Environmental Factors That Trigger Lupus

Environmental factors are known to trigger lupus along with genetic predisposition. Some enviromental factors that may trigger lupus are, stress (extreme), pregnancy (hormones), antibiotics, infection, certain foods, and certain drugs. Recently I read a book called, The Lupus Recovery Diet, by Jill Harrington. Harrington believes that your diet is the first step in recovering from lupus. She has been in remission for 12 years now and swears by a vegan diet. Since I've had lupus I have changed my diet drastically, I no longer eat land animals and I work hard at only consuming foods that are free from preservatives. When I first started the diet I felt great! I stop taking all of my lupus medication ( not recommended by my doctor) and I was hopeful that this was the "answer" to lupus. A few months later my health started to decline and I had to get back on my lupus medication. I still believe in maintaining a healthy diet and exercising. Do you think a better diet can improve your lupus condition?   

How do you explain lupus to a child?

Life with lupus is challenging. You have your good days, bad days and the dreaded awful days. I have a three year old son whose life revolves around playing with trains so on my good days with lupus, I am super mom! We are in full play mode running aroumd the house, having a great time. On my bad days I can't do much running around but I am still able to fake it and smile through the achy joints. My awful days are when I can barely get up out of bed. On those days I completely shut down mentally and physically. I don't want to get into the habit of telling my son, "Mommy's sick." I want to know from you, how did you tell your child about lupus?