#LAM18 Kickoff - Lupus Patients are not just a lab result! Plus why tracking your symptoms is so important.

Happy LAM (Lupus Awareness Month)! 

I've partnered with Exagen Diagnostics to bring you all sorts of goodies this month. Excited to unveil their Lupus Lab Fact Infographics over the next few weeks, as well as the Despite Lupus book give-away they are sponsoring. Three cheers for specialty labs who care about patients!

First, let's talk about the Lupus Lab Fact below. Blood work truly is just ONE piece of the puzzle. That's why it's so important for patients to come to a doctor's appointment prepared. Show up with a list of questions, and be sure to highlight the concerns you've had (i.e. symptoms you've experienced) since you were last there. If this is the first appointment, include everything. The only way the doctor can diagnose you correctly is to have accurate and honest information. So be ready to share! 

When it came to sharing, the only way I found I could keep myself organized was to track my symptom activity on paper (or the computer). You can read about my Chronic Control Spreadsheet here. Showing up with a detailed list of my symptoms (how, when, how long, severity) allowed me to convey pertinent information to my doctor in a succinct way.  It was with this tracking system that my doctor and I learned to speak the same language.  You can see a graphic of my spreadsheet here. 




Details on how to enter the book give-away to come in the next post. Two winners each week!  

Exagen is specialty lab offering advanced lupus testing, to learn more visit http://ow.ly/JssT30jG1NP

Comments

Mumba said…
I was originally diagnosed with lupus 33 years ago. Very active disease for five years with positive ANA blood work. I had a long period of quiescence then many years of chronic symptoms and flares. I’m now 68 years old, moved to a new city, different doctor, having flares but negative ANA. Doctor says it can’t be lupus because of the labs & must be something else. I’ve lived with this disease since 1985 and know the symptoms. Any suggestions? Thank you.
Sara Gorman said…
I'm sure you weren't expecting that! Any chance your two doctors could talk? Or can medical files be exchanged? Interested to hear what the "something else" would be. Hang in there - patience while your new doc gets up to speed must be excruciating. :]

Popular Posts