World Lupus Day May 10

If you are a fan of the television show “House”, you just might have heard of LUPUS before, as it seems to be Dr House’s default diagnosis most of the time. But really the most common response I get when I tell people that I have suffered from Lupus for 19 years is, “Lupus …what is that?”

So…What is Lupus (SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS OR SLE)

Lupus is the Latin word for wolf. The term has been associated with the disease since the 10th century. Erythematosus means redness. It is said that the name was given to describe the skin lesions, which typically are red and perhaps at that time in history were thought to resemble the bite of a wolf. Of course, not everyone with lupus has rashes or skin lesions, in fact, it seems that no two Lupus sufferers ever have exactly the same symptoms.

The Disease.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease. A normal healthy immune system recognises and destroys bacteria and viruses. With autoimmune diseases, however, the immune system starts to attack objects that are not foreign, becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue.

With lupus, the immune system produces antibodies that attach themselves to various structures in the body. These antibodies in the tissues can cause inflammation, damage and pain.

Although lupus can affect anybody, 90% of lupus patients are women. Of these, 90% develop the condition during their child bearing years.

Lupus is a very changeable disease that also mimics alot of different conditions and is therefore usually difficult to diagnos. While it has many characteristic symptoms, most patients will never experience all of them and no two patients experience identical symptoms.

The severity of the disease also varies. In some patients symptoms appear suddenly and are relatively severe, while in others the disease remains at a low level for several years before diagnosis.

Lupus runs an unpredictable course. For some people, symptoms subside after treatment of the initial acute attack. For others, periods of “remission” are punctuated by”flare-ups” of disease.

Lupus can affect any or all organs of the body.

People of all races can have lupus; however, African American women have a three times higher incidence than Caucasian women. Statistics show that Lupus is also more common in women of Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent.

Symptoms.

Lupus symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, but below is a list of symptoms that might indicate the presence of lupus in an undiagnosed person.

* Achy, painful or swollen joints
* Persistent fever
* Prolonged, unexplained, extreme fatigue
* Skin rashes, including a butterfly shaped rash across the cheeks and nose
* Pains in the chest
* Anemia
* Protein in the urine
* Sensitivity to sun or ultraviolet light
* Hair loss
* Blood clotting problems
* Fingers turning white and/or blue in the cold
* Seizures
*Persistent mouth or nose ulcers

Lupus can cause disfiguring rashes and scarring, multiple miscarriages, kidney, heart and lung failure, impaired neurological function, strokes, heart attacks and death.

Many people with lupus are unable to maintain employment or attend school because of extended Lupus-related absences and hospitalizations. A majority of those affected must live with debilitating pain and profound fatigue which greatly affects their quality of life.

Can I Catch Lupus?

No, Lupus is NOT contagious, not even through sexual contact.

Getting Help.

Most states of Australia have Lupus support groups

Queensland

New South Wales

Victoria

Tasmania

Western Australia

South Australia

Internationally…. USA and UK.

World Lupus Day.

The benefits of awareness and early diagnosis are the primary reasons that Lupus organizations around the world, large and small, have agreed to unite to observe World Lupus Day and conduct activities that call attention to the need for improved patient health care services, increased research into the causes of and a cure for Lupus.

So now the next time you hear that someone has Lupus you will not be left wondering, “What is Lupus?”

Mon.thly

Mon.thly is an interesting new website. It’s a easy tool to help you keep track of your menstrual cycles.

Each time you start a new period, login and add the date to your Mon.thly account. After a few months, it will be able to predict given you past history when your next cycle will start. It will also act a a record of your menstrual cycles that can be hand for your medical reasons, or for your records. You can also set it to send you a reminder of your next estimated start date.

Mon.thly’s interface is super simple and discrete. A handy free tool if you like or need to chart your menstrual cycles.

Who wants to be a big loser?

Are you scales screaming at you for help? 

In the forums we are putting a call out for all the fatties to join us in the 12 week AFW Biggest loser challenge. Lots of girls have already signed up to be a loser,  to hopefully lose weight and make some healthy life changes.

The challenge starts tomorrow, but it’s not too late to join in the fun. Jump on over to the forums to find out how you can become a loser.

There is also a prize for the lady crowned the biggest loser overall for a little more incentive.

So come on, don’t be scared! 2008 is your year to be a big fat loser!

Regular breast screening - our best tool in the fight against breast cancer

Thanks to celebrities such as Olivia Newton John, Anastