my dad has lupus...

[oldfashionSAHM]

i don't have it that i know of. but my dad does. i'm trying to learn what i can about it. he just called me tonight to let me know that it does run in the family. he know one other person in out family that has it.

if you ladies don't mind i would greatly love to learn more. if there is any lifestyle changes you've had to make or anything? I'm more of a natural health kind of person. i would like to meet this heads on if i'm going to end up dealing with it. 

my dad and i got to talking and he has already told me to keep a eye out on a few things. that he deals with that i have been dealing with. but he also told me that no two people have the same symptoms. 

[tomatoqueen]

My comments come from living with lupus for 18 years. It tends to run in families who have rheumatoid arthritis. It is not inherited in the classical sense.  There is considerable information on line and you should look up the Lupus Foundation. Symptoms vary and range from a rash, to photosensitivity, to issues with swallowing, kidney involvement, or, in rare cases, neurological symptoms. I have lupus with central nervous involvemnt and lesions over my brain. Lupus patients tend to have a greater sensitivity to infections, so immunizations can be important. I strongly encourage the use of sunscreens and avoidance of outdoor activity during a lupus flare. Fatigue is a serious problem for most of us and I don't mean fatigue as described by the general public. The fatigue that I have dealt with since diagnosed with lupus is so intense that it is hard to imagine. Naps are my friend. Night time sleep is hard for me because my joints hurt so much that I cannot get comfortable for any length of time. I know that some lupus sufferers can be involved in intense exercise programs, but I cannot because exercise causes extreme swelling for me. There are water programs designed for people with arthritis which are appropriate for people with lupus. Gold's Gym has the programs that are Arthritis Foundation approved and some Ys have water exercise programs. Diet...for me, I feel best when I follow the traditional diabetes diet which watches carbs. One word of caution...research has shown that diets high in alfalfa can be harmful to lupus patients. I have read this in several places. Headaches can be a real problem for lupus patients, so I would say that if you notice an increase in headaches, mention it to the rheumatologist. My experience is that people with lupus are suspectible to depression because we feel that we are a burden to those we love and we have frequently lost the ability to do the things we enjoy. If a doctor wants to prescribe prozac, RUN. We were totally unaware that prozac can cause drug induced lupus until I was put on prozac for post partum depression. That was actually how lupus was finally confirmed. I had nasal and mouth ulcers, painful skin, painful joints, a strange rash, and a constant fever. Little did I know that I was a textbook presenter of symptoms. My doctor contacted the manufacturer of prozac and it was confirmed in their data that lupus can cause drug induced lupus. With drug induced lupus, the symptoms are supposed to diapppear once the drug is stopped....I got worse. Extensive testing revealed that I had true systemic lupus, not just drug induced. There are over 40 drugs that cause drug induced lupus. You do not say what type of lupus your dad has, but I assume systemic. My experience is that lupus does not happen alone, but is accompanied by several other conditions....my list of medical conditions is so long that when listing, my doctor lists the first few and puts.....   Good luck. Lupus can be a very, very painful disease that disrupts daily living, but thankfully for most of us, it is a disease that you can live with given modifications. Good luck