Lupus: It Chose Me: A Walk Through the Life of Autoimmune Disease

By LaTonya Bias PhD

It is time, at last, to speak the truth about Lupus, and the truth is this. No one knows currently if your autoimmune system is the reason you have Lupus. For me, if this is the truth, why aren’t we implementing blood transfusions? New blood, could that be the cure?

This book is about bringing awareness from one person’s perspective, as to what is going on in her life with Lupus.

“Let me help you take back your life by sharing my story. I hope this will provide you with a clear understanding of what Lupus is and how to maintain your body daily. Moreover, I want you to know what to do if you or someone you know is affected by this madly disease”.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973685333

LaTonya Bias PhD

LaTonya Bias, PhD is a God-fearing native of Chicago, author, and philanthropist. She earned a PhD in business and is best known for her work in Texas. Bias battles lupus and is determined to bring awareness and receive funding for a cure. She is founder and CEO of the Love Life Lupus Foundation. Bias has been married for more than twenty years and has three children and three grandchildren.

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Copyright © 2020 LaTonya Bias, PhD.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Author Credits: Author, CEO of Love Life Lupus Foundation INC, and Advocate for helping people

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8534-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8535-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8533-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020902462

WestBow Press rev. date: 4/28/2020

Contents

An Appreciation

Introduction

Serenity Prayer

Acknowledgments

Invaders

What Is Lupus

What Causes Lupus?

Why Is Genetics Important To Lupus?

Environment

Family

Health

What Is Stress

The Wolf

Natural Plants Daily

The Immune System

God Please Help Me

(Some) Of The Symptoms You Go Through

Ob-Gyn Why?

Naturopathic Doctors

Doctors/ Medication

People Will Not Believe You/Me

Next Steps

What Can I Eat?

Celebrities With Lupus

Recommendation

Exercise Daily

Classifications To Understand

Coping

Support System

Supplement

Pain

You Are Very Sick

Fibromyalgia And Osteoporosis

Lifestyle

Lupus Dictionary

Reference

One of the lessons I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody says distract you from your goals.

-Michelle Obama

Former First Lady

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20

AN APPRECIATION

I am indebted to God; my husband, children, grandchildren, parents, family, friends, and church members. Thank you all for your understanding and prayers. To my grandmother that loved me unconditionally, may she rest in peace. She was truly remarkable, and I am deeply grateful for the time we spent together.

INTRODUCTION

As a young adult, the Serenity Prayer was provided to me by a family member to help me get through my hard times. I was not addicted, nor did I take drugs or drink alcohol, however, as the Serenity Prayer provided positive motivation towards a foreseeable future. I use the Serenity Prayer to keep me on track in life. Now, I am not saying that the Serenity Prayer can work for everyone; but it worked for me daily. You should try it! When you do, take a breather and close your eyes. Think about something positive and take it slow. Allow your mind to sink into your chest and pray.

SERENITY PRAYER

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference …

—Reinhold Niebuhr

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It is time, at last, to speak the truth about lupus as I know it. TRUTH IS, after 30 years of ups and downs with this disease, no one knows much about the autoimmune disease called Lupus. If they did, why are so many people being misdiagnosed? Could new blood be the cure?

To live by medicine is to live horribly

- Carl Linnabus (1707-1778)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Are you ready to get to the meat of this book? Me too, but first I would like to thank God for waking me up every day and guiding my steps. I would like to thank the love of my life my husband, for providing support and understanding with my illness. Spending long hours in the hospital, being around for every tear, picking up all the responsibility when I have flares, and loving me unconditionally. I want to thank my children (Ki-Ki, Jay, and James) for understanding and keeping me uplifted when I am down, for dancing, singing, and staying strong when I am weak.

Thanks to my grandchildren (Goo-Goo, Nuuk-Nuuk, Man-Man and Gunnar). I enjoy watching their beautiful smiles and hearing their laughter as they grow and enjoy life. I want to thank my Kelli-Wellie and my Jada Bug for bringing bliss into my life. I want to thank my family, whom I love. I cannot name them all: Mom, Dad, my Nana (RIP), all my siblings (Nikki), aunts, uncles, cousins, best and close friends and friends for being my support system.

