katheriner

Hi, Sorry about your friend being sick with Lupus and school. Each person is different meaning symptoms, pain tolerance, extent of the disease, etc. Unfortunately, stress just aggravates the Lupus more and triggers flares. I have to say that I don't think there is any way that I could have handled nursing school and this disease. Again, everyone is different and really no two Lupus patients are exactly alike. Meaning....one may have organ involvement and require high dose steroids, etc. Where another one may only require Plaquenil to relieve their symptoms. I go to a Lupus support group monthly and there is one girl who rarely has any symptoms. Wish I was like that. Is your friend on medications for her/his Lupus yet? I hope it helps him/her. It's not a fun disease to live with. If I can be of anymore help let me know. I was diagnosed 3 years ago and it has been a challange working with Lupus. I honestly have to say I don't know how much longer I can tolerate working. I love my job and it makes me angry that this disease is probably going to rob me of my career too. I LOVE being an oncology nurse and will miss the patients terribly when I have to walk away from my nursing career. Well you take care and I will help you with any other questions if you need me to. Kathy

Hi, I am an outpatient radiation oncology nurse. I couldn't handle 12 hour shifts with this Lupus and am having a very difficult time with working now. When are you supposed to get your results back? I hope you're not feeling too sick from your symptoms as Lupus can certainly make you feel downright miserable at times. Are you taking anything right now such as Prednisone or anti-inflammatories for the pain? What symptoms do you have? If I can be of any help with answering questions please let me know. Good luck and I hope you don't have Lupus. Take care, Kathy

Hello to all of you nurses who have an autoimmune disease!! I have to say it is very DIFFICULT to stay working with a disease such as Lupus. I feel like as time goes by a new symptom or problem develops from this ugly stuff. I am taking lots of different medications for it. Any of you Lupie nurses have esophageal spasms? I developed these about 3 months ago. They cause a lot of pain and my food gets stuck. I take Percocet for the pain. The rheumy put me on Diltiazem which hasn't helped. I see the Motility specialist again on the 3rd of April. Just wondering if any of you Lupies have developed this problem and if anything has worked for you. I feel for all of you who suffer with this disease. It is an invisible disease as they say and only a Lupie could understand how it feels to be so sick, but look so well. Take care everyone and I look forward to sharing treatments, etc. Thanks for that website for the Hep B information. I am going to go and read it now. Take care, Kathy

Hi, Good idea she is seeing a nephrologist. If needed they will probably do a kidney biopsy if they suspect kidney damage due to Lupus, etc. Hopefully, nothing serious is going on. Good luck Katheriner

Hi, Just wondering if there are any other nurses in this group who has Systemic Lupus? Katheriner:rolleyes: