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By Katy DiVirgilius
Education/Religion editor
“Is it real?
“According to two doctors, I have lupus.
“It started almost six years ago – I woke up on a chilly March morning to go to my college class, and my hands felt like they had cotton stuffed in every joint.
“I knew it wasn’t right. I was 21. College kids in their early 20s do not get stiff, achy hands.
“Six months later, the symptoms did not cease. My primary care physician was stumped, and he sent me to a rheumatologist, Dr. Hamilton (who wore leopard-print heels).
“She poked at me, asked me many questions and ultimately sent me to have at least 10 blood tests.
“From what I understood of the results, my white blood cells were in overdrive and attacking my immune system.
“This, in addition to inflamed joints, fibromyalgia and Raynaud’s phenomenon – restricted blood circulation to extremities, causing discoloration and coldness – led Dr. Hamilton to diagnose me with lupus in November of that year.
“None of my organs were affected at this point, I guess because treatment was started only a few months after my first joint pain experience.
“Dr. Hamilton assigned me a steroid, a heavy dosage of an NSAID and the staple lupus prescription, hydroxychloroquine, which was originally designed to treat malaria.
“My mom and grandma were not happy with the results, obviously, and encouraged me to see world-renowned lupus specialist Dr. Petri at Johns Hopkins, which I did. The three of us went to Baltimore and had a nice day despite Dr. Petri’s agreeing with Dr. Hamilton’s diagnosis.
“A woman from my mom’s church has lupus, and she told me about how her fingernails crack, among other symptoms.
“Thanks for giving me something to anticipate.
“During the next year or two, Dr. Hamilton and I had to experiment with different prescription combinations to find the one that curbed the fibromyalgia, which was the most frustrating part of the whole experience.
“Doorknobs? Could barely turn them. Getting dressed? Try putting on a shirt with knives stabbing your shoulders, elbows and hands every time they move.
“I remember thinking that if a senior citizen is grumpy, their joint pain is probably the reason why.
“I was living with my brother at the time, and asked him to open a bottle of orange juice in a silly voice that we both laughed at.
“He joked about opening the bottle, but then said, ‘Oh, it’s because of your problem, I guess that’s not funny.’
“Way to make it serious!
“Chemically, my body was starting to freak out, so my moods and energy levels were all over the place. I let this continue for at least three years until a boyfriend (now my husband) became exasperated with it.
“Dr. Hamilton gave me the lowest dose of an anti-depressant, and that solved everything. I finally felt normal.
“I got married about a year-and-a-half ago.
“I went to CVS to pick up a prescription one day, and the pharmacist saw the list Dr. Hamilton had given me, and she got really quiet, ‘Can I ask you a question?’
“‘Sure.”
“‘Do you have lupus?’
“‘Yes.’
“‘Me too. I saw the prescriptions and I’m on the same ones. I have Raynaud’s, and after I had my daughter I got a horrible rash all over,’ she told me. ‘You’re so young.’
“Something to look forward to?
“Ettore, my husband, and I decided that starting a family was the right path for us about a year ago. This meant I had to get all the prescriptions I was taking out of my system.
“I was a little worried.
“Surprisingly, I felt no change three months after I weaned myself from the drugs.
“What? It’s that simple?
“I became pregnant, and mentioned my history of lupus to the doctor, who referred me to a Lewistown rheumatologist.
“When I saw her, she did not believe that I had lupus because none of my organs were affected. I told her Dr. Petri gave me the diagnosis, which changed her mind a tad, but she was still highly skeptical.
“All I can say is, time will tell. I know autoimmune disease prescriptions helped me before, so when symptoms start again, if they ever do, I’ll know how to combat it.”