Possibilities Of Different Diseases example essay topic

Carmen Hawkins Eng. Comp 1010 September 26, 2003 Essay #1 One Can Enjoy Life with an Atrocious Disease Finding out you have a potentially life-threatening illness can be the worst news you ever receive, but it doesn't have to be. You can still enjoy your life to the fullest as long as you can maintain a positive attitude. Presently, I can say that while living with a horrible disease I am enjoying life for what it's worth and then some. I have been fortunate enough to become the mother of three children who are perfectly healthy; an 8-year-old daughter and 11- and 12-year-old boys. I am currently enrolled as a full-time student in a local college and I work full time.

In addition to all this, I also have the time- consuming job of a single mother, which we now call parenting. Meanwhile, carrying a full load, I still manage to find time to enjoy life, whether it be traveling, dining out, shopping, or whatever else comes to mind. When I was 18, I awake one sunny morning and could not get out of bed. Both of my knees were swollen as big as grapefruits. I woke up my boyfriend who was residing with me at the time to let him know that I wasn't able to get out of bed.

At that point he dialed 911 to transport me to the nearest hospital, which at that time was University Hospitals of Cleveland. When I finally got there the doctors immediately started an IV, drew blood, and extracted some of the fluid that was around my knees. The doctors came in to talk with me and it was then that I was asked a lot of questions such as- Has this ever happened to me before? I replied, "No this was the first time". The doctor then stated that I would need to be kept for further testing to diagnose what was wrong with me. The first day, doctors with all different types of specialties where in my room screening me for possibilities of different diseases.

Such as oncologists to orthopedists, who really had minimal involvement in my case. The second day a Rheumatologist told me that they found an abnormal amount of an antibody was present in my blood stream. He went on to say that this indicated a possibility that I might have SLE, which is also known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. It is a disease that affects the joints, skin, organs, and connective tissues of the body.

It also suppresses the immune system to the point where I could not fight off infection. In my situation it affected my joints and kidneys. There have been days that I've experienced extenuating fatigue that would not allow me to have normal bodily functions. One would have to be a victim of this horrible disease to acknowledge exactly what I am talking about. It is also commonly known as "the wolf", which is where Lupus received its name. After hospitalization for exacerbation of the Lupus which affected my kidneys, I developed kidney stones as a result of calcium crystallization in my body.

The doctors inserted a stent (a tiny tube) in the urethra, which is connected to the kidneys, so they could open the passageway for the stones to pass out of my body. They sent me home with medication to take daily for the rest of my life. I have suffered from this auto-immune disease for a little over 11 years, and I believe it is by the grace of God that I am still a survivor. Although I have to force myself daily to take all that prescribed medication, it gets done.

In spite of the bad days, I continuously find things to keep me going because at any given time that I might actually sit down and think about my situation, I begin to worry and that does not make matters any better at all. This disease is very depressing with of all of its symptoms that range from fatigue to joint pain, but I am living proof that living with this sickness does not have to prevent you from enjoying life to the fullest.