Signs you may have Lupus

Signs that people with Lupus commonly talk about. No. 1 is the most common, and that is the butterfly rash. This is the telltale sign of Lupus, and it is just kind of a red rash that happens right across your nose and over your cheeks. Sometimes it looks like rosacea, and it can go hand in hand with it, too. No. 2, achy and swollen joints. This can really happen, especially in your wrists and ankles. Number three is Raynaud's. This is what happens when you get really cold and you lose blood flow and your fingers turn all white. It can happen to your toes, too. And number four is fatigue. This is chronic fatigue. This isn't just, wow, I've had a long day. It can feel like you have a weight on your chest. The thing that no one tells you right off the bat is that all of these can be connected. When you're just living through it day to day, you don't see the patterns. So I really recommend that you start tracking your symptoms daily. What I do is I use this app called Juno, and I just text it every day like it's my friend, and I just tell it what I'm going through, what I'm experiencing, and it automatically tracks it all for me. And it also spots triggers and specific patterns, so I know when a flare up might be coming. It also turns patterns into a PDF. And I usually print it out and take it to the doctors, so it makes it so much easier for me, and it also makes it a lot harder for them to dismiss me. If you think you have Lupus, please advocate for yourself. And the best way you can do that is by collecting evidence.