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A nephrologist treats lupus nephritis in consultation with the rheumatologist.

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I deleted the inappropriate entry to your question. I don't have answers to your question, but we could all do without that.

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The Affordable Care Act, if it is upheld by the courts, makes certain changes in the ability for insurers to exclude applicants from coverage based upon certain preexisting conditions.

Normally, there are preexisting condition exclusions in private health insurance policies. These exist so as to allow insurers to maintain a balance between the cost (premiums) for insurance relative to the magnitude of the risk assumed.

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Hi, You can participate in discussions about Abusive Relationships - click on these links: http://www.suite101.com/discussions.cfm/npdhttp://www.suite101.com/discussions.cfm/verbal_emotional_abusehttp://www.suite101.com/discussuions.cfm/spousal_domestic_abusehttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/Narcissistic_Personality_Disorder/http://groups.msn.com/NARCISSISTICPERSONALITYDISORDER Many other support groups are listed here: Links to Therapist Directories, Psychological Tests, NPD Resources, Support Groups, and Tutorials: http://www.suite101.com/links.cfm/npd Sam Sadly, at this present time, most discussions relating to NPD, like many other areas of mental health, are dysfunctional to the point of having the potential to do far more harm than good, and have assumed many of the attributes usually associated with "cults", and could be construed as abusive in their own right. This seems to be an unavoidable aspect of the "virtual world" at this point in it's evolution. However there are exceptions: Richard Grossmann MD's "Voicelessness" forum is excellent and well managed: http://www.voicelessness.com/disc3/ You may be able to find others...

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There are an estimated 1.5 million Americans living with some form of lupus. The exact numbers are not known. Lupus is not reported to the CDC or any other data gathering body.

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Breathlessness and chest tightness are common signs of asthma, though it doesn't definitely mean you have asthma. If your blood relatives have a history of asthma, you should see the doctor, who will find out if it is asthma or simply common cold.

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A lymph node. Sometimes (thou rarely) a lump behind the lower part of the ear can be a cyst or a tumor of the parotid gland. Again this is rare and shows up mostly in men above the age of 50, but I had one and I was 28. I would get it checked out by an Ear nose and throat doctor for peace of mind. It could be a bone spur.

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Neonatal lupus can occur when a baby is born to a mother with lupus. In some cases, the infant will only have a rash for several months and it will clear on its own. In other more rare cases, the infant will have a congenital heart block, meaning the baby is born with a problem maintaining a regular heart beat.

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About 90-95% of patients are still living after two years with the disease, 82-90% after five years, 71-80% after 10 years, and 63-75% after 20 years.

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My breasts were swollen and sore for about a week before my period was due, but I had no sickness. My period was due on the 19th Dec. I missed it and the next day did a home preg urine test. It was positive. I went for a blood test two days later, it was negative. So I went home and did another urine test, it came out positive. Ten days later I went back for another blood test and it was positive. Its frustrating to have to wait but wait awhile and take another blood test.

I tested positive with a regular urine test at 10 days since conception. It was a shock Because I don't feel preg. not like my first child. I read that HCG is present in the blood stream 7 days after conception. It is worth it to find out early. Keep taking that folic acid.

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Lupus can develop in any person, of any age, any gender and any ethincity. Overall lupus strikes 9 women for every 1 man. Lupus most often develops between the ages of 14 and 45, but can strike very small children and very old people too.

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In the United States lupus affects about 1.5 million people. Worldwide it is estimated that at least 5 million people have lupus. These are estimates. Doctors do not report each diagnosis of lupus that they make. No government agency requires that a diagnosis of lupus be reported. Lupus statistics are gleand from hospital discharge diagnoses. If a person is diagnosed with lupus but had not been hospitalized, their diagnosis will not appear in the statistics. If a person is hospitalized for a complicaton of lupus, the discharge statement may not even mention lupus.

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Yes it is an autoimmune disease that currently has no cure. There are treatments available to manage the symptoms caused by the disease but no cure for the overall disease. With lupus, the antibodies that usually fight germs and disease in ones body instead attack all of the organs in the body. Due to lack of funding and general public unawareness of what exactly is lupus, there has been no progress for many years in finding a medicine that is more effective in slowing down the attack of all the organs. Currently the most widely used medicine is Plaquenil, which was developed 70 years ago for the purpose of treating malaria. This drug has many bad side effects in many patients and again, can only slow down the progression of lupus attacking and destroying all major organs, it does not cure lupus.

