{"id":685,"date":"2013-05-11T19:00:35","date_gmt":"2013-05-11T19:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=685"},"modified":"2013-05-07T19:17:03","modified_gmt":"2013-05-07T19:17:03","slug":"lupus-coping-skill-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2013\/05\/lupus-coping-skill-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Lupus: Coping Skill # 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Maureen<\/a>When I was diagnosed with lupus, I found it extremely helpful to immediately organize all the information, appointments, and other things pertaining to life with the diagnosis. That, then, was my “Coping Skill # 1.”<\/p>\n

Next, I set about finding out as much as I could about lupus, and especially how it was affecting me. Thus, Coping Skill # 2 was: Education<\/p>\n

I was diagnosed before the Internet was as powerful as it is today. So, I turned to books (especially “The Lupus Book,” written by Daniel J. Wallace, MD) and information provided by my physicians and organizations such as the Lupus Foundation of America (www.lupus.org<\/a>). I also found my pharmacist extremely helpful with explaining the various medications I had to take.<\/p>\n

Now, of course, there are myriad websites, blogs, and other venues online where lupus patients, medical professionals, and others perhaps not as well-equipped or knowlegable, meet and communicate day and night. Some of the information given is good, some of it is not, and it’s a huge challenge all by itself to separate the proverbial wheat from chaffe.<\/p>\n

For me, it goes back to my original sources: My doctors, credible lupus-related organizations, and my pharmacist. Also, for “how to live with it” kinds of advice, I’ve also found the wisdom gained by older lupies to be very valuable. I try to encourage other lupies to get their information from these sources, too, because inevitably, each person with lupus will encounter completely wrong information and, sometimes, very persuasive (read: pushy)people who insist they know better than any “credible” source.<\/p>\n

Even now, I get unsolicited advice from people who insist that “there’s a cure your doctor doesn’t want you to know about,” or “there’s a country where they cure lupus” – both\u00a0statements are incorrect. \u00a0Some people say “there’s a lupus diet” (there isn’t), or “you need to boost your immune system” (bad idea because in lupus, the immune system is already boosted). And, I’ve also had people tell me, “you’re not cured because you’re not faithful enough to God” (hugely wrong-headed and completely opposite the point of living with a chronic illness).<\/p>\n

For all of those statements, and for all the information I need to know, I go back to my credible, up-to-date sources. If knowledge is power, then the right knowledge is even more so!<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

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

When I was diagnosed with lupus, I found it extremely helpful to immediately organize all the information, appointments, and other things pertaining to life with the diagnosis. That, then, was my “Coping Skill # 1.” Next, I set about finding out as much as I could about lupus, and especially how it was affecting me.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,43,4,379],"tags":[576,569,575,18,544],"class_list":["post-685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chronic-pain-and-illness","category-encouragement-in-life","category-words-of-encouragemnent-and-info-for-all","category-lupus-2","tag-credible-information","tag-education","tag-information","tag-lupus","tag-lupus-awareness-month"],"yoast_head":"\nLupus: Coping Skill # 2 - 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\/2013\/05\/lupus-coping-skill-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lupus: Coping Skill # 2 - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I was diagnosed with lupus, I found it extremely helpful to immediately organize all the information, appointments, and other things pertaining to life with the diagnosis. 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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\/685","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=685"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":686,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685\/revisions\/686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}