It all started Sept 2007 when I was sitting at work trying to breathe and realized that there may be a serious problem. This was the start of what I know now to be a tumultuous 6 years.

Upward of 30 ER visits and nearly as many hospital stays. The inside of a hospital room no longer brings fear but at times comfort, my bed has found new meaning, and my doctors are my homies… What do you have?! I have had bald spots from my hair falling out, chest pains, unexplained body pain, mornings where I felt as though I could not move from my bed, day’s where I couldn’t breath and all the while being told I was having “anxiety” issues.

After two years of the craziness I decided that I would find answers, and what better place than the mayo clinic to do that! I went to the Mayo clinic to be told that 1. I did not have Asthma ( I was OBVIOUSLY hallucinating when I couldn’t breath and was being intubated) 2. The symptoms I was having were probably from Fibromyalgia but I was “too young” to diagnose, and the best one 3. I by no means had Lupus because my lab work came back normal and I did not have a rash on my face.

It took all I had to keep my cool with Mr. Big cheese of the Rheumatology department at the Mayo clinic, but I turned to him and just asked if my lab work was normal because of the steroids I was on, but of course I was told no.

So just 14 months after Mr. Big Cheese Rheumatology tells me I was fine…. I was sitting in a doctor’s office in Norther Virginia receiving a diagnosis of … Wait for it….. Lupus…

How did I find out you may ask?

Hand pain and swelling were the Bain of my existence for several months, but for about 2 weeks I was waking up with my hands so swollen and so painful that I would go till nearly lunch time before I could write or type with my hands. I went to see one of the providers I worked for at the time and they did a work up for RA ( Rheumatoid Arthritis) which in fact runs in my family.
This was in fact the logical diagnosis, but I started to feel “sick”. It was getting harder for me to wake up and get out of bed in the mornings.
The morning that my lab work came over the fax at my office is a day I will never forget, unfortunately being as educated as I am sometimes is quite a hindrance. Having worked in a Lab for a couple of years I knew what I was looking at, how to read it, and what it truly meant. I had to wait till the next day when my Dr was back in the office, but before I could even put my bag down I was being pulled into a private room to discuss my lab work. I looked at her and said I already know it’s Lupus . With a small shake of her head I was being prescribed some Vitamin D for a deficiency they saw, and referred to a Rheumatologist.
It took me a month to get an appointment but in the end the answer was, LUPUS!

It took 3.5 years of sheer madness, a determined young 90 something I mean 20 something year old, and a great support system to hear the words I already knew… I have LUPUS!

So with a fire in my heart and a need to release steam I started writing. Not long after I started writing I realized that I was made for more than just a pen and piece of paper. I was here to speak out loud… To say things that sometimes people are afraid to say!  So I decided to put my already out of line mouth and sassy personality to work… To make people aware that I may be young, and I may look like a perfectly healthy woman but guess what; I have Lupus and it doesn’t have a face!

Shortly after realizing what I was put on this earth to do… Undefeated Diva was born! So Welcome…Thank you for taking the time to follow and support me through my journey. If you are reading through my blog, be prepared because I plan to make you smile, think, shed tears, and above all else LAUGH… because I would have it no other way!

Look forward to having you on my journey.

XOXO,

The Original Undefeated Diva!