13. “When I was 29, I was diagnosed with lupus. The doctor I had was awful and just put me on a very high dose of steroids for eight months before I felt a sharp, intense, constant pain in my right hip. Fast forward to a doctor who finally believed my pain and ordered an MRI. My hip joint was dying from the inside out. I had to have a total joint replacement, and due to the damage to that joint — my ortho surgeon said it was so bad it was ‘peeling like an onion’ and then said I would most likely need all of my major joints totally replaced. I remember I laughed at first. He wasn’t kidding. By the time I did both hips and both shoulders, my knees were so bad I had three holes in my femur. I had developed a condition called Avascular Necrosis, which basically means the blood supply stops working in the bone marrow, and the bone dies from the inside out, as a consequence of the steroids I had taken.”
“I had a total of 10 orthopedic surgeries over four years. (Some of the replacements were not done right, and I had to have a couple of joints re-done by a better surgeon) I now have a much better rheumatologist and doctor and am off of all medications for lupus due to intense diet and lifestyle changes. And I can do everything they said I couldn’t do again: run, jump, shoot, throw! It’s insanely humbling. Life is so short; don’t ever take your health for granted, and when something doesn’t feel right, ALWAYS persist until you find a doctor who listens; you know your body better than anyone else!”
—Erin, 35
