“You know, lupus thrives in extremes,” a rheumatologist told me. His tone was bland and matter-of-fact. “No, I don’t know much about lupus besides its misery,” I responded. “For one thing, your body will see elation and stress with the same intensity, and that may trigger flares.
Our paths to a lupus diagnosis can vary extensively. The symptoms that trigger a crisis may differ, as do the number of hospital stays and near-death experiences we endure before discovering that lupus is the cause. I first realized this truth while sitting in the most god-awful…
Six years ago, I met retired Army Maj. Toni Grimes at a busy Phoenix coffee shop. It was my first conversation with a lupus advocate since my own diagnosis in 2016. I made it a point to arrive before her. I needed to soothe a sneaky, queasy feeling…