Tis the Season...

...for lupus flares :(

I think I've mentioned before, but the holidays seem to be the time for my lupus to flare.  It may have to do with the weather and the additional flurry of activities.  I don't feel particularly stressed, but I do have a lot more going on, both at work and at home.

This year, I am also dealing with being off of some of my medications.  I'm no longer taking prednisone, azathioprine, and procrit.  Some of the symptoms I've noticed are joint pain, fatigue, and mouth sores.  For the past week, my eyes have felt strained and I've been getting bad headaches...but I'm not sure if that is due to the lupus or not.

I had another outdoor service project that I had to go to for work on Friday.  I was dreading it all month.  The service project is "mandatory" and while I probably could get a medical exemption, I haven't decided how "public"  I want to be with my condition.  I don't want people to define me by my condition and I don't want people to feel sorry for me.  At the same time, I do want people to understand why I may not be full of energy and excited to do these types of activities.  So, I went to the service project on Friday but tried to lay low and stay in the shade.  There were a few others doing the same, and I've learned not to judge people as being "lazy" or "unmotivated," because I never know what their story is.  Sometimes I do wonder if others are dealing with the same thing as I am.

I did get a few mosquito bites that are large and painful.  As I've mentioned in a previous post, I'm wondering if my extreme reaction to mosquito bites is related to lupus.  I think I'll ask Rheumy about this at my next appointment.

I don't get the typical malar rash from the sun that other lupies get, but I am wondering if I have some kind of photosensitivity.  The sun seems to zap my energy and can make the malaise kick-in.  When I got home from the service project, I took a shower and knocked out at about 4:30 pm.  I slept all the way until 8:30 am the next morning and still felt tired.  I forced myself out of bed to eat and move around but was dealing with a headache that only got worse with bright lights.  I decided to head in early again that evening and finally feel back to normal today.

I've kind of been in denial about this flare because I was doing so well.  I was just about to hit my 6-month remission milestone, and I'd hate to have to restart my clock again.  I feel like it is passing, so I'll see what Rheumy says when I meet with him in a couple weeks.

- a little lupie -