hey im new here.. n still a teenager.. wanting to ask wat will happen when lupus attack liver? my mum has lupus n doctor says lupus might already attack her liver... im sooo scared sumthing bad would happen.. can anyone tell me wat will happen? is it VERY dangerous??? *sob* my mum has lupus over the past 7 years.. its been tough for her cuz she gotta get treatment n tones of medicine.. juz recently she went for her check up.. i dunno wat the doctor do or sumthing i juz knw dat if my mum's body grows red dots the lupus might already attack her liver.. now red dots are growing more then 10 dots.. any idea?? O_O Do not create problems in your mind until you know what is going on.
Liver enzymes are a way that doctors measure liver function. Sometimes the medicines that lupus patients take make these test results go up and down. The doctor will do more checking.
The little red dots happen when our platelet count is low. Platelets are what make your blood clot when you cut yourself. The little red dots are nothing to spend a lot of time worrying about.
Lupus patients often get rashes. The doctor can treat those.
Most of all, help you Mom avoid stress. And if she sees that you are worried, she will feel stress because of that. Enjoy your mom. Love her. Spend time with her. Be happy with her. Nobody can predict the future. I know a lady with lupus who is 86 years old and still dances and teachers yoga! Lupus symptoms come and go. As long as your Mom is seeing her doctor, taking her medications, and paying attention to her health, she will probably be OK. Lupus is a rheumatic disease, best treated by adding antibiotics to your mother's current medications.
Rheumatic diseases are the result of a defective gene and collagen inflammation, often from a chronic infection. Collagen is present throughout the body, from the eyes, skin and joints to the heart. Hence, the multiplicity of symptoms, depending on the location of the most affected internal organs or body parts.
I have had seronegative rheumatoid arthritis for more than 27 years. The telling signs of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis are the following:
- Joint pain in the feet (or cracking ankles) in the early 20's or late teens;
- Fatigue, especially after a moderate exercise like a 30 minute walk;
- Blood test showing a negative or low level of Rheumatoid Factor (RF);
- Joint deformities of the fingers, after a few years, a specific sign of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Consecutive X-Rays, over several years, showing bone erosion, a consequence of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Generalized arthritis, involving the whole body;
- Blood tests showing elevated levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Sedimentation rate (ESR).
NSAIDs like Voltaren, COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex, acetaminophen like Tylenol, codeine, and statins like Lipitor are all used to control inflammation and relieve the pain of arthritis.
Regular exercise like walking, biking and swimming is also helpful for most patients. Make sure that you are not overweight as carrying too much weight can only increase the pain of arthritis in the supporting joints of the hips, knees, ankles and feet.
For any form of rheumatic disease, including lupus, your mother should consult an orthopaedist who will order blood tests, joint scans and X-Rays to better diagnose the type of rheumatic disease from which she suffers.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons at http://www.aaos.org maintains a public online directory where you can find the address and phone number of orthopaedists who belong to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Orthopaedists are listed by geographic location and family name, inside the USA and in most countries.
The membership directory of the AAOS is located at:
http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/member...
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons maintains a wealth of information online at:
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org
Lyme disease could be a possibility. Ask the doctor to test your mother for the bacteria causing Lyme disease.
Are there any other cases of lupus, arthritis or rheumatic diseases among your relatives? Chronic forms of lupus and rheumatic diseases are usually prevalent in families where a defective gene is passed on by parents to their children.
There are a few hundred types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. The good news is that science is progressing rapidly in its understanding of rheumatic diseases.
Antibiotics are now used to achieve full remissions for patients with lupus. The same is true for rheumatoid arthritis where a minimum of 40%, if not 65% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis can achieve full remissions. For more info, please join the antibio group at:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ant... Odds are your mom is already on immunosuppressive drugs or at least anti-inflammatory medications to help prevent the progression of the lupus.
There are treatment options your mom can still have, that she and her doctor can discuss. It just depends on how much it is attacking the liver, how much of the liver is damaged, etc.
I'm attaching a link that explains some things that can happen when Lupus attacks the liver.
Lupus is a very treatable disease though. Hopefully your mom's doctor can figure out ways to keep things fine for your mom for many years to come. |
