Dorothy,

I'm sorry you have been diagnosed with lupus too. It can be a very hard disease to live with, especially since you live in Florida! Stay out of the sun as much as you can.

I could help you a little, given that I spent ten years volunteering my time to the lupus foundation. There's nothing like "talking" to those who have lupus though. Here are a couple of contacts in Florida.

http://hstrial-lupusfoundati.intuitw...m/contact.html

http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/weba...939&zoneid=182

There is a LOT of information on lupus out there. Do you have a rheumatologist who you feel comfortable with? Are they knowledgeable of lupus (some aren't)?

Like any other autoimmune disease, the very best thing you can do is try to keep yourself as healthy as possible. Get regular checkups, eat and sleep well, take sensible supplements (especially vitamin D with calcium) and go in whenever you have ANY new symptom!!! That's so important with lupus. You never know where it will decide to attack your body.

Have you had a urinalysis and/or a chem panel to check your baseline kidney function? Lupus loves to attack the kidneys. And some of the drugs you can take for lupus can be hard on the kidneys.

Have you spoken to your doctor about the pain? With women especially, it's best to keep on top of the pain and not let it go too long. For us, it seems the longer it goes untreated the harder it can be to treat. There are many non-drug alternatives to anti-inflammatories like fish or flax oil, walnuts, etc. Lyprinol is something you may want to discuss with your doctor. Do you have widespread pain or has it localized to specific areas? For some patients, physical therapy does help. Acupuncture too.

I hope you can get hooked up with some lupus patients. Maybe attend a monthly meeting - most chapters have those. I really hope you can find a way to reduce the pain. It is NOT pleasant.

Take it easy and keep in touch.

Annie