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Women who bravely live with chronic illness

Living with a chronic illness is tough. You have to stay on top of your doctor appointments, your medication renewals and deal with often painful symptoms. It’s understandable that you’ll usually feel down and out, particularly if you feel that no-one understands your condition.

Here’s a round-up of some inspirational women who are successful, despite living with a chronic condition

Shannon Cohn: Endometriosis

Filmmaker Shannon Cohn was diagnosed with endometriosis after years of suffering. This silent disease is often misunderstood and the pain that goes with it remains untold. To end the cycles of ignorance surrounding endometriosis, Cohn directed and produced a documentary called Endo What? that aims to educate women and the public about the seriousness of the disease. The documentary has been screened around the world. Other stars who also advocated for endometriosis include actress Lena Dunham. Dunham published a memoir called Not That Kind of Girl where she speaks about her life and her experience of living with endometriosis.

Gabrielle Union: Adenomyosis

As a guest on The Doctor Oz Show in 2018, actress Gabrielle Union was vocal about her rough experiences with adenomyosis. She admitted to multiple miscarriages, as well as the heavy periods and chronic pelvic pain that comes with the disease. Today, she’s currently on a journey to help others living with adenomyosis. In her book We’re Going To Need More Wine, along with her public talks about her undergoing IVF (in-vitro fertilisation), she advocates for others who are “suffering in silence”.

Selena Gomez: Lupus, anxiety and depression

The I Can’t Get Enough singer and actress underwent a kidney transplant surgery in 2017 and has since become known as an advocate for lupus. Gomez has also become vocal about other aspects of chronic disease, including anxiety and depression. After multiple check-ins at rehab facilities to stay on top of her mental health, she’s spoken out against the stigma surrounding mental health.

Danielle Sheypuk: Spinal muscular atrophy

Dr Daniella Sheypuk is a renowned psychologist who was born with spinal muscular atrophy, which left her in a wheelchair since childhood. Besides her profession, her battle with this condition moulded her into a speaker, model and advocate to fight society’s limited views on dating, sex and disability. She held a TEDxTalk where she squashed some misconceptions about disabled people and their ability to have sex. She encouraged people to include disabled people in the same conversations when it comes to dating and intimacy.

Toni Braxton: Antiphospholipid syndrome and lupus

The R&B singer-songwriter was diagnosed with lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome when she was just 15. APD is an autoimmune condition where blood clots are caused because proteins in the blood are attacked by mistake. Despite her health struggles, she’s won six Grammy awards, nine Billboard awards and seven American Music awards. She’s also sold over 66 million records, proving you can overcome anything you set your mind to.

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What exactly is Lupus?

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can damage any part of your body, including your skin, joints or organs.

With lupus, your body experiences autoimmunity. This means that your immune system becomes confused and can’t tell the difference between your body’s healthy tissues and “foreign invaders” like viruses, bacteria and germs.

As a result, the immune system attacks the healthy tissues and organs, which harms your body in different ways. It may cause inflammation, pain and damage to different parts of the body.

Lupus ranges from mild to life-threatening and if treated, most people can live a full life. Lupus is known as the “great imitator” because it mimics other conditions. Symptoms vary for different people and often come and go, which makes it difficult to diagnose.

Symptoms of lupus include:

  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Joint pain, stiffness and swelling
  • A butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose
  • Rashes on the body
  • Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure (photosensitivity)
  • Shortness of breath and chest pain
  • Dry eyes
  • Headaches, confusion and memory loss

Causes of lupus

The immune system going out of whack and causing lupus is thanks to a combination of different factors including the environment and your genetics. The good news is that lupus isn’t contagious and you can’t “catch” lupus from anyone.

Risk factors

Sunlight
Being overly exposed to the sun may cause lupus skin lesions.

Infections
An infection may initiate symptoms of lupus.

Medication
Lupus can be triggered by certain blood pressure medication, antibiotics and seizure medication.

Your sex
Lupus is more common in women.

Age
People of all ages are at risk for lupus, but it’s mainly diagnosed in people aged 15 to 45.

Race
Lupus is common in Asians, African-Americans and Hispanics.

Genes
The genes you inherit and your family’s history with autoimmune diseases may increase the risk of developing lupus.

Treating and managing lupus

Although there isn’t a cure for lupus, you can treat and manage the condition. Doctors will prescribe medication to help treat lupus. This medication aims to reduce the inflammation caused by the condition, prevent flares and treat them when they happen. They also help to minimise the damage to your organs and suppress your overactive immune system as far as possible.

Medications

NSAIDS
Includes over-the-counter drugs which are used to treat pain.

Immunosuppressants
Helps to suppress the immune system.

Rituxan
Helps to ease symptoms in serious cases of lupus.

As lupus symptoms are similar to symptoms of other diseases, treatment may also include:

  • Diuretics for fluid retention.
  • Antihypertensive drugs to treat high blood pressure.
  • Antibiotics for any infections.

Good to know
Before undergoing treatment, talk to your doctor about your signs and symptoms. This will determine which medication is going to help you the most. As lupus symptoms come and go, your doctor may change your treatment and dosages over time.

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