|
After years of struggling with fatigue and pain, Nancy Ferris of Fredericksburg was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic inflammatory condition.
Nancy Ferris, who was diagnosed with lupus several years ago, enjoys gardening in her backyard. Ferris said she's endured some difficult flare-ups |
For years, Nancy Ferris of Fredericksburg suffered from joint pain, fatigue and migraines, but neither she nor her doctors could pinpoint the cause.
It took a bout of severe illness, followed by multiple tests, for her physician to finally diagnosis lupus, an auto-immune disease known for being unpredictable and tough to diagnose.
"For many years, I had all the symptoms, but I never put it all together," Ferris said.
Life with lupus can be challenging, said Ferris, who is 60.
"Some days I get up and feel fantastic," Ferris said. "Other days I get up and can hardly move."
In people with lupus, the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. While no two cases are exactly alike, the Mayo Clinic says common symptoms include:
Fatigue
Joint pain
Mouth sores
Hair loss
Easy bruising
Skin rashes
Memory loss.
Sufferers tend to have flare-ups, or times when their symptoms get worse.
After Ferris became very sick in 2001, she said, she went to a number of different doctors, who gave her varying diagnoses, including fibromyalgia at one point. Some doctors suspected lupus was the cause of her pain, and blood tests can help detect the condition. But her first two tests for the disease came back negative.
Finally, when her third test came back positive in 2004, her doctor diagnosed lupus.
'THE INVISIBLE DISEASE'
According to the Mayo Clinic, the cause of lupus is unknown, though certain risk factors seem to play a role.
Women and minorities are more likely to have lupus. Heredity can also be a factor, which Ferris knows firsthand. Her mother and her sister also live with lupus.
"Our family has been very hard-hit by lupus," she said.
Penny Fletcher, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America Greater Washington chapter, called lupus "the invisible disease." Often, she said, patients do not show any outward signs.
"It's a very difficult disease to understand," Fletcher said. "Each case is very different."
For Ferris, her symptoms are "all internal," meaning she may look fine on the outside but be suffering on the inside.
"People don't understand that sometimes I can hurt from my head to my toes," Ferris said.
Treatment of lupus depends on the symptoms, but the Mayo Clinic says three drugs are commonly prescribed for lupus sufferers:
Non-steroidal anti-
Corticosteroids, which minimize inflammation but can cause serious side effects such as thinning bones.
Antimalarial drugs, which, odd as it may seem, are helpful in preventing and treating flare-ups.
Many other drugs are being studied in clinical trials, the Mayo Clinic says. Other lupus sufferers say lifestyle changes--such as a healthy diet--also can help minimize symptoms. There is no cure for lupus, and patients should get regular checkups to monitor their condition.
RESEARCH AND AWARENESS
Ferris said she's now able to control her symptoms with anti-inflammatory med-icines and drugs for her migraines.
But last November she had a flare-up, and her symptoms came back in full force.
"When your system breaks down, you have to start from square one and rebuild yourself," she said.
A year since that last flare- up, Ferris said she has her symptoms back under control.
"Right now, I feel really good," Ferris said. "I'm just hoping it'll stay that way."
She is back to doing the things she loves, including walking three miles a day and working in her garden. And on Oct. 31, Ferris led a team of several friends in the Walk for Lupus Now! walk in Richmond.
The Lupus Foundation of America Greater Washington chapter organized the walk as a way to reach out to those with lupus in the Fredericksburg and Richmond area.
The walks, which take place across the country, help bring together people with lupus, raise awareness in the community of the disease and raise money for patient services.
Ferris said she decided to walk to help raise money for lupus research, since a new drug hasn't been developed for patients in 50 years. Her team raised over $500, with the Richmond walk bringing in about $55,000 total.
Ferris' dream of a new lupus drug may not be that far away.
On Nov. 2, drug company Human Genome Sciences announced its experimental new lupus drug, Benlysta, will be headed to the Food and Drug Administration for approval. Benlysta could be on the market this time next year if it is approved by the FDA.
Though Ferris has suffered through many difficult flare-ups, she said she considers herself lucky that she's able to manage her condition well enough to live the life she wants to live.
"I take care of myself," Ferris said. "I go out. I do what I want to do."
Brynn Boyer: 540/374-5000, ext. 5779
Email: bboyer@freelancestar.com
Along with medication, healthy habits can help minimize the symptoms of lupus. Jill Harrington of Richmond, formerly of Fredericksburg, said she hasn't had a flare-up since going on Reduce your stress Get plenty of rest, Take a daily walk. For more tips, visit lupus.web md.com/guide/lupus-systemic- lupus-erythematosus-home- treatment. |
