In the summer of 2010, I heard three words that would instantly change the trajectory of my life “YOU HAVE LUPUS.” My diagnosis came just over 2 months before my wedding day. My life was filled with complications, trepidation, and confusion, but my providers told me to hang in there.
A chapter from HANDLING THE HARD QUESTIONS: What Our Patients Are Asking Us About Rheumatic Disease Read and download this booklet on our Workforce Resource homepage Each day, rheumatology nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants field dozens of questions...
A chapter from HANDLING THE HARD QUESTIONS: What Our Patients Are Asking Us About Rheumatic Disease Read and download this booklet on our Workforce Resource homepage Each day, rheumatology nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants field dozens of questions...
A chapter from HANDLING THE HARD QUESTIONS: What Our Patients Are Asking Us About Rheumatic Disease Read and download this booklet on our Workforce Resource homepage Each day, rheumatology nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants field dozens of questions...
It started with one pill a day, then two, and then four. That was followed by a series of injections. And on and on, still with little to no pain relief for my systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). I had been seeing the same rheumatologist for a few years and trusted...
Lupus is a chronic disease that requires long-term care, which can pose a significant challenge to the patient and health care team. There are many epidemiologic, socioeconomic, and psychosocial factors that come into play that make this a complicated disease to...
It’s a question that I have considered from time to time in my nursing career—in a patient with severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who also develops end-stage renal disease (ESRD), can the patient’s SLE ever go into remission? As with many clinical questions,...
I still vividly remember the day we received the news that WS had passed away at the age of 32. A regular patient we had been seeing for more than a decade, it had been less than 1 month since WS’ last appointment at our clinic. We had gotten to know her...
Every healthcare provider knows that lupus is the great imposter. One day, it can affect one organ; the next, a whole different system can be targeted. One lupus patient I have been treating for more than a year has traversed a difficult path since the day I saw her,...
HL was 19 years old when she was transferred from a pediatric rheumatology practice into our adult practice. Her medical and social history was messy. In the foster care system since the age of 12 years old, HL had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus...