Complications since moving back to Denver, CO

I moved back to Denver, CO August of 2008. I was barely walking, felt weak all the time, & constantly slept. At this time I was on 12 medications but took 17 pills throughout the day. I was absolutely miserable, but happy to be back home. I started seeing a new rheumatologist & went to an appointment for blood work each week. During this time winter in Denver was coming & I could feel it in every inch of my body, my joints were hurting, I had pain & to top it all off I had gained 72 pounds & had insomnia. I didn't think that lupus could attack anything else, that is until I was informed that the protein in my urine was very high & I needed to get a kidney biopsy.

I was told that a kidney biopsy was no problem & an easy quick procedure that only required an overnight stay in the hospital. It is to see if lupus is actually attacking my kidney. I went in for this procedure on October 17, 2008 & was admitted into the hospital for 7 days due to complications. My kidney was punctured during the procedure & I internally bled, I lost conscienceness & was put on oxygen, it was what I call another close call. I was told by the physicians that only 1 in 1000 people have complications with this particular procedure & it was just my luck that I was that 1 person. I had difficulty with urination & my catheter due to blood clot build up in my abdomen, it was a horrible painful stay & when I finally started passing blood clots & urine after 3 days, I was so Thankful to God for seeing me through.

After that procedure I had a talk with God & myself & decided that I would try my best to stay out of the hospital, if I could help it. Granted that procedure was not my fault, but going through that was a horrible experience. To make a long story short, a few weeks later I was referred to a Renal specialist who at my first meeting with her, told me that I had stage 5 kidney disease.
For the life of me, I could not understand how in the world I could have stage 5 kidney disease (lupus nephritis) when I didn't even know I had stage 1 kidney disease. I'm a strong person, so I took that news with a grain of salt until it was suggested that I start cellcept, which is a form of pill that is used for lupus instead of chemo, therapy. I asked both my renal physician & my rheumatologist if I had to make a decision right then & there & they both said no, but I had to make a decision soon. I asked them both to give me a month & if I was still needing the medication that I would take it.

I decided it was now or never, so I changed everything about my life that was not good, & it started with my eating habits. I cut out red meat & went straight to salad & fresh fruit. The one thing that I knew was my biggest downfall was Pepsi, so I cut it completely out & started drinking fresh fruit juice & water. I went back to my renal doctor & the protein in my urine was down enough for me not to be taking cellcept. I am happy about the changes I decided to make!

I also again fought shingles in November 2008, if you dont know what shingles are......they are chicken pox that lay dormant in the skin & resurface when stress levels are high, they attack your nerves & are very painful. Many lupus patients but not all suffer from these. That is one of the big things about lupus, that no two patients have the same symptoms, but can all relate to each other. During my bout with shingles I was put on more medication & was taking 27 pills a day.

I will now say this that up until last week, I have made some extraordinary changes in my life & have been doing some things to get & stay as healthy as I possibly can. The first lupus walk hosted by the Lupus foundation of America was held on June 14, 2009, it was great & I am part of the walk committee. I have some great supporters, family & friends. I have also founded a non-profit organization called Purple Healers Inc, with some great mentors to help me along the way, & I also created "Lupie Hugs" wraps at http://www.lupiehugs.com/

I cant do much with lupus due to the aches & pains & the chronic fatigue, but I can do enough to help those who are unable to have the voice & energy that I have at times.