Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease which can affect any organ in the body. It's a lot more serious than discoid lupus which is rather benign and affects only the skin. Systemic lupus is hard to diagnose because it can mimic so many other diseases and ailments. It's often misdiagnosed. One of my initial symptoms when I was in my early 20's was severe, debilitating joint pain in my wrists, elbows, knees, hip. I also had inflammation deep inside my kidneys (lupus nephritis). Only knew something was going on in my kidneys because my urine looked like draft beer filled with white worms and blood. I have known patients whose lupus affected their central nervous system, their skin (lots of rashes and sensitivity to sunlight), their heart (one patient got an infection in her heart that they couldn't control and she died), I never had fibromyalgia nor did any of the lupus patients I met ever have that. I was on a 5-year study at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland back when my lupus was pretty active. My urologist thinks one of the drugs I took on that study contributed to my bladder cancer which was diagnosed FORTY years after my involvement in the study ended. I don't take medication any more for the lupus as it has been dormant for about 30 years. However I still see a rheumatologist and nephrologist who keep tabs on certain test results and organ function due to my lupus history. Lots of blood tests show the lupus is still there (it's not something that goes away) but it's just in a quiet state.... thank god.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2022 01:37PM by MamaRAMa.