Janene Bond
When I was 18 months old I was completely potty-trained. At age 3 Mom would come into my room, almost every night to find out why I was crying - you see - I was still sleeping. She would wake me and I would tell her how terribly my knee pain was. Aroun this time, mom thought I had developed some kind of kidney infection as I suddenly became a bed-wetter and would frequently wake her at night with the continual crying. During the day my legs would hurt. The doc said it was growing pains, or I just wanted attention (a 3 year old conspiring how to make herself cry while sleeping) they said musche spasms - they had no idea a brushed me off for years. This was the first symptom during my life of 49 years, living with constant, severe knee pain and a lifetime of unexplained infections, bleeding disorders, ulcerative colitis and other unexplained syndromes. Three years ago a dermatologist accidentally dicsovered that all my health matters were the result of Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. I am now cripple and bedridden and have come close to death on at least one occasion because of Lupus. Please feel free to email me if you want to ask some questions - If nothing else, please discuss this possibility with your doctor and if possible, have your daughter tested. Kidney involvement is a frequent symptom of Lupus and kidney failure is the main cause of death in Lupus patients. Among the medical community it is estimated to 500 out of every 100,000 people have Lupus and about 13 out of 15 are women. I pray for a quick and correct diagnosis for your daughter and sincerely hope you have an outcome other than Lupus. Sincerely, Janene Bond St. Louis, MO