Support Groups
The Lupus Foundation of America, Piedmont Chapter is fortunate to be able to work with an outstanding group of volunteers who understand the issues that challenge a person with lupus. These trained professionals offer support to lupus patients, friends, and family members throughout the state. These groups provide participants with an opportunity to receive introductory information about lupus, encourage the expression of concerns, provide an opportunity to share experiences, encourage and support positive coping strategies, and emphasize the importance of medical treatment.
If you have other questions about a support group or if you are interested in having a support group in your area, contact the Piedmont Chapter.
Charlotte
Second Wednesday of each month
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Myers Park Presbyterian Church
2501 Oxford Place
Charlotte, NC 28207
Hickory/Catawba Co.
Third Tuesday of each month
6:30 pm
Catawba Family Medical Center
Jade Room
810 Fairgrove Church Road, SE
Hickory, NC 28602
Union County
First Monday of each month
6:30 pm
Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church
Room F
18600 Potter Road
Weddington, NC 28104
Teen Group
Just for Teens is a special program developed by the chapter and Carolinas Medical Center for young people ages 12 to 18 who have lupus. Call 704-849-8271 for more information.
For more information on the Piedmont Chapter support groups email info@lupuslinks.org, or call 704-849-8271 or toll-free at 877-849-8271.
Diagnosis
Sponsored by Lupus Foundation of America, Piedmont Chapter
Because many symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mimic those of other illnesses, lupus can be a difficult disease to diagnose. The diagnosis of lupus is based off of a combination of physical symptoms and laboratory results and for most people is not a one time diagnosis. More often than not it is a diagnosis that evolves over time either towards more certainty that a person does or does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of lupus. So what is your doctor looking for to help determine if you may have lupus?
A doctor who is considering the possibility of lupus will look for signs of inflammation. The signs of inflammation are pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function at a particular place in the body. Inflammation can occur on the inside of your body (your kidneys or heart, for example), on the outside (your skin), or both.
However, there are many challenges in confirming that a person has lupus and not some other disease. Lupus is known as "the great imitator," because its symptoms mimic many other illnesses. Also, lupus symptoms can be unclear, can come and go, and can change. Therefore, a lupus diagnosis is made by a careful review of:
- your current symptoms
- your laboratory test results
- your medical history
- the medical history of your close family members (grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins)
All of this information may be necessary for a doctor to make a diagnosis of lupus because, for a number of reasons, laboratory tests alone cannot give a definite "yes" or "no" answer.
- No single laboratory test can determine whether a person has lupus.
- Test results that suggest lupus can be due to other illnesses, or can even be seen in healthy people.
- A test result may be positive one time and negative another time.
- Different laboratories may produce different test results.
Treatment
Sponsored by Lupus Foundation of America, Piedmont Chapter
Because the symptoms of lupus vary from one person to another, the treatment of the disease is tailored to the specific problems that arise in each person. In many cases, the best approach to treating your lupus is with a health care team.
Today, doctors are using a wide variety of medicines to treat lupus -- ranging in strength from mild to extremely strong. It is not unusual for the prescribed medications to change during a person’s lifetime with lupus. However, it can take months, and sometimes years, before your health care team finds just the right combination of medicines to keep your lupus symptoms under control.
People with lupus are generally treated by a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in diseases of the joints and muscles. If lupus has caused damage to a particular organ, other specialists will be consulted as well, such as a dermatologist for cutaneous lupus (skin disease), a cardiologist for heart disease, a nephrologist for kidney disease, a neurologist for brain and nervous system disease, or a gastroenterologist for gastrointestinal tract disease. An obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies will be needed when a woman with lupus is considering a pregnancy.
Once you have been diagnosed with lupus, your doctor will develop a treatment plan based on your age, symptoms, general health, and lifestyle. The goals of any treatment plan are to:
- reduce inflammation caused by lupus
- suppress your overactive immune system
- prevent flares, and treat them when they occur
- control symptoms like joint pain and fatigue
- minimize damage to organs
Managing lupus is a team effort. And since there often will be several physicians involved in your care, good communication is necessary among members of your health care team.
