Advice about lupus?

My friend has recently been diagnosed with Lupus. She is in he early 30s and has two young children. The medication that the doctor gave her has a lot of side effects and this can potentially affect other parts of the body. She is really worried and does not know what to do. She has not taken the medication. She has the form of lupus that affects the joints at the moment but can this spread? I would appreciate any advice anyone can give. Thanks.Advice about lupus?
I know your friend is scared... try to support her and have her understand that:


(1) without medications, lupus KILLS


(2) she has two children who needs her alive. If ';full of side effects'; is what it takes to stay alive, then ';full of side effect'; is a GOOD thing.


(3) Just think, people like Seal or Barbara Bush have lupus. Life is not over for people with this condition!Advice about lupus?
Lupus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease - the body is producing antibodies against it's own tissues. It doesn't really spread but instead the body produces antibodies that attack different areas. So many different parts of the body can be involved and symptoms can come and go.





SLE is treatable with steroids, immunosuppressants and other drugs. While these can cause ';other problems'; it is the only treatment available. SLE can be fatal without treatment.





She should take her medication and follow all precautions from her doctor. It won't cure her, but it should relieve her symptoms and help her lead a fairly normal life.
take the medication, lupus will not only effect her joints but lupus can attack your organs! the meds calm down the immune system. I have lupus and a host of other auto immune disorders if its one thing i have learned its to take my meds.
Lupus is incurable, and left untreated can affect virtually any organ in the body.





All the medications have side effects. In fact, EVERY medication there is has side effects. The issue is to weigh the risk/benefit ratio and take measures to monitor yourself.





For example, when my lupus was very very very bad I took steroids. I took them for 3 1/2 years. I saw my doc every 3 months. Kept an eye on blood pressure, bone density, eyes, and blood sugar.





I take plaquenil twice a day. Sure it can, in very RARE cases cause chloroquine retinopathy and blindness, so I get a thorough eye exam as often as my rheumatologist suggests. If there is damage we can stop the med and keep my sight.





I take Cellcept for lupus nephritis. Sure it can cause lymphoma in very RARE cases. So my doc and I keep an eye on the lymph glands.





This year, I attended the funeral for a 36 year old mother who died from lupus complications.





So the question is, is she willing to take the risks in order to stay alive and functional? Is she willing to be a proactive patient and carefully monitor the potential side effects?





I suspect the real issue is not the side effects. The real issue is accepting the fact that she has an incurable disease and will need to take meds for the rest of her life to control it. And each time we have to take the meds, we are reminded that we have lupus...or whatever else we might have.





Check the link below and see if there is a lupus group in your area.