Sixth months after I was diagnosed with Lupus, my sister, parents, and I all caught a 24 hour virus. They got better, but I didn't. I started having fevers. I was hospitalized for a weekend to find the source, but they were unable to find one. My fevers started getting better, and I was released.
By Wednesday, the fevers were back. I began feeling weak and unable to stand up. I couldn't stay awake for longer than an hour or two, and felt extremely dehydrated. That Friday, I was asleep in my bed when my mom came running in my room. She had been about to go out to lunch with a few friends, but had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her instinct was correct. My temperature had reached 103.5. She rushed me to the E.R., and by the time we got there my temperature had reach 104.2. The nurse had to take my blood pressure three times on two different machines because it was so low she thought it had to be an error. I was immediately put on I.V.s and monitors, and...to improve. I found out later that the 24 hour virus had triggered Macrophage Activation Syndrome, which occurs mainly in younger Lupus patients. This syndrome caused my immune system to go crazy and attack my organs very quickly. It was destroying my liver by the time I got to the E.R. If my mom had left the house that day like she had intended to, I would have had a stroke or a heart attack and most likely would have been dead by the time she returned.
This all occured a week before my 18th birthday. It took almost a year for me to recover both mentally and physically. Now, my Lupus is under control and I hope to be in remission soon.Meghan Hartsell's Lupus Survivor Story
Sixth months after I was diagnosed with Lupus, my sister, parents, and I all caught a 24 hour virus. They got better, but I didn't. I started having fevers. I was hospitalized for a weekend to find the source, but they were unable to find one. My fevers started getting better, and I was released.
By Wednesday, the fevers were back. I began feeling weak and unable to stand up. I couldn't stay awake for longer than an hour or two, and felt extremely dehydrated. That Friday, I was asleep in my bed when my mom came running in my room. She had been about to go out to lunch with a few friends, but had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her instinct was correct. My temperature had reached 103.5. She rushed me to the E.R., and by the time we got there my temperature had reach 104.2. The nurse had to take my blood pressure three times on two different machines because it was so low she thought it had to be an error. I was immediately put on I.V.s and monitors, and...to improve. I found out later that the 24 hour virus had triggered Macrophage Activation Syndrome, which occurs mainly in younger Lupus patients. This syndrome caused my immune system to go crazy and attack my organs very quickly. It was destroying my liver by the time I got to the E.R. If my mom had left the house that day like she had intended to, I would have had a stroke or a heart attack and most likely would have been dead by the time she returned.
This all occured a week before my 18th birthday. It took almost a year for me to recover both mentally and physically. Now, my Lupus is under control and I hope to be in remission soon.