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Not necessarily, but many lupus patients will gain weight due to an anti-inflammatory drug that they often take called Prednisone. This causes excessive weight gain. Sometimes lupus effects the digestive organs, resulting in digestive issues that cause weight loss. Often medications and other symptoms of lupus cause the patient to feel nauseous and vomit a lot, which is also another cause of weight loss due to lupus.

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120 is a very low number for sodium, and may result in seizure activity. The normal range for sodium is 135 to 145 mEq/L (millequivelents per liter.)

Just to add to this, my sodium is 122 and my doctor said that this is very near critical. If you have a blood sodium level at 120 your doctor should be taking steps to correct it and find the cause.

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IF THE BUMPS STILL EXIST YOU NEED TO GO RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE IT COULD BE A NUMBER OF THINGS LIKE;GENITAL WARTS, HERPES, SYPHILLIS ETC. THE DOCTOR CANNOT DETERMINE WHAT YOU HAVE UNLESS THE BUMPS ARE PRESENT BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO TAKE LIVE CULTURE (PUSS FROM INSIDE THE BUMP) AND EXAMINE IT TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS. SO IF THE BUMPS ARE STILL THERE GO RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THERE IS NO CURE FOR HERPES JUST TREATMENT AND YOU DON'T TO TAKE A CHANCE AND SPREAD IT TO OTHERS. IF THE BUMPS HAVE DISSAPEARED STILL GO GET AN EXAMINATION BECAUSE YOU CAN DETECT SYPHILLIS THROUGH BLOOD.

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I had one bump that was not painful but figured I should get it checked anyway -- it turned out to be a rare form of cancer that affects the vulva.

DO NOT WAIT! Go to the doctor immediately. Better safe than sorry!

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The exact cause of lupus is not known. Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system is confused and attacks healthy parts of the self. Researchers believe that if a person inherits just the right combination of genes (genetic predisposition) and is exposed to certain triggers, either extreme or over a period of time, lupus will develop. Lupus is not directly hereditary like sickle cell disease. Lupus is not contagious. You can't catch in from someone or give it to someone. The Epstein-Barr virus (the one that causes mononucleosis) is often cited as a trigger. Other triggers include stress, sunlight, cigarette smoke, and certain medications. The medications are the one given for tuberculosis and some high blood pressure medications. If the lupus is drug induced, the lupus goes away once the offending drug is withdrawn.

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Try contacting a full time professional health Insurance Agent and a member of the National Association

Click here to find one

Sign up for PCIP.

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Maybe you have a bacterial (ear) infection. Do the ears flake? Or feel as though they burn (like a brush burn feels)? If so use an over the counter bacteria ointment on the outside and try not to get any water in the ears

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Rheumatologists are the type of specialists that treat lupus. The American College of Rheumatology offers an exhaustive data base of rheumatologists around the world. One can search by location. www.rheumatology.org

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Systemic lupus accounts for approximately 70 percent of all cases of lupus. In approximately half of these cases, a major organ, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys or brain, will be affected. Cutaneous lupus (affecting only the skin) accounts for approximately 10 percent of all lupus cases. Drug-induced lupus accounts for about 10 percent of all lupus cases and is caused by high doses of certain medications. The symptoms of drug-induced lupus are similar to systemic lupus; however, symptoms usually subside when the medications are discontinued.

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Poor circulation perhaps?

what would cause my legs to feel heavy and have trouble standing up from a sitting position

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First off, one little advice on looking at people's answers is beware of people using exclamation points when they approve a product. Who uses !!!!! when something is supposed to work other than the ones selling it. Excited people like that are just trying to sell the item.

Second, do your research. Don't simply go to their site or ask people on the web. There is misinformation and false advertisement when it comes to popular topics such as hair regrowth.

Third, I do recall the Dateline NBC experiment on the Follicle 5. One person used the laser comb. An update at 6 months with and then again at 12 months. The videos are located a couple places. But note that it was just one man that used that one treatment. Results vary.

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Everything I read says YES! Coffee is bad for people w/ Lupus. But as a sufferer: I do use coffee when I feel lethargic, I may drink 2-3 cups over the course of the day and Never after 3PM. It helps me to motivate and concentrate.