That means the start of my 47th year with a diagnosis of lupus.
My bloodwork looks good.
There is no laboratory evidence of lupus activity. I am not taking any lupus medication. That is called remission.
The only medications that I must take on a daily basis are thyroid hormone replacements.
I am not diabetic.
My liver and kidneys and all of my other internal organs are functioning within normal parameters for a woman of my age.
The son who was an infant when I was dx is now a middle aged man.
The second child that I was told not to have has two children of her own. The youngest is 18 months old.
I have six, count them, six grandchildren.
I am able to exercise.
One of the things that I requested for my 67th birthday is Just Dance 4. Today I put it in the machine and I stayed upright and moving for 30 minutes. I got my heart rate up. I broke a sweat. And I produced these brain chemicals that are making me happy at this very moment.
I am going to bed now. I have to get up early tomorrow morning to go on an adventure.
I have survived lupus for 67 years.
On some occasions, I have thrived.
My story is a story of hope.
I plan to keep telling it.
All the Glory Goes to God. But I also paid attention and did a few things to help myself along the way.
Happy Birthday to Me
I am celebrating that I still have hope. I have enough to share. You know maybe my hope is like "My Little Light." "God gave it to me. And I'm gonna let it shine."
Hey Ann, great post, great message too. You sound like a pretty great Lady. Good on you & thanks so much for letting us know how positive we can dare to be.
Happy, happy birthday, Ann!! What a wonderful message you wrote. I am so happy for you! You are a gift to this group and I hope you put that on your list of positive things that you do. Have a wonderful adventure! Love, Reet
Happy Birthday Ann! You are such an inspiration. My son, my only child, will be 27 next week. I was diagnosed with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome 26 yrs ago. I have developed several other autoimmune diseases in my journey and have managed all of them. This disease has affected my heart & kidneys and I take 9 prescriptions daily. I often question God as to why me? But as it’s said, everything happens for a reason. The key is a positive attitude, a healthy lifestyle as you can have and faith. I have been blessed recently with the birth of my first grandchild and I am determined to be around to see his children born. People like you give people like me hope that I can keep fighting this and win. One day I pray that I can tell someone I’m in remission. Thank You Ann!
Happy Birthday and thank you for sharing your uplifting story. I have been in a fierce battle with lupus since I was 26 years old. I’m now approaching my 43rd birthday and, unfortunately, I’m in the worst health ever. I enjoyed your story on many levels. I hope to be thriving as you are in time, hopefully sooner than later. Thank you, again. Keep us posted. Kim