Tammy T. - Diagnosed at age 43

I was diagnosed with lupus after an auto accident--sustaining injuries to my left leg, which required a knee replacement. I wasn’t getting better after the postoperative surgery, and things turned to the worst: my knee wasn’t healing properly; I was having severe swelling and pain throughout my body; intense fatigue set in; and I developed awful migraines and rashes. As things seemed to get worse, I started having panic attacks, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. After many tests were performed, doctors determined that I had a series of issues, including: SLE, inflammatory arthritis, chronic pain, and anemia. Somehow, I felt like I was being punished. I had to stop working and go on disability due to the severity of my condition. I went from being healthy to crippling overnight.

I didn’t have any health issues until the day of the accident and from there my life changed. Every day is challenging because you never know if it’s going to be a good or bad one. It was hard for me to accept my adversities, but over time, I learned how to cope with meditation to ease stress and stretch with yoga to help strengthen and relax my muscles. Through it all, I have hope to make healthy life changes, as well as knowing that better treatment is in the works to end this disease. 🌸🦋💜