Celebrities have lupus, too

Singer Toni Braxton came forth in November about her battle with lupus. In this article from ballerstatus.com, she will be in her own reality series called "Braxton Family Values." Read Article

You're gonna have bad days

And really, I don't think they should be called "bad days" as they should be called "tired days." Yesterday, I woke up feeling that it was going to be a rough day. My energy level was really low, I was in a horrible mood, and I didn't want to do anything.
After visiting my mom in mid-afternoon and eating dinner (we eat early), I felt sleep come over me like a ton of bricks. I went to sleep in her recliner and slept for 3 hours straight. I thought that this would affect my sleep later by keeping me up, but it didn't. Still went to sleep early.
I don't know if I'm on the verge of having a flare up, but I just know that I've got to take it easy for the next couple of weeks if I want to avoid one. Sleeping a lot to most people is a sign of depression. For me, it's to avoid a lupus flare up.

Help for aching bones and joints

When you don't feel good, the last thing you want to do is get up and move around - especially exercise. When you sit for long periods of time, your joints and muscles become very stiff, especially if you suffer from arthritis. Most lupus patients have rheumatoid arthritis and it can be very painful at times.
I have found that with movement, whether it's reminding myself to get up and walk around my apartment every ten or fifteen minutes, I feel so much better and feel less pain in my joints. Some days are harder than others because at times, it's just difficult to get moving. On those days, I drink an extra cup of coffee or have a couple of mountain dews just to get the caffeine to get me going.
Yoga is a great way to stretch your muscles and feel more energized. Some low impact workouts that won't wear you out, but will get you off the couch are the exercises on the Wii Fit. If you have a Wii, I suggest buying the Wii Fit game. These low impact exercises will help you workout without tiring you.
Remember that with lupus, don't push yourself too hard or you'll cause a flare up. A little movement can go a long way for people like us.

Sleep: the most important thing in life

When you're sleep deprived as a lupus patient, it seems you feel the effects more drastically than most people. It's so important to get at least eight hours of sleep each night, especially with an auto-immune disease.
Over the last several weeks, I haven't been getting a full night's sleep because I keep waking up with night sweats (lupus symptom) and can't get back to sleep. I've also been having really strange dreams that have woke me up and causing me to be unable to get back to sleep. Other than that, I'm not feeling really well because of the lack of sleep. I've been eating well, but an overall wellness only comes from a good night's sleep, eating well, and staying stress-free.
If you're suffering from lupus or an auto-immune disease, remember to get a good night's rest or you'll really feel the lag. I'm going to cut off my caffeine intake after 6pm and see if that helps.

Support Lupus research by downloading "LUCY" from iTunes

ScienceBlog reports that Musicians James Scott Cook and Julian Lennon are working together to raise money for Lupus research. The article is here.
Download Cook's and Lennon's version of "LUCY" to help Lupus research.

11 year anniversary!

2009 ends a decade of time, but also over a decade of me living with the disease lupus. I was diagnosed with it in 1998 and have had varying degrees of problems over those years.

In 2010, I'm going to keep a daily record of how I feel and what's going on in the world of lupus related news. It's good to be informed and know there are others out there, because there are a lot of people who suffer from this disease.

I give a shout to all of you, letting you know that you can live a regular life and you are not alone.