{"id":1652,"date":"2015-05-07T17:48:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-07T17:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1652"},"modified":"2015-05-06T18:05:31","modified_gmt":"2015-05-06T18:05:31","slug":"lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html","title":{"rendered":"Lupus and the Sun and Other Light"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of Keattikorn\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It happened again! I went to a restaurant and the server asked me how I kept my complexion so clear.<\/p>\n

“You have great skin,” she said. “What’s the secret?”<\/p>\n

Ah! I love that question. Not out of some kind of vanity, but because I can use it as an occasion to educate and, perhaps, make a small difference in someone else’s life.<\/p>\n

The ‘secret’ is a blessed byproduct from living with a very difficult, potentially life-threatening illness: lupus. \u00a0The secret, simply put, is that I try as best I can to avoid the sun. And, now that I’m taking a medication that is making me much more sensitive than ever to UV rays, I’m trying to moderate the time I spend exposed to fluorescent lights, too.<\/p>\n

For many lupus patients, the sun’s rays pose a threat to health because of an interaction between UV exposure and cellular changes that can occur with that exposre. The damage can result in flares and\/or internal organ involvement. And it can also result in rashes, especially on the face.<\/p>\n

In my youth, before I was diagnosed with lupus, I was never particularly fond of lying out in the sun, and I didn’t go out of my way to tan. But I didn’t think of sun exposure as something health-threatening except with regard to skin cancer. Now, however, as a lupie, I strive to be vigilant about the sun, often turning down invitations and sitting out of activities that will put me at risk for exposure. In situations where I have to go outside during the day, I go out “armed” with sun-protective clothing, heavy-duty SPF sunscreen, and one of my many broad-brimmed hats. \u00a0I’m still figuring out how to minimize exposure to fluorescent lights; with the new environmental rules, these sources of artificial illumination are everywhere – even doctors’ offices – and so are nearly impossible to avoid. But, I’m able to do a few things, such as limit the span of time running errands to stores where bare fluorescents glow. Life with lupus is a constant learning process!!<\/p>\n

For many lupies, the damage from sun exposure might not show up for awhile after the initial event. Likewise, skin damage caused by lots of sun exposure might not show up for years. Now nearing my 18th year since diagnosis, I am still challenged with lupus, but I do enjoy those random questions about “the secret.”<\/p>\n

And I enjoy, too, being able to smile and share one of the blessings that comes with taking charge of at least one aspect of life with the confounding illness called lupus.<\/p>\n

Blessings,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It happened again! I went to a restaurant and the server asked me how I kept my complexion so clear. “You have great skin,” she said. “What’s the secret?” Ah! I love that question. Not out of some kind of vanity, but because I can use it as an occasion to educate and, perhaps, make…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[360,43,4,578,379,1245],"tags":[1692,1690,1689,1694,1693,1691],"class_list":["post-1652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-determination","category-encouragement-in-life","category-words-of-encouragemnent-and-info-for-all","category-goodness","category-lupus-2","category-positive","tag-good-skin","tag-lupus-and-the-sun","tag-sunlight-and-lupus","tag-taking-care-of-our-skin","tag-taking-care-of-ourselves","tag-the-secret-to-good-skin"],"yoast_head":"\nLupus and the Sun and Other Light - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lupus and the Sun and Other Light - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It happened again! I went to a restaurant and the server asked me how I kept my complexion so clear. “You have great skin,” she said. “What’s the secret?” Ah! I love that question. Not out of some kind of vanity, but because I can use it as an occasion to educate and, perhaps, make…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-05-07T17:48:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-05-06T18:05:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/files\/2015\/05\/Cute-rabbit-Keattikorn-200x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mpratt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lupus and the Sun and Other Light - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Lupus and the Sun and Other Light - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt","og_description":"It happened again! I went to a restaurant and the server asked me how I kept my complexion so clear. “You have great skin,” she said. “What’s the secret?” Ah! I love that question. Not out of some kind of vanity, but because I can use it as an occasion to educate and, perhaps, make…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html","og_site_name":"Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt","article_published_time":"2015-05-07T17:48:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-05-06T18:05:31+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/files\/2015\/05\/Cute-rabbit-Keattikorn-200x300.jpg"}],"author":"mpratt","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html","name":"Lupus and the Sun and Other Light - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/files\/2015\/05\/Cute-rabbit-Keattikorn-200x300.jpg","datePublished":"2015-05-07T17:48:00+00:00","dateModified":"2015-05-06T18:05:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/#\/schema\/person\/b47fd8e9d9cc9750d5779f75b8669a32"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/files\/2015\/05\/Cute-rabbit-Keattikorn-200x300.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/files\/2015\/05\/Cute-rabbit-Keattikorn-200x300.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/05\/lupus-and-the-sun-and-other-light.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lupus and the Sun and Other Light"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/","name":"Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt","description":"Beliefnet Voices","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/#\/schema\/person\/b47fd8e9d9cc9750d5779f75b8669a32","name":"mpratt","description":"Several years ago, Maureen Pratt earned her Master of Fine Arts in Theater Arts\/Playwriting from UCLA's School of Theater, FIlm and Television. She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1652"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1654,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1652\/revisions\/1654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}