Someone You Know May Have Lupus

Most Americans are aware of the signs and health risks of breast cancer or heart disease, but few are aware of another significant health problem that disproportionately affects young women between the ages of 15 and 45. The disease is lupus. Lupus is caused by an unbalanced immune system that can be destructive to any major organ or tissue in the body. Lupus can be very unpredictable and is potentially fatal.

An estimated 1.5 million Americans have lupus, but many people are unaware of the potentially disabling and life-threatening health effects of lupus. The disease is two to three times more common among African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans than among Caucasians – but no one is safe from lupus.

Lupus is more than joint pain, fatigue, fevers, and skin rashes – common symptoms of the disease. Inflammation caused by lupus can damage the heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain, resulting in significant disability or death. Women with lupus have a five- to ten-fold increased risk of coronary heart disease. Approximately 40 percent of people with lupus will develop nephritis, or kidney disease. People with lupus are at high risk for blood clots, stroke, and seizures. Without intervention and treatment, the outlook for people with lupus can be poor.

Early recognition, diagnosis and proper medical care of lupus often can prevent or reduce serious health complications, such as heart disease, strokes, seizures, and kidney failure.

May is National Lupus Awareness Month in order to disseminate medically sound information about lupus, increase public understanding of the physical, emotional, and economic impact of the disease, and provide support, services, and hope to all people affected by lupus.

Lupus is difficult to detect and diagnose because many initial symptoms of the disease often are dismissed as nothing serious. It is not uncommon for people with lupus to suffer several years before doctors can make an accurate diagnosis. On average, people with lupus experience symptoms for four or more years and visit three or more doctors before they are able to obtain a correct diagnosis. Currently, there is no single laboratory test that can determine whether a person has lupus. Diagnosis is usually made by a careful review of a person's entire medical history, coupled with an analysis of the results obtained from routine laboratory tests and some specialized tests related to immune status.

For more information go to http://www.lupus.org.

weekend re-wind

What date was my last entry? I am such a slacker! It would be justifiable if I were actually busy, but unfortunately I'm really not.

Anyway, this weekend was great! Yesterday I scrapped ALL DAY here at Picture Me Perfect's 2nd year anniversary! I had a blast! I completed two layouts yesterday! (By my standards that's actually a lot!) You can check them out at the My Little Shoebox blog along with a couple other awesome creations by some very talented women!

Back in the saddle again!

Okay, I know my last post was downright strange. Here's the story: I attended Ash Wednesday mass after work and was surprised to see the church so packed. The only other time I ever see it like this is at Christmas and Easter when the "Christmas and Easter Catholics" come. Needless to say it was a LONG mass; I didn't get home until close to 9pm. (God bless my husband for waiting for me!) So between being stuffed with dinner and my back pain, I was clearly not coherent to write anything meaningful.

Jay and I celebrated Valentines and his birthday at Scott's Seafood in good old Palo Alto. (We also went to Red Robin on the day of birthday for his FREE burger. . .love that!)



Still trying to get back into the scrapbooking groove. It felt like my mojo is starting to come back especially after last night at Picture Me Perfect! I'll post the layout I started as soon as it's done. You'll probably have to wait a week!
Off to enjoy movie night with Jay!

Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday marking the beginning of the Lenten season for Catholics around the world. It is a time of introspection and renewal.

Just another obsession

I only signed up because I was curious, that and I was procrastinating. Little did I know that Facebook would quickly, instantaneously become a daily must see.

I'm Still Here...Barely

Happy belated New Year! (Although I think I'm just in time of Lunar New Year!) Sometimes life just seems to get in the way of blogging; I'm certainly guilty of that! Having to wake up early the next morning doesn't leave me a lot of time to do much of anything in the evening. The cycle of getting ready for the next day is unending: packing our lunches, making coffee.

I'm definitely back into the groove of going to work everyday again. And I'm enjoying my daily commute into San Francisco via BART. I especially love the fact that I get 40 minutes of reading time both ways. I've already finished three books since the end of December! That's a record because I usually take a couple weeks to read a book.

I wish I could be home tomorrow to watch the Inauguration live on tv. I envy everyone in Washington right now. I would have loved to be in D.C. (20 degree weather too) to experience this historic event.