{"id":1677,"date":"2015-06-03T21:13:31","date_gmt":"2015-06-03T21:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1677"},"modified":"2015-06-03T21:13:31","modified_gmt":"2015-06-03T21:13:31","slug":"chronic-illness-and-lupus-the-war-inside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2015\/06\/chronic-illness-and-lupus-the-war-inside.html","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Illness and Lupus: The War Inside"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Maureen<\/a>‘Tis the season for doctors’ appointments. Tests. Treadmills. And, oh, the dreaded “fasting bloodwork.” It’s generally fairly exhausting, and I try not to schedule more than one appointment per day (though sometimes, life doesn’t work out this way).<\/p>\n

Health news aside, my “season” has kicked of in an unexpectedly nice way. The first doctor on the line-up (Batter up!) opened up about his thoughts on lupus – and they are so wonderful, I have to spread the word. This doctor\u00a0gets\u00a0<\/em>life with lupus. And his words of wisdom just might, I think, help us all help others get it, too.<\/p>\n

Toward the end of the appointment, after my doc walked me through the frightfully complex, serious labrynth of science and patient-hood as it pertains to the problems with my retinas, I commented that it would be so much easier to be able to say to someone who doesn’t live with lupus and these other complicated autoimmune illnesses, “I broke my leg.” or, “I had a heart attack.”<\/p>\n

Lupus and related problems are just so very intricate that it’s hard to make non-lupies understand.<\/p>\n

Here’s how my doctor responded: “Watching someone live with lupus is like watching someone fight a war that’s going on inside of them. The lupus, or any serious autoimmune condition, is a war against yourself – an autoimmune process – and you fight that war every day. You try to look good and keep active, but it’s exhausting because you’re fighting that war all the time. I’ve seen people fight that war, and I’ve seen people with lupus die. I know just how hard, how serious it is.”<\/p>\n

Oh, my, I could have hugged him!<\/p>\n

It isn’t every day that you find a doctor or other healthcare professional who will get lupus and what it means to live the life of a lupie. I am blessed that this doctor and my other tremendously talented medical team members do get it. And I tell them how much I appreciate them every time I get the chance.<\/p>\n

Thank you doctors, too, especially those who\u00a0get<\/em> what your life is like. And if you feel one or more of them, or anyone in your important inner circle doesn’t quite understand, I hope this post will help communicate the idea, at least in part.<\/p>\n

Joy and peace,<\/p>\n

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

‘Tis the season for doctors’ appointments. Tests. Treadmills. And, oh, the dreaded “fasting bloodwork.” It’s generally fairly exhausting, and I try not to schedule more than one appointment per day (though sometimes, life doesn’t work out this way). Health news aside, my “season” has kicked of in an unexpectedly nice way. 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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\/1677","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=1677"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1679,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1677\/revisions\/1679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}