A Clean Bill of Health

This is a little brag, but I got some awesome news this past week. I went to visit my new rheumatologist this past Wednesday, a nice man I met at the Lupus Walk. I have been on the search for a good rheumatologist fr a long time. They tend to be an odd bunch, and having been through four of them already, I have been really eager to find a good fit. My very first rheumatologist was a misogynist who found me and my lupus to be a major annoyance in his life of self-importance. My next one forgot to call me with some disturbing lab results around the time of my miscarriage, so I just never really wanted to go back. My third one was awesome, but it took me a full hour to get there, then I usually had to wait about two more hours once I got there. The next one was just the on-call rheumatologist when I was in the hospital before Claire was born. Within the first five minutes of meeting him, he managed to call me fat (I was eight months pregnant) and tell me that he hated pregnant women. Classy.

So, imagine my delight when I attend an Alliance for Lupus Research event and I hear this mild mannered man speaking about the importance of funding for more research. I spoke to him after the event, got his card and made an appointment. When I got there, I didn't have to wait, and he had...wait for it...actually read my chart! He reviewed my lab work from my last visit and said that although I still have the antibody for lupus in my blood and always will, that all of my other lab work came back perfect and showed no signs of disease activity. This is a vast change from one month ago and from the entire past year. My kidney function is back to 100 percent, as is my liver. Both had gotten a little off during pregnancy and the postpartum time period, but they're perfect now! I am wholeheartedly encouraged and thrilled. I will continue to be monitored closely and will stay on two medications to keep everything at bay, but again, a major improvement. I know it could all change in a heartbeat, but for now, I am going to enjoy this healthy time and relish having my body back. I have begun to exercise again and trust my body again -- a wonderful feeling!