In the morning, present yourselves, tribe by tribe. The tribe the LORD chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the LORD chooses shall come forward family by family, and the family the LORD chooses shall come forward man by man.

- Joshua 7:14

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INVADERS

Receiving a diagnosis of lupus is overwhelming. My life has not been the same. Never did I think I would be writing about something so detrimental. My immune system has limitations between outside conditions and indoor environments. I should be living in a bubble. Let me explain why.

When bacteria lands on my skin, part of what keeps the germs from infecting my body is the bodily structure of my epidermis. The epidermis is the outermost layer of our skin; the main purpose is protection. Why am I talking about this? Well, one reason, it forms a boundary between the bacteria and the external environment of homes, schools, and buildings. Two, this is how lupus begins for me; With bacteria! Below are a few tips you should know to help you have fewer invaders (bacteria):

• As soon as you feel like you must go to the restroom, then go. Do Not Hold It! If you find that you have not gone to the restroom all day, make yourself GO. Holding urine too long is not good for your urinary tract system. It can lead to accidents.

• When you go into a restroom make sure, you use your elbow or foot to open the door.

• When you open the door, retrieve a paper towel. If the restroom does not have paper towels or something to dry your hands-LEAVE!

• Use paper towels to open the stall door. If you are in someone’s home, use a paper towel to open the door.

• Do not sit on toilets, if you must, thoroughly, place the tissue on the seat.

• When you are done make sure you clean yourself from front to back. Try to tap off all the urine before going behind, not too close to the vaginal area and wipe from front to back. Especially after going poop. Because of where the urethra is, it’s easy for bacteria from poop to get in that area causing UTI (urinary tract infections). Most people do not understand that if you clean yourself incorrectly and allow the invaders to get into your vaginal area causing an infection. Carry wet wipes if you can.

• When it’s time to flush the toilet use the paper towel to touch the handle.

• When leaving out of the stall use a paper towel to open the door.

• When washing your hands, get a fresh paper towel, use it to turn the faucet on and get your soap. When you are done, use the paper towel to turn the water off, open the door to leave the bathroom.

It is very important to do these steps because you have plenty of microorganisms in the restrooms, including both familiar and unfamiliar such as streptococcus, staphylococcus, E. coli, shigella bacteria, hepatitis A, cold, and various sexually transmitted organisms.

When I breathe in bacteria or toxins through my nose the tiny hairs inside my nose and cilia inside my lungs act as a somatic wall to stop the invaders. At the same time, my immune system builds a chemical blockade, creating a discharge in my nose and lungs that traps and neutralizes many invaders. However, in my life, this did not work for me. The invaders which you will hear me talk about in this book will be referred to as bacteria. I am not sure if you have seen masks that say, It’s not me it’s you. I find that to be very real. You must wear a mask almost everywhere you go. If you are around a lot of people you need a mask. Concerts, airports, schools, daycares, or even walking outside to get a breath of fresh air, it’s not so fresh anymore.

If I wasn’t concerned about other people’s feelings, I would be wearing a mask all day every day. I keep a mask with me just in case I am in a place where I may get queasy. Not to mention wearing a glove. A lot of people do not clean or sanitize their hands. They wipe or pick their nose, they lick their fingers, scratch their head and other places.

Overall, invaders are invaders no matter how or where they come from. You must avoid them as much as possible. You will find that some doctors say invaders are good for you and they help build up your immune system. That may very well be true but for us, (people with lupus) it is not good. That is a death sentence.

As I speak of invaders, when I eat is when the real praying begins. When I consume various food items, I tend to have bacteria in my system for days. This means that the food could be undercooked, leftover from the night before, or contains bacteria from unclean hands. As a result, my gut is disturbed because of what I ingested, and now my immune system is contaminated with invaders. No healthy gut, no healthy body!

• When going out to eat buy a bottled drink or use a straw.

• If you are at a place