Some physicians won't tell patients what to expect when you have a chronic illness that has no cure.  They rather prescribe medication and send patients on his/her merry way to figure it out.  Some patients are left to search on social media, or the internet for answers.  Some physicians have the perception that chronic illness is a one size fits all.   And it's not, each patient is different, and no two patients will experience the same symptoms.  I'm typing this on Tuesday July 18, 2023, at three o'clock in the morning due to the unpredictable monster called lupus.

When the unpredictable monster strikes it strikes hard and heavy.  Now I've been having a problem with my blood pressure dropping along with my blood sugar levels also dropping. On Monday July 17, 2023, I was out shopping, and I started to feel a little strange.  I began to feel dizzy and lightheaded, I was already in pain, pain I live with each and every day.  Now I have not experienced a Syncope episode in quite a while.  For those who do not know what Syncope is, Syncope is a medical term for fainting or passing out.  It happens when an individual has a sudden, temporary drop in the in the amount of blood that flows to the brain.  Most of the time, a harmless, short-term cause makes an individual faint.

Syncope can be a sign of a more serious condition.  I've been informed by my care team to always keep something salty or sweet on me when my blood pressure/blood sugar drops.  Little did I know that this was a warning sign that the unpredictable monster would appear.  When you have lupus, you take each day at a time based on not knowing when it will rear its unpredictable pain wrenching mouth ulcer head.  My specialist prescribed pain medication 800 mg 3x daily which equals 2,400 mg daily.  I informed the specialist that I only take the pain medication as needed because I refuse to become addicted to it.  So, most of the time I endure the pain, but on Monday I had to breakdown and succumb and take the medication.

The medication would make most sleep, but with me it keeps me awake, I have gone two days straight without sleep and when I crash, I crash.  As for myself when the unpredictable monster strikes it triggers my other numerous underlying conditions.  And my body is at war with itself.  I never know when it will strike, all I can do is just roll with the internal war that is going on in my body.  Living life with unpredictable monster can be challenging for most.  I believe in making each and everyday count regardless of the war I go through with my body.  I see every day as a blessing, because there exists those who did not wakeup from a night sleep. There exists those who are worse off than I.  I have been fighting since the age of five (5) years old with this unpredictable monster.  And I'm still here.