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A New Free Report - What Is Lupus?
This fascinating new report from UK-based publishing house Health Research Today answers some of the most-asked questions about this baffling disease :
- What is the medical definition of lupus?
- What are the symptoms of lupus?
- What tests are there for lupus? How do you get a diagnosis?
Fill in this form and we will send you the report immediately, which you are welcome to send on to friends or family!
Living With Lupus
This article is an extract from the ebook Freedom From Lupus!
Living with lupus takes effort, and it can sometimes be stressful. There are ways, though, to make living with lupus not so arduous. You can join a support group, make changes at work, and find financial support to help you live as well as you can with your disease.
Lupus Support Groups
People have a tendency to believe that they are the only people going through a tough time. With something like lupus, a patient may not know anyone else that has ever had the disease. They may feel all alone, because no one around them understands how they are feeling. This loneliness can take its toll and even add to depression, stress, and common lupus symptoms.
Finding a support group is not difficult. Depending on your availability, there are support groups that meet all over the nation. There are also online support groups available for people who may not be able to physically get to meetings. These groups provide patients with an opportunity to discuss the course of the disease and learn more coping strategies. They can be effective stress relievers in that the patient is able to vent how they are feeling.
Support groups are not just for patients. There are also support groups available for friends and family coping with the loved one who has a chronic illness like lupus. While not all support groups may be directly lupus-related, they can be quite helpful in teaching loved ones how to cope. While the patient is going through a battle on one side, loved ones also need to learn how to cope with symptoms and life changes.
To find a lupus support group, you can use the resources around you. Members of your treatment team should know where to find a local support group. You can also contact your health department or local hospitals to see if any of them host a support group for lupus patients or even chronically ill people. Other resources include local park districts, community centers, and churches, all of which play host to support groups from time to time.
Here are some online resources for finding a local support group:
Lupus Foundation of America: For a list of local chapters visit – http://www.lupus.org/support/groups.html
Arizona State University: This resource also lists international chapters as well as U.S. and Christian support groups - http://www.public.asu.edu/~cyndee74/suppgrps.htm
The Lupus Site: There is a resource for a Lancashire and Cheshire Lupus Group that meets in seven different locations in the region – http://uklupus.co.uk/gmlg.html
Some lupus patients find physically getting to a support group impossible. Whether it is for scheduling constraints or physical ailments, there are some online support groups that may meet the needs of lupus patients.
Here are some online support groups available for lupus patients:
We Have Lupus Bulletin Board:
http://www.wehavelupus.com
Butterfly and the Wolf:
http://www.w3pg.com/forums/wellness/lupus/
The Lupies Support Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lupies
WebMD:
http://boards.webmd.lycos.com/roundtable_topic/1130
The Lupus Site:
http:/uklupus.co.uk
While these are only a few of the support groups available, you can find numerous resources via the web today.
Read the rest of this article in Freedom From Lupus!
© Health Research Today
