Ok. They biopsied me last Thursday; I have yet to get the results ... in the MAIL... of the tests. I have since found out that they removed one polyp and biopsied another. I've had this test done 3 times now, so why is my throat killing me? It could be a cold, or something more serious. Who knows. My voice is now deeper than Demi Moore's. And I have a puny cough.
I gave a speech last night to my dad's Knights of Columbus group. They were very receptive and sweet. I could not have been more nervous - and the room was super hot. Not a good combo. I nearly lost my voice a few times, but we did raise about $75.
We have our first fundraiser tonight at Taco Cabana. I wasn't sure who to invite, but I hope some people show up.
Did you know that October was Lupus Awareness Month? Neither did I. Thanks, Martha. While I know a few people that have Lupus, I honestly don't know much about it.
So, thanks to the internets:
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can target your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs. The great majority of people affected are women. For reasons that aren't clear, lupus develops when the immune system attacks your body's own tissues and organs.
Although lupus can affect any part of the body, most people experience symptoms in only a few organs. The most common symptoms of people with lupus are listed below. Occurrences of particular symptoms happening are listed as percentages.
* Achy joints / arthralgia (95 percent)
* Fever of more than 100 degrees F / 38 degrees C (90 percent)
* Arthritis / swollen joints (90 percent)
* Prolonged or extreme fatigue (81 percent)
* Skin Rashes (74 percent)
* Anemia (71 percent)
* Kidney Involvement (50 percent)
* Pain in the chest on deep breathing / pleurisy (45 percent)
* Butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose (42 percent)
* Sun or light sensitivity / photosensitivity (30 percent)
* Hair loss (27 percent)
* Abnormal blood clotting problems (20 percent)
* Raynaud's phenomenon / fingers turning white and/or blue in the cold (17 percent)
* Seizures (15 percent)
* Mouth or nose ulcers (12 percent)
If you have several of these symptoms, see your doctor right away.
Ok. It sounds really unfun. Treatment can include chemo. How sucky is that?
Just another reason to not buy anything pink.
Posted by debutaunt at October 10, 2007 08:46 AMYou know that nasty Graft-Vs-Host you have in your stomach? Lupus is like that, except I have it in my heart, brain, kidneys, lungs, GI tract, muscles, blood vessels, joints, skin, blood cells, etc. It's autoimmune, meaning that my immune system doesn't recognize my tissues as my own and mounts an attack as if the cells were foreign invaders. That's why I take some of the same drugs (including Rituxan) and may need a BMT someday. When they find the cure for cancer, they might be able to use it to reform my immune system too. Until then, I'm chugging the CellCept and Prednisone along with you and yours. Here's some info. http://www.lupus.org/education/LAM_main.html
Take care! Rachel Y.