Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” My outlook on my adversity is how I have gotten through my toughest times. Looking at the adversity you go through with disdain, hate and pity will only cause you to hold yourself back from life. Having the mindset that you can get through the misfortunes life throws at you and that this instance is what is making you into the person you need to be in the future, will push you forward. Life is unpredictable and messy, there is no guarantee of what will come, but staying positive and not letting the unpredictable pull you down will save you. I should know, my life has been a series of ups and downs and I am only eighteen. Just beginning my life, yet I have had near-death experiences more times than most people will ever experience in their lifetime. My name is Morgan King, a Southwestern Freshman of 2021, I am and have been fighting an autoimmune disorder for four years now, and this is my story.

Normally when looking at someone you are unable to see the battles they are fighting. In my case, you will never be able to see that I am fighting an illness that can kill me at any moment. You may know the disease I have, and you may not, either way, I will explain what it is and the struggles I go through every day. My disease, or normally referred to as an autoimmune disorder, is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. What a mouth full right? I still have no idea how to properly say this, so I just call it Lupus. Although I have fought the harshness of this disorder for four years now, I have had it my entire life. Such symptoms include rosacea, asthma, fatigue, and my body attacking itself by inflaming my tonsils where I could barely breathe; this resulted in having my tonsils removed at 4. All these symptoms were when I was just a little girl, they have only progressed the older I have become. Before I get into the struggles, I am faced with today let me rewind and take you back four years when my symptoms were at their worst, and I had no idea what was in store for me.

It was the summer of 2017; I was going into my freshman year of high school. That summer I was painting the living room and just having fun, as one does as a teenager during summer. However, my summer was filled with being extremely ill. For example, I couldn’t stand the heat causing me to stay inside all summer. I also became anemic, a reduction of healthy red blood cells, and lost around 20 pounds in just one month. Now, this was also around the time I was going through my womanly cycle, and believe me it was not normal at all, lasting all summer. With this happening we just passed all my symptoms off as that being the issue, as we know now that was not the case. All the same, I went through my summer suffering from weight loss, headaches, along with stomach and lung problems. I eventually went to see my Primary Physician, Sarah Beth. She took a blood test and I told her how I felt emotionally and my physical symptoms. She diagnosed me with severe anxiety, depression, anemia, and a vitamin deficiency. This was not the best thing to hear but I was going to get help, so I was satisfied. I was prescribed medication for depression and anxiety along with birth control and vitamins. After a few months of letting these prescriptions take effect, I returned with the same issues as before. We took some more blood tests and prescribed a higher dosage of medication for my anxiety and depression. Then we waited to receive the phone call about my blood results and were shocked by what was found.

Maybe a week or so later we received the inedible call to make an appointment for her to explain what was found in my bloodwork. When she told me what she had found I was confused, stressed, and beyond shocked. All I could think was “What the heck is Lupus?” Being given pamphlets and told to do more research on my own, I was prescribed Plaquenil. Of course, my fourteen-year-old self didn’t want to go research my disease, so I didn’t. That is until new problems arose. I started to have rashes on my hands and legs, my eyesight began to become worse, my back was always hurting, and my skin felt like it was crawling all the time. What I mean by crawling is that my skin literally felt like I was being pierced with tiny needles all over my body, no medicine helped with this sensation only the warmth of a shower. The rashes were diagnosed as Pustular Psoriasis. My eyesight was due to the medication I was taking, Plaquenil. My back was diagnosed, at the time, as scoliosis, but now known as arthritis in my spine. And the skin-crawling was because of my Lupus attacking my skin. I finally decided to figure out what exactly Lupus was, and I was devastated when I finally did.

My whole world was turned upside down, I felt numb, and the world hated me. The exact definition I found that day was “A chronic and complex autoimmune disease, lupus can affect any part of the body causing widespread inflammation and tissue damage in the affected organ. The most impacted areas are the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels. Also known to cause sensitivity to UV light and extreme weather changes.” I had to be more mindful of my disease and learn to listen to my body more. This meant that I could no longer spend hours on end outside. If I did, I would be ill, with rashes, fevers, and fatigue, for the next couple of weeks. I required more medication along with doctor visits every three months, including to the present day. Imagine, at the age of fourteen, going through every day in physical pain from head to toe, along with just wanting to sleep. Then you’ll know how I felt and how I still feel to this day. This is Lupus, a constant battle to get up and live every day whether it be mental or physical I’ll always be fighting it.

I have spoken about my Lupus and the way it has affected my life so far, but I haven’t given all my diagnoses. Now keep in mind that all the diagnoses I am about to name are all related to Lupus because it is attacking my body. Starting is Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is arthritis in the spine. Next, is Edema which is swelling caused by fluid in the body’s tissues. Then comes Inflammatory Polyarthritis, which is joint inflammation caused by an overactive immune system. Trochanteric Bursitis is next, which is chronic hip pain. Lastly, Degenerative Joint Disease, which is the wearing down of the cartilage. I am currently carrying all these diagnoses with me today and probably always will. So far, my lupus has attacked my lungs, eyes, joints, spine, stomach, skin, legs, and ovaries. Although there is a possibility of my Lupus becoming dormant, it is very unlikely. Although my story so far sounds awful it has gotten better. Throughout these four years, I have had constant blood work done along with different medications and dosages of said medicines. We have found the medication and dosage that works best for me, right now that is. There are very many unknowns with my disease that will show up randomly any day. Although this is a high possibility, I know I will get through it with the help of my family, close friends, and the help of my amazing doctors. Had they not found the root cause of my problem as fast as they did, I may not have been here today to tell my story.

My autoimmune disorder/disorders do not define me, and whatever battle you may be fighting should not be what defines you either. I may only be an eighteen-year-old with little life experience under my belt, but in my eyes, anyone who fights any disease, illness, or medical problem is a strong individual and a fighter. It may not mean much coming from a stranger, but you can get through anything you set your mind on, no matter the struggles. Someone once told me to “Always stay positive,” and I try to live by this every day. If you do not take anything away from this paper, I ask you to remember this quote “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life's story will develop” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf.) My name is Morgan King, I have an autoimmune disorder, and this is my story. So far.