Hello, I am Nicole Campanella, 65 years young and I share my body with lupus and now, osteoporosis.

My entire life, there were symptoms of lupus or some sort of autoimmune disorder going on, however, each ailment was treated as an individual illness. Some, of course, never resolved.

“Just live with it” was the answer from so many doctors. Then, in 1999, on my birthday, I woke to fine that my left eye had ptosis. I didn’t have time to deal with it; I had to get to work. I was a vet tech and this was a big surgery day. Besides, I felt fine.

 Three weeks later I didn’t feel fine. I was extremely weak, not thinking clearly, and I was losing my balance and falling. A doctor’s exam with blood work came back positive for lupus. To read more about lupus, click here.

Before I go further, over the years I have heard from many people telling me the horror stories of how they were diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. My story is no different but needs to be told. I was sent to many different types of specialists. They all told me the same things, my blood work numbers are not high enough so I must be faking my symptoms. I was put on so many different types of medication that I started having daily seizures. So that was what the doctors focused in on. When I tried to tell them it was the meds, I was scolded, put down, and belittled.

I must tell you that all of this happened very quickly, and within a few months I could no longer speak, my left side had no feeling, and I was falling all the time. The more I resisted, the more I was told off. I fired doctors and hired new ones, but the reports came from doctors who called me a woman in menopausal stress, who said I faking my illness, stupid, had mental problems and I should not be listened to. I felt helpless and defeated.

For the next two years, I was a non-functioning human. I was in a state of hallucinations, sick all the time, and the amounts of certain meds I was on made me gain weight. One day. in a moment of clarity, I had my husband make a list of cleansing herbs and sent him to the store. He made up teas for me, and I started to take myself off the meds. I fired all of my doctors, and went rouge.  As soon as I was clean, off the mind-altering drugs for seizures, I was able to think.

I started researching everything I could on lupus and found that there are other ways to live with lupus. I also found an MD who agreed with me and backed up what I was doing. I am not advising anyone to “go rouge;” every person has to deal with autoimmune disorders the way that most benefits them.

For me, I have found herbs, minerals, and a way of life that works. I have not had a major flare in 6 years, and I am very active. Recently, I was diagnosis with osteoporosis. This is something that I was not expecting. Again, I have opted to NOT take the medication for this and take care of it through minerals, vitamins, and exercise.

The most important things I can pass along are these:

You must live a healthy lifestyle, eat right, no fast foods, no soft drinks, alcohol, or junk foods and get off the refined sugar.

Moving is imperative. Exercise every day! It does not have to be a marathon work out, but you must move your body and before you know it, you will be ready for a marathon.

Keep your brain active. Work on puzzles, do cross words, join in local activities, learn a new language, enroll in an art class, take on a special interest where you have to use your brain.

Find a medical professional that listens to you and will back you up with new health ideas.

Do the research from reputable site such as; Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Lupus Foundation, University of Oregon.

 You do not have to be a lupus victim, we are all lupus worriers!

 Do you have a rare disease? Share your stories, thoughts, and hopes, with the Patient Worthy community!