DYING TO LIVE: Running backwards through cancer, Lupus and chronic illness

Jones' journey with lupus began just over a year ago, and while it's required some major changes in her life, she's learning how to live a full life with lupus. At 17, Whitney noticed her first symptoms, sore muscles and a rash, which she thought was just a sunburn at first. Fuong comes from a long line of women with autoimmune diseases. But it wasn't until days after her 21st birthday when an lupus attack on her brain and kidneys occurred; blood tests later revealed lupus.

One of her tricks is adjusting the language she uses, both with herself and with her loved ones. She embraces the word "maybe. But now, by always saying maybe, I give myself an easy out when needed. And I set realistic expectations with friends. She also refuses to use words like "sick" or "tired. Her advice for others: Give yourself a break.

I would advise avoiding stressful situations if you can and paying very close attention to your body. Pushing yourself too hard can lead to much more serious side effects," she explained. Turk, who has a family history of lupus, was diagnosed in his 20s. While lupus is more common in women , anyone can get it. Also, not all Lupus patients have the same severity of the disease. The impact that medication has on your body is tremendous.

Because we're in women's health, we are the caregivers. I have a lot of caring," Greene said. Her advice for other patients is to ask questions again and again to get answers that satisfy, and "surround yourself with caregivers, whether it's your practitioner or loved ones. According to CDC experts, research has not shown that patients who go on prolonged courses of antibiotics do better in the long run than patients treated with a placebo.

It can cause chronic arthritis, encephalopathy [chronic cognitive problems] and heart problems. But I don't want people to think that this is common. It's quite unusual," said Farber, the infectious disease specialist.

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Spector, now an associate professor of medicine and of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke Cancer Institute, has been able to return to a more active lifestyle again. While his chronic health issues did not stop him from working on developing a new class of breast cancer drugs and a new medication for children with leukemia, he is happy to be back to other activities like running. I've been running again. Last year I ran three half-marathons. My cardiologist said at my seven year [post-transplant] evaluation, 'I'm hoping you'll die of something other than heart disease,'" he said.

Spector's book about his story, "Gone in a Heartbeat: A Physician's Search for True Healing," encourages others to take charge of their health. No one knows your body better than you do. I don't care if they have a degree from Yale or Harvard. If what you're hearing from your doctor is not in line with what you are feeling, you've got to find somebody else -- advocate for yourself or you can easily fall through the cracks. It's your life," Spector said.

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