If you recall I finished with Unfortunately, Dr. Quinn's diagnosis and estimate for my recovery time now put paid on me returning to school for the rest of the school year. She thought I was recouping well but I wouldn't be well enough to return at all for my freshman year. (I cried for days over that) She wanted me work work on getting healthy so I could go back next year. She couldn't guarantee I would feel up to everything I had done in the past, but I was young and she hoped that since we had caught and diagnosed it "relatively" quickly. (At the time 4 months, did not feel like a quick diagnosis, but in talking to people who have taken years and years to reach this same place I had, I suppose it is), that I would recover most if not all of what had been lost this past few months. I was to continue my regimen of vitamins, anti-inflammatories, rest and swimming.
So began my life with Lupus.
I was very lucky. Dr Quinn's predictions about my youth, my swimming and the fact that my lupus had been *caught* in 4 months were right. I was able to feel almost 100% back to my normal self in the fall when I returned to school. I went out for the soccer team in the fall and then back to the swim team in the winter.
I will say that I was mostly in denial at this point about having Lupus. My mom had gotten me books and taken me to a support group but to me, these people were old AND their stories were SCARY and NOT me. I was F-I-N-E. Funny thing is, I had no problem telling someone I had Lupus. I just pretended it didn't affect me.
I made it through High School. There were up and downs. I don't think I had a year of high school where I missed less than 25 days. If someone sneezed across the room, I got sick and it wasn't for just a day. 24 hour bugs would knock me out for almost a week. But I still pretended everything was normal. Ok, so I had to take meds now to make sure I felt ok, and I had to get regular bloodwork done, but I was OK.
College was where I had to face my limits a little more. I was relatively healthy but I got sick very easily. In the winter, it was awful. It was like one big cold followed by the flu, followed by god knows what else. I didn't get even remotely healthy until spring. I do not remember being healthy for too many Christmases, if any at all. Also, I knew that if I pushed myself, I felt worse and it took me longer to get better. I changed my outlook from Ostrich head in the sand to ok, this isn't going away, but I am not going to let it stop me.
And I didn't. I inherited that stubborn gene from my mom and grandmom. Just ask my dad!
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