To start I would like to thank the guys at WGEFIT.com for supporting me and pushing me. Without them I would have never gotten to the point of feeling comfortable sharing my story, Lifting with Lupus (#liftingwithlupus)
For today I guess I will tell you about myself, I am a powerlifter and a future physique competitor (I will be getting back on the stage in Nov 2017). I’ve competed in the 84+ and 84 categories, won some 1st places and hit some amazing PRs….. and I suffer from Lupus. What is Lupus? Besides the main diagnosis on HOUSE, it is an autoimmune disease where my immune system attacks healthy tissue all over the body; I have severe symptoms.
My chronic symptoms are joint pains, joint inflammation, muscle pains and fatigue. Most days I wake up and have to move my own knees/hips forcefully to move and stairs are often a struggle in the morning/evenings.
Along with my chronic symptoms I also suffer from anemia, early onset CAD (because of the inflammation in my heart, mainly the fibrous sac which surrounds it) and my kidneys do not always want to be productive members of the body. The issues within my heart have made it hard for me to control my body temperature and have created increased depression/anxiety feelings.
It took me 2 years to be diagnosed, and even now 2 years after diagnosis; I am being tested again for another disease which they think is effecting my blood/bone marrow. So for 5+ years I have been a human pincushion, this has not affected my workouts.
As this blog moves forward, I will talk about my struggles with Lupus and my workouts to gear up for my next competition.
You are amazing and an inspiration! Thank you!!!