustments have taken a toll on me! As far as my hair, I have always had really thick natural curly hair, it was my best feature (in my opinion). So when it started to fall out in clumps, I decided to shave my head. That was scary for me, but it is starting to grow back in a little bit now and I am handling it alot better than I was.
I am doing better now, my kidney function is around 50%, and my creatinine number is a 1.3. So I am very hopeful about the whole thing, (at least on most days) I will be honest with you, at the beginning I was devastated and very depressed. But I trust my doctors and I know one day I will get back to living as much of a normal life as possible.Courtney's Lupus Survivor Story
I have SLE lupus, which it affected my kidneys. Hear is a little bit about my story with lupus: For me it was completely out of the blue! I was in the hospital in Nov of 07 with pneumonia and it was at that time the doctors noticed I was passing high amounts of protein in my urine. They did a series of tests and couldn't find anything, so my family doctor kept an eye on things and sent me to a local kidney specialist. By Jan. of 08, I started to pass more protein in my urine and my creatinine number started to elevate. In Nov, my creatinine number was a .7 and by Jan. it was a 1.9. When the kidney specialist saw that he decided to have me get a kidney biopsy done. So I went to the hospital on Jan 28th so just an outpatient procedure, thinking nothing of it and by that afternoon I was getting admitted into the hospital and the doctor came into the room saying that I would be starting on chemotherapy the next day and high dosages of Predinsone (100mg). He told my family and me that I had lupus which affected my kidneys and that my creatinine number was a 3.9 and I was on the verge of dialysis. So to say the least I was scared to death! I went into the hospital feeling overall healthy. I was a little tired, but I just thought it was because I was working full-time and taking three classes in graduate school and doing an internship. I never thought I had a chronic illness!
I spent a week in the hospital and that is when everything in my life changed. I had to quit grad school and my internship, and I was put on temporary disability from work. The doctors put me on cytoxan, and high dosages of Prednisone, along with 15 other different medications, Plaquenil is one of them. The prednisone has made me gain over 70 pounds within the past 7 months, and from the chemotherapy drugs I started to lose my hair. I am a very self-conscious person, so even these adjustments have taken a toll on me! As far as my hair, I have always had really thick natural curly hair, it was my best feature (in my opinion). So when it started to fall out in clumps, I decided to shave my head. That was scary for me, but it is starting to grow back in a little bit now and I am handling it alot better than I was.
I am doing better now, my kidney function is around 50%, and my creatinine number is a 1.3. So I am very hopeful about the whole thing, (at least on most days) I will be honest with you, at the beginning I was devastated and very depressed. But I trust my doctors and I know one day I will get back to living as much of a normal life as possible.
