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Good news you might have missed amidst the reports on Coronavirus/COVID-19

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Good news you might have missed amidst the reports on Coronavirus/COVID-19

Are you totally fed up of all the fear and bad news regarding the Covid-19 outbreak? Believe it or not there is positive news too. So just for a change I thought I’d focus on that and round it all up to remind us this won’t last forever and there are things to be thankful for. It has forced us to slow down and remember what is important, and also reminded us of the many things (such as freedom of movement) that we have previously taken for granted, it’s not until things break down that we start appreciating them – or even remembering that they exist at all.

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Coping with isolation - Coronavirus

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Coping with isolation - Coronavirus

There are going to be people such as lupus patients who are going to self isolate, we don’t really have much choice as for us it might be a matter of life or death.

For some people this can be stressful and difficult. It’s already recognised that social isolation is one of our biggest killers so we should take as many steps as we can to make this as tolerable as possible.

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Lupus is part of you not all of you. Loss of identity to chronic illness

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Lupus is part of you not all of you. Loss of identity to chronic illness

When asked to describe themselves people often say they are someone’s mother/father/sister/brother/wife/husband, maybe what they do for a living, where they live and so on, but how would you describe yourself? In amongst the words would lupus or pain or exhausted etc be part of the description? Think about the quiz shows where the teams introduce themselves, “My name is John, I’m 51 and a Managing Director from Essex”, not once do they say “and I have lupus (or any other chronic illness)”.

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New Year Resolutions, friend or foe?

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New Year Resolutions, friend or foe?

As New Year approaches people are thinking of making resolutions. Personally I never bother, if I want to change something I do it no matter what time of year it is, especially if I think it will benefit my health. Also you make a resolution and don’t follow it through you might feel you’ve ‘failed’ which isn’t a good thing. Studies have shown that less than 25% of people actually stay committed to their resolutions after just 30 days, and only 8% accomplish them.

However, if you’re absolutely committed to New Year resolutions you should consider in advance which you might be able to achieve and avoid those which you know will be doomed to failure from the start.

LGBT activists in China seek to change marriage civil code

LGBT activists in China seek to change marriage civil code

It was only after her partner´s death that He Meili realized the full meaning of marriage.

As a lesbian couple in China, He and Li Qin kept their ties largely unspoken, sometimes introducing themselves as cousins. This rarely bothered He until Li succumbed to complications from lupus in 2016, and Li´s parents demanded that He hand over the deed for their apartment and other property documents under Li´s name.

Woman battling Lupus will get a kidney from her daughter's teacher

Woman battling Lupus will get a kidney from her daughter's teacher

Tracy Shearin-Drayton, a preschool teacher and mom from Greensboro, North Carolina, thought she'd have to wait five to eight years to get a kidney transplant. Shearin-Drayton was diagnosed with Lupus in 2009, and in August, she made public plea for a kidney donation, sharing her story with local news station WFMY.

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Fatigue v Tiredness

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Fatigue v Tiredness

People often say they’re exhausted when in reality they’re just tired, caused most likely by something such as working or playing too hard, or being stressed. People lead very busy lives these days, so tiredness is not unusual. What people don’t understand is that tiredness isn’t the same for everyone, it’s very different to the fatigue caused by chronic conditions such as lupus.

'Dancing with the Stars' judge Carrie Ann Inaba says doctor 'forgot' to tell her about lupus diagnosis

'Dancing with the Stars' judge Carrie Ann Inaba says doctor 'forgot' to tell her about lupus diagnosis

Carrie Ann said that she only recently learned she had lupus as her doctor forgot to tell her. “It’s so weird," she said. "I was diagnosed with autoimmune six years ago, but my doctor didn’t tell me I had lupus,” she continued. “I was having a colonoscopy and I saw my chart [read] lupus and I was like, ‘This is not my chart,’ and they were like, ‘You have lupus.’”

China launches new programme to help lupus patients

China launches new programme to help lupus patients

The launch of China’s first patient-assistance program boosting drug availability for needy patients with systematic lupus erythematosus was announced in Shanghai.

Treatment costs for the disease are high. Annual medical bills for SLE patients in Shanghai last year ranged from 34,000 yuan (£3,843) to 107,000 yuan (£12,100)..

"Many patients are in financial crisis due to the disease and some have to quit taking medication due to the expense,” said Hu Ningning from China Primary Healthcare Foundation.

THE CONTENT ON THIS WEBSITE SHOULD NOT BE SEEN AS SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE, OR THINK YOU MAY HAVE, LUPUS, ALWAYS SEEK ADVICE FROM A QUALIFIED PHYSICIAN. FIND OUT MORE IN OUR TERMS OF USE.