So what exactly is Lupus?
In short (in very short...) it's where your body is allergic to itself. That's what my daughter likes to say. I describe it a bit differently, though.
I like to say that it's the exact opposite of AIDS. With AIDS, the immune system is breaking down. And it can't protect the body from anything. With Lupus, the immune system is overactive. It likes to fight off everything. The trouble is... the immune system is confused. It can't distinguish the good things from the bad things. It can't determine if the liver should be there or not... so it fights it. It has that problem with a lot of organs.
And in Rick's case, his immune system zeroes in on his brain. It just can't accept that Rick might need his brain. Trust me, he does. But that is the one thing that keeps getting attacked in Rick's Lupus flare ups.
Rick has had only three flare ups. Most Lupus folks (they call themselves "loopies") have had and do have many, many more. MANY more. In fact, most of them are "under the weather" every other day. Rick is luckier than most.
But there was a time when Rick was not so lucky. That time was 1997. His 3rd Lupus attack tried valiently to take his life. I won't tell the story here because it's actually the subject of a book I wrote - "High Top Tennies, Rick Kahle & A Whole Lotta Prayer". Suffice it to say that yes, Rick needed a whole lotta prayer. And he still does.
But he lived through that attack or flare up and has been in remission for the past 14 years.
This really isn't typical for Lupus folk. Not at all. But then, Rick isn't typical.
And that's good.
Feel free to ask questions. Ask away. I'd love to share more. You can send them to: RKEKAHLE@yahoo.com
Life is good. Lupus is bad. And if all goes according to plan, we're gonna win. And life will continue to be nothing but good!
