I was diagnosed with Lupus Nephritis in February of 2011. I had random joint pain and swelling for a few years before, but nothing that was consistent. 

Here is how I found out:

I through my Auntie a surprise birthday party the beginning of that February. After everything and everyone left that Sunday we had our regular Sunday dinner at her house. I was complaining about how I could not stand on my feet because my ankles were so swollen (I was in real pain). And if you know my Auntie you know she is always joking. 

She said to me Missy Im going to tell you something, promise you won't get mad. 

I said yeah (why I said yeah I don't know) 

She then proceeded to say and I quote " you got the gout from Uncle Rickey cause you were sitting where he was sitting" 

I was soooo mad, but it was funny. 

That lead me to make an appointment with my doctor and tell her all about my issues. 

My doctor ran some tests and sent me to the ER. She said you will only be there for a few hours... I was there for 1-week PEOPLE!!! Only to find out I had LUPUS (a word I never even heard before). My doctor told me to research it and if I had questions in the morning we would discuss them. I was so irritated because I was like you the doctor, not ME! But I will say it was the best thing he could have done for me, I had so many questions that next morning, that we discussed and made a plan for care. I bought books, from the ABC of Lupus to cookbooks, read articles, watched YouTube channels, and tried to stay as positive as possible. 

Unfortunately, those plans did not go totally as planned, but it worked out non the less. I did dialysis for 8 years, a lot of ups and downs...

PUT HERE I AM 4 YEARS WITH MY KIDNEY TRANSPLANT LOVING AND LIVING LIFE!