The Day After.

Well, I decided yesterday morning that I was going to try to enjoy the day with my kids who wanted to go to Great America. So I took a Motrin before going to help with the pain and inflammation and we went. I wore SPF 50 sunscreen and long sleeves and my big floppy hat to keep the sun off my face and head. I did use a wheelchair off and on. I tried to walk as often as I could so I'd push it for about ten minutes at a time. It was good because I always had a soft place to rest out of the sun. Unfortunately, that really didn't matter. Today, I awoke to pain and swelling and this fiery pain on my face unlike anything I've experienced before. I reached up to rub my face and almost screamed out in pain. There are tiny blisters all over my face that burn and hurt so bad! Feels like third degree burns. I took pics of them. I've had two or three of them before, but never all over my face. I've also got spots of burning pain here and there on my body. Center of my back etc. I've had this before, I was told it's fibro.

Anyway, Not sure if this is Lupus related or not...so if anyone can tell me the answer to that (if they've ever experienced this) I would appreciate it greatly.

Gentle Hugs :)

Heidi

What's been goin on.....

Hello everyone, sorry it's been a few weeks but I have been uber busy with my daughters College app's and Scholarships lately. Let's see, my little guy DJ turned seven on the 29th of March. WooHoo! We took him to Great America since it was opening day. We all have passes so it was a cost effective birthday too :) It was pretty hot that day "which I wasn't expecting" so it was a rough day for me. I walked in and spent about 20 to 25 minutes on my feet before the pain hit. My legs and the arches of my feet were screaming! It was like my body was touched by the sun and it caused all my other symptoms to explode onto the scene! I couldn't really walk anymore. There was no way I was going to make it around the park so my Joe went to the front to get a wheelchair. They were out! I was in trouble. I spent the better part of the day on shady benches while everyone else ran off to play. Seems I remember the exact same thing happening to me at Disneyland a few years ago. I would've gone home, but it was my son's birthday and I didn't want to ruin it for him. My back was screaming by the time I got home and I had blisters on my face and chest. NICE. Now.... I went to the neurologist a two weeks ago and was told that I have Hashimoto's disease. I was not aware of this but apparently, she diagnosed me two years ago. Hmmph. So I have a memory test this week and a brain scan next week. She is looking for the reason for the memory loss, tremor and involuntary jerking. I started taking vitamin B12 and D3 also, as I apparently have a deficiency. Hopefully that helps something. My gen prac says that the foot pain i'm experiencing is plantar fasciitis. He prescribed me Diclofenac for pain (which I have yet to fill) and told me to get some good orthodics. Then two days ago, I went to my dermatology appointment and the doctor found a suspicious lump on my left cheek. I now have a hole just below my cheekbone, with nasty stitches sticking out. Bleck! Sooo...as you can tell. Life is good! :) I am alive and mobile so I guess I can't complain. It's just life as usual for now. Could be worse.

OH!! By the way!! Please click on the (My hero is my angel) thumbnail to the right of the blogs. It is a link to my teams WALK FOR LUPUS NOW website. Help us if you can! Be a miracle in a special way and help us survive this battle! Thank you!
ONE LOVE! ~Heidi

Itchy palm of left hand with small lumps

My left hand has been killing me for the last two days. It itches so bad and is a bit painful if heat is applied. Cold is the only thing (topically) that helps the itch and pain. There are several small lumps beneath the skin there. They are center of the palm just above the wrist. I finally started looking on the internet for others who suffer the same issue and lo and behold, it is also a symptom of Lupus! SLE to be exact. I would never have placed this as an autoimmune condition. Just had to post this because I was shocked to learn it was.

Alternately, I am dealing with serious foot pain as of late. It feels like the tendons are shrinking or shortening. When I walk, it feels like I am hyper extending them to the point they may snap like an old rubber band. It really hurts! My Momma had a similar condition where her arms curled in as did her hands and they had to be forced open because of how tight the ligaments were. She ended up with drop foot as well there in the end. So I know the risk of no treatment but I also know that if you don't use it, you lose it. My Mother was pretty much immobile. I am doing all I can to avoid that happening. Back to the foot thing, at the end of the day when I finally sit to relax, I get what feel like charlie horses in my feet and they hurt bad. My doctor gave me an anti-inflammatory pain reliever prescription called (Diclofenac). He said it's similar to Motrin. I looked it up and it has some frightening side effects and circulatory warnings for those who have suffered heart attack, stroke and prior blood clot. Sooo....that being said, and with my history of pulmonary embolism, I've decided not to fill this prescription but rather take Motrin instead since he said that was the treatment/result he was going for anyway.

I know, I can be a bit stubborn at times, but this is MY BODY that I have to live with for as long as I possibly can. I have no advocate but myself.. I would like to have my functions and ability to LIVE well for a long time. If I feel that a treatment may be a (benefit does not outweigh the risk) scenario....I just won't take it. That's where I'm at with the steroids too. I've done my best to incorporate multiple anti-inflammatory foods into my daily diet. I also try to exercise when I can. No matter how little, I do what I can each day. I also do not take pain medication unless I am dying!