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Running with lupus by Karen Stenhouse of the Galavanters When I was 26 ( I am now 52) I was diagnosed with lupus (also known as SLE) after having my first son. Lupus is an auto immune disease, which means that my immune system works against me rather than for me.
Just after my son was born I started to get a lot of swelling in my feet and hands, to the point that it was hard to walk in the morning. There were days that I was unable to dress my son or myself as my hands were so bad. Over time the symptoms got worse and the pain was causing problems with most of my joints. Every time I got a cold it turned into a chest infection and over time this has caused scarring on my lungs (similar to COPD although I have never smoked). This has caused issues with walking at times, especially up hills, as I could not get my breath. Then about 10 years ago I had chronic fatigue syndrome and I was very ill for about 10 months. This affected all my motor skills so was unable to do most things without help. I was in so much pain at night I could not even turn myself over. I think after that I had pretty much written myself off.
stride jogscotland magazine
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Summer 2019
