As most patients with lupus understand, though you can’t cure the disease, you can treat the symptoms, through which a person can live a long and relatively normal life. But with any chronic illness, it is imperative that you understand your disease, and know when warning signs are begging you to seek help – either with a call to your physician or a trip to the E.R.
Lupus is no different. Know the following warning signs and what they’re trying to tell you.
- You are suffering from chest pain or
- Shortness of breath.
- Trips to the bathroom are occurring less often, and you are urinating in smaller amounts than usual. Note any blood, as well.
- A fever over 100.5 without recent exposure to the cold or the flu
- Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet
- Dizziness
- Muscle fatigue
- Swelling in your lower legs or feet
- An noticeable behavioral changes, like anxiety or depression
- Loss of appetite
- Loss of hair
- Skin rashes
- New mouth or nose sores
- Any worsening of previously known symptoms.
You also need to be aware when the best course of action is to call 911 or visit an emergency room. These symptoms include:
- Crushing chest pain accompanied by sweating or nausea
- Sudden shortness of breath and difficult breathing
- Signs of stroke, including
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness or paralysis of all or part of one side your body
- Sudden vision changes – blurring, double vision, etcetera
- Seizure
- Difficulty speaking or understanding speech
- Sudden nausea or vomiting
- Sudden, severe headache, different than previous headaches
- Sudden dizziness, staggering, fainting
When to call a doctor if you haven’t been diagnosed
You may be reading this without being diagnosed as suffering from lupus – but wondering if you have the disease. Consider these symptoms if you haven’t been diagnosed:
- Unexplained joint pain
- Unexplained fatigue
- Skin rashes
