Gift Lupus Foundation, a Non-governmental organisation, has called on Nigerians to go for regular Lupus screening for healthy living in the country.
Mrs Sharon Gift, the President of the foundation made the call on Tuesday in Abuja, to commemorate World Lupus Day.
She said regular screening exercise and early dictation would help to treat and reduce Lupus disease in an individual.
According to her, Lupus is a disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs, Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems.
She said Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments and the most distinctive sign of lupus is a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks.
“My name is Sharon , I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2016 but I had been experiencing symptoms long before my diagnosis. It started with palpitations, my heart would beat so hard I’d feel like it was about to jump out of my chest, then came chest pains and breathlessness.
The tests came out clean so the doctors thought it might be ulcers since I was past the age of having asthma. The drugs didn’t work so I was miserable until one day it just stopped, after that I’d have those same symptoms once in a while and since I’d gone through it without an answer from doctors before, I would just ignore the symptoms until they stopped.
Years passed like that until my second year at the university, about four weeks to exams I started having joint pains and headaches, I tested and treated Malaria. The pains reduced so I thought that was it only for them to start up again two weeks to my exams. The pains only got worse after that and so I struggled through exams. I couldn’t sleep, the pains got worse with cold and since it was raining I was enduring constant pain.
During the break I went through a series of tests and doctor visits at various hospitals with order soma shop online doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I was treated for Malaria three more times with injection and drugs without any form of relief.
At some point they suspected a bacteria infection and later rheumatoid arthritis. At this point my symptoms had gotten worse In addition to the other symptoms I also had fever, butterfly rash,mouth ulcers and light sensitivity (my skin kept burning in the sun and turning black).
Finally, a doctor I visited conferred with another one and he told me he suspected Lupus. I was referred to see a rheumatologist and in December 2016 I was diagnosed with systemic Lupus Erythemathosus ( Lupus).
The years before my diagnosis were the worse part of having Lupus. I wish someone I shared what I was going through had heard about Lupus or one of the many doctors I saw were familiar enough with Lupus so my diagnosis would have been fast and easy.
That is why I am not silent about my experience because I hope to spare someone out there the same pain I went through by sharing my Lupus story.
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Email us: mnenalupusfoundation.org, visit us at: #9 Tema Street, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja,” she said.