First, I would like to say hi! To everyone. :d I found this site 3 days ago and have been browsing since. There are so many things that I have read that are useful. I wish that i'd found you all years ago. It seems that somehow reading your experiences don't make me feel so alone.

i'm 21 I was diagnosed with lupus when I was 18....Couldn't walk or feed myself or even function at the time. I was put on plaquenil after a year I went into remission.....Did great and then decided go ahead and have myself a baby....Big no no. She was 2 months early and I was in a coma...They said that combined with my heart failure that there was no way that I would make it through it alive. But *suprise* here I am. Since the birth of my daughter my poor ol' doc hasn't been able to control this monster....I've been in and outta the hospital about once every other month occasionally forgetting to skip a month.

They changed my meds.....I'm taking methatrexate now as well as vioxx and plaquenil which seem to be making a big difference. I was reading about how the methatrexate has effected some of you with horrible nausea.....Am I to expect that in the future? It makes me a little naucous now but does it get worse??? I've been taking prevacid for my stomach since the birth of my daughter....Would that curtail some of those symptoms??? Also since starting meth. My hair has started to fall out....I can't run my fingers through it without taking the hair with me.....Is that normal?

I've also just moved to phoenix and was wondering if anyone was familiar with a good rheumy here.

You guys have no idea what finding this site has done for me....For once I feel like I can talk to someone about what's going on and they can relate.

*muah* vanessa