Lupus, Is That You?

What makes lupus so confusing is that its symptoms are so similar to other diseases/illnesses/maladies, that it makes it difficult to discern what is what.

I have been dealing with recurring ear infections over the past few years (not sure if it is in any way connected to the lupus).  I never had a problem with it as a kid, but in the past few years, I'll get two or three a year.  I felt the start of one the other day so made an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow.  Last night, however, the pain got pretty bad and I could not sleep.  Add a fever, chills, and a sore throat, and I was not a happy camper.  When I woke up this morning, I was dizzy and could barely stand.  I called the doctor to see if I could come in today instead.  I was able to get in and she prescribed azithromycin for me.  I recently found that I was allergic to penicillin, so I couldn't take amoxicillin (which I usually get in liquid form because of my pill-swallowing issue).  Dr. C searched for another liquid for me, but the only thing she could find was azithromycin, which the pharmacist claimed was a tiny, tiny pill.  Okay, I can take my prednisone and levothyroxine, so a tiny pill should be okay.  Well, when I got it, it was NOT tiny.  It is pretty huge in my eyes.  Anyways, the pharmacist said I could crush it, so I could deal with it.

After picking up my medicine, I picked up some Burger King for lunch and headed in to work.  As I ate my lunch, I took my first dose of azithromycin.  An hour later, I didn't feel good.  My stomach was sore, I was nauseated, and I felt hot.  I decided to take the rest of the day off and go home.  The 5 block walk to my car felt much longer and I was worried if I would even be able to drive home safely.

I made it home and crawled into bed.  I had stomach cramps and diarrhea.  It got me worried because that is how my first flare started.  I slept for a few hours and felt a little better.  I'm still not sure what caused me to feel sick -- Was it lupus?  Was it a side effect of the azithromycin?  Was it the ear infection?  Or was it food poisoning?  Maybe a combination?

- a little lupie -