I’m going to go way back to my first fight with Lupus. Yes, I call it a fight and I WON! She put up quite the fight. But my God dominated! This was the first sign that I had an illness. Unfortunately, I did not realize what it was until months later. This was mostly due to the fact that I refused to listen to my family and call a doctor! Opps.
In December 2011 I woke up with pain and stiffness in my fingers and hands. My hands would be stuck in the position as if I were holding a pop can. But eh, there was no can there! They were often red and sometimes swollen. Some days were worse than others. Most days, it would take till afternoon before the pain and stiffness would subside. It started out mostly hitting me in the mornings, but then the pain would go well into the afternoon and evening. It was during these nights where I would save the dirty dishes for evening just to get some relief from the pain! Ahh, warm water! What a relief! And added bonus, I got the dishes done! :)
I remember one evening getting so frustrated that I couldn’t even change my own daughters diaper or put on her pajamas. I cried and felt helpless. I felt like a horrible mother. My guy quickly stepped up during these times, helping me do what I just simply couldn’t, and reminding me that I am NOT a horrible mom!
My work girls and I would try and diagnose. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome was a hit. There were a couple days at work where I would have to ask the other nurse working with me to open up my patient’s pills and fill syringes for me. My fingers just would not work how I wanted them too!
Then this crazy pain and stiffness threw me for a loop! One weekend around Christmas my knees were attacked by pain and stiffness just as my hands had been. Only now, my walking was affected. That weekend I remember having to crawl up the stairs! “Look E, mommy has to crawl like you now!” Lol (She wasn’t walking yet at that time) Some days it would be both knees, other days, just one knee.
She (lupus) didn’t stop there! She just HAD to find another spot to try and debilitate me! To the toes she goes! It’s like the pain and stiffness was working its way down. Well, there’s nothing past my toes so good!
My family kept telling me to call the doc. But I didn’t. Just when I actually thought about it I would have a good day with hardly any pain or no pain at all! I asked my unit doc for his opinion. He wasn’t sure, but told me it sounded like Rheumatoid Arthritis. I disagreed and said I was too young for that!
There was an end in site! Praise Jesus! My sis and I stared Prism at church. Basically, Prism is a weight loss group where you rid your diet of refined sugar and flours. I wanted to lose some weight, but more so, wanted to be healthy and create a better healthy eating lifestyle for my family. 1 ½ weeks into the program, the pain and swelling in my hands, knees, and feet that I had been experiencing for a month now had vanished!! All I have to say is that it’s amazing the simple changes we can make in our lifestyle to better ourselves!
To find out more information about Prism visit: http://www.pwlp.com/
A new class starts often at DFC. I highly recommend this program! It really works!
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