17 year old with possible Lupus - need prayer
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 by RomanDA | Discussion: Community
Most of you know that my son and I have been into Tae Kwon Do for the past 6+ years. There has been a girl in class that entire time who is now a 2nd degree black belt. She is 17, energetic, into sports, full of life, a Christian, and a great person.
She has had a lot of physical issues over the years we have known her, fainting, IBS, and other issues. She hurt her hip this past spring during a softball game, and she has had numerous other injuries and issues as well.
She is a great kid, how many 17 year old girls would bother to stop by a 12 year old boys birthday party and actually hang out with them? She was at Alex's party on the 1st and she didn't look well, she said she had been feeling very tired and had a headache that just wouldn't go away. She ended up in the hospital on Wednesday of that week, she had passed out several times, and she was having problems with one eye physically looking larger than the other. She had an MRI, and other test, nothing seemed to point to an answer.
She showed up at TKD class on Friday, but was so weak she could only sit and watch. She told me about the hospital visit, and that she still had the headache, as well as having about a 50% reduction in her vision.
I got a call from her last night, she sounded sad and weak. She told me the dr's had run some more tests, and they were waiting on the results, but they were leaning towards Lupus as a cause for all the issues.
I'm struggling with this; Heather is a great kid and a Christian. She has been a good example to the other kids in the TKD class, and to Alex as well. I had asked her what she wanted to do in life and she told me she has always planned to be a Sheriff's Deputy, and to get married and have a "bunch of kids".
Lupus could put a stop to most of these dreams (if not all).
Definition:
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body, including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain. Normally the body's immune system makes proteins called antibodies, to protect the body against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign materials. These foreign materials are called antigens.
In an autoimmune disorder like lupus, the immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissues. The immune system then makes antibodies directed against itself. These antibodies -- called "auto-antibodies" (auto means 'self') -- cause inflammation, pain and damage in various parts of the body.
Please take a minute to pray for Heather.
Thanks for your prayers and time.
David
Reply #2 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 7:51 AM
It's My Secret
Reply #3 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 7:53 AM
~Nickie
Reply #4 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 7:54 AM
I usually end up with something like this:
If you are there then you know more than me and you may just have a plan I don't know about. If so, "Thy will be done". But if there is no plan or if your plan can change based on prayer, please look down on Heather and bring her health.
If that's not part of your plan for her plan look down on her friends and family and bring them peace.
Thanks
Thanks for asking David. You got my best work.
Reply #5 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 7:58 AM
My thoughts are there too, Dave.
and Zub ...that about sums it it up ...couldn't have said it better.
Reply #6 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 8:13 AM
Reply #7 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 8:35 AM
Reply #8 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 9:11 AM
Koolet22 says his wife has medication for the same thing, let's hope the doc's can find something to help Heather.
Fingers crossed!!

Reply #9 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 9:49 AM
Reply #10 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 9:59 AM
Reply #11 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 10:19 AM
Reply #12 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 10:24 AM
Reply #13 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 10:41 AM
( I have a client and she had all the symptons that you relayed. She ended up having a Tyroid disease.)
Reply #14 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 10:48 AM
a friend’s 21 year old was diagnosed several years back with rheumatoid arthritis....a condition her grandmother died of at 35....they were crushed.....but over the last couple of years since finding out, there have been new treatments that have eased the pain, kept it under control and quite manageable.....a far cry from her grandmother's day.......you always have to take heart that new treatments are popping up every day to manage as well as cure......here's hoping it's not Lupus for Heather.....thinking of her.....and please let us know how she’s going.....
Reply #15 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 10:56 AM
Thanks so much for all the replies. She is in good spirits and is one hell of a fighter (she has about knocked my head off in TKD class several times) so if anyone can come out of this ok, its her.
Will keep everyone posted.
David
Reply #16 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 11:12 AM
Amen sydneysiders, when anyone is diagnosed with serious health problams concerns abound. When a child is stricken there is a feeling of what didn't we do right, or see and why isn't something being done about this.
As a society we can accept that with age (adults) we live with the thoughts of health issues, but can not understand that children are at risk also.
Reply #18 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 10:20 PM
Reply #19 Thursday, September 13, 2007 3:07 PM
I really hope she beats this!
Reply #20 Thursday, September 13, 2007 3:36 PM
Hmmm...I wouldn't go that far. I have RA (diagnosed before I was 13), Lupus (SLE) and Fibromyalgia. Yeah, it sucks, you have to take meds and get treatment, you never know what you'll wake up in the morning to (I've lost peripheral vision, had an arm go numb, stuff like that), but you know what? It doesn't define me, and it doesn't stand in my way.
Whatever you, or anyone else does, do *not* talk about all the negatives and what she "won't" be able to do. She needs to be positive and live her life exactly how she planned. There is no "beating" an autoimmune disease, all you can hope for is that you learn to live with it and not let it rule you.
She will be in my thoughts, as I know what she is going thought right now both physically and mentally.
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Reply #1 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 7:43 AM
Yeah My prayers and thought for her really that's SAD