Symptoms
Sponsored by Lupus Foundation of America, Piedmont Chapter
Because lupus can affect so many different organs, a wide range of symptoms can occur. These symptoms may come and go, and different symptoms may appear at different times during the course of the disease.
The most common symptoms of lupus, which are the same for females and males, are:
-
extreme fatigue (tiredness)
-
headaches
-
painful or swollen joints
-
fever
-
anemia (low numbers of red blood cells or hemoglobin, or low total blood volume)
-
swelling (edema) in feet, legs, hands, and/or around eyes
-
pain in chest on deep breathing (pleurisy)
-
butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose
-
sun- or light-sensitivity (photosensitivity)
-
hair loss
-
abnormal blood clotting
-
fingers turning white and/or blue when cold (Raynaud’s phenomenon)
-
mouth or nose ulcers
Many of these symptoms occur in other illnesses besides lupus. In fact, lupus is sometimes called "the great imitator" because its symptoms are often like the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, blood disorders, fibromyalgia, diabetes, thyroid problems, Lyme disease, and a number of heart, lung, muscle, and bone diseases.
Overview
Sponsored by Lupus Foundation of America, Piedmont Chapter
Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years. In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs ("foreign invaders," like the flu). Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues ("auto" means "self") and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.
-
Lupus is also a disease of flares (the symptoms worsen and you feel ill) and remissions (the symptoms improve and you feel better). Lupus can range from mild to life-threatening and should always be treated by a doctor. With good medical care, most people with lupus can lead a full life.
-
It is believed that there are at least 1.5 million Americans and 5 million people throughout the world who have a form of lupus.
-
Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age (15-44). However, men, children, and teenagers develop lupus, too.
-
Women of color are 2-3 times more likely to develop lupus.
-
People of all races and ethnic groups can develop lupus.
-
More than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported annually across the country.
 |
In Lupus - Asked by Ben - 0 answers - 337 days ago |
All Doctors - Lupus
Orthopedic Surgery, Orthopedics, Rheumatology, Surgery
|
Internal Medicine, Nephrology
|
Cosmetic Surgery, Dermatology
|
|
Internal Medicine, Orthopedics, Rheumatology
|
Internal Medicine, Rheumatology
|
|
|
Internal Medicine, Rheumatology
|
The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA) is the foremost national nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus and providing support, services and hope to all people affected by lupus. The goal of the Piedmont Chapter is to provide lupus patients and their families with education and support and to aid in the fight against lupus. The Piedmont Chapter offers services to lupus patients and their families including general information, referral assistance and peer support, educational programs on a wide range of topics related to living with lupus, support groups throughout the chapter service area that provide a place for shared experiences and encouragement and news and latest information on lupus research, as well as a library with information, books and other resources available for loan. Further it offers opportunities for individuals, corporations, and organizations to volunteer, donate, and raise funds towards vital lupus research and local programs for those living with lupus.
The "Could I Have Lupus?" campaign is designed to heighten awareness
and create a sense of urgency about lupus. With the help of women who
are actually living with lupus, we are sending a message to women who
are suffering from lupus symptoms -- that they can find support, hope
and, most of all, answers. They just have to start by asking the right
question: "Could I have lupus?
The Arthritis Foundation is the only national not-for-profit organization that supports the more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions. Founded in 1948, with headquarters in Atlanta, the Arthritis Foundation has multiple service points located throughout the country. The Arthritis Foundation is the largest private, not-for-profit contributor to arthritis research in the world, funding more than $380 million in research grants since 1948. The foundation helps people take control of arthritis by providing public health education; pursuing public policy and legislation; and conducting evidence-based programs to improve the quality of life for those living with arthritis.
|
This Is Lupus
Lupus affects millions. Individuals whose lives have been
greatly affected by lupus describe the suffering caused by disease and
offer ways that you can help find a cure.
.gif)
You’re just a "tweet" away. Follow us on Twitter to receive news and helpful updates throughout the day.
Sharing information with friends and family is the number one reason for social media outlets. Check out our Facebook page and become a fan!
|