Hi, my name is Alison but my friends all call me Al. I am 40 years young!! I live in a city called Carlisle which is situated just north of the Lake District and not far from the Scottish border. It is a lovely place to live and well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.
I have been married to Darren for 13 years and we have two great kids. Samantha is 13 and Dominic who is 9. The other member of our family is Shadow, our Labrador Retriever. I work part time in a medical centre as a housekeeper. Its just round the corner from where i live so is very handy and i love it. I only work 2 hours a night 5 nights a week and thats enough for me!!!
Custom TShirt GeneratorAs you can probably guess I have Systemic Lupus Erythametosis or Lupus (for short). I think i have probably had Lupus since i was about 14 although didn't get diagnosed till i was 21. I had had quite a few health problems through my teenage years and doctors just put it down to my age. It wasn't until i was 21 when i suddenly started to get strange bruises on my skin. I made an appointment to see my doctor after seeing an Australian soap opera where a girl had the same marks and was diagnosed as having Leukemia. I was frightened but knew that something wasn't right, i think you do, don't you? I had my bloods taken at 12 noon and by 6pm that night i had a doctor on my doorstep with about 10 steroid tablets i had to get down before going to be that night. It wasn't Leukemia (i had to have a bone marrow test to establish that)i was told that my platelets were very low and if they didn't pick up i would have to have my Spleen removed. I am pleased to say that the steroids worked and did not have to have my spleen removed. Yeah!!!!!
I was diagnosed with Lupus about a month later after i came back from a holiday to Canada. I think i caught a virus on the way home from Canada as the following day after my return i was in agony. The pain was like nothing i have experienced before or since. It came in waves, abit like contractions, but god they were so intense. I had a couple more of these flares that year and then things started to settle down and my Lupus levelled out a bit. I did have a problem with my left arm as i had a flare and i couldn't move my arm. I didn't want to move it because it was far too painful and as a result of that i can no longer straighten my left arm. I had to have an operation to move the nerve in my elbow as i started to get pins and needles down my arm. The surgeon said he would try and straighten my left arm but unfortunately when he opened my arm up he said that he couldn't do anything to repair the bend and so i still have a slightly bent left arm. It doesn't bother me now. I have been extremely fortunate in that i have had a remission for over 10 years and you do get used to being well.Its not until about 5 years ago that things started to change again. I go down to St Thomas' Hospital in London for my Lupus appointments. They have looked after me better than i could have asked for. In the last year, i have had huge problems with my memory, depression, joint pain, nose and mouth ulcers, skin problems with blisters on my body and also under my hair. I was never sun sensitive before but i am now, and wear SPF50+ sun lotion and SPF30 on my lips all year through. I am also starting to buy clothes with a high SPF that gives you about 95% protection from the suns harmful rays. I have, earlier this year been down to London for an MRI scan on my brain to see if i had small blood clots on my brain which would explain my memory problems, however the scan came back normal and i think the aspirin that i had been put back ..ed. My memory has almost gone back to normal, which is great. My depression has been a huge hurdle for me to try and get over. I have been put on a low dose anti-depressant and that has helped tremendously, thank god!! My skin is still a big concern to me although i am on Mepercrin for that. The only thing with that drug is that your skin can discolour a little bit. So i have a slight tint of yellow!! Hey i don't care as long as my face stays clear of blisters and rashes. I am also on Hydroxychloroquine, anti-inflammatorys and some acid reducing tablets. All in all not too bad really and as long these drugs do what they are supposed to then i'm happy to take them. I know how lucky i am really and only have Lupus very mild unlike some people who have to suffer much more pain than i ever have. It affects your life so much but you can't let it beat you. My favourite saying is "you play the cards you are dealt!!" I don't hate my Lupus as it has made me the person i am today, a fighter and i will never let it beat me!! I was given this disease for a reason, i really do believe that so if i can spread the word about Lupus and help fellow sufferers then thats all i want to do.
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Lupus
S.L.E. Lupus Foundation Gala 2006 Video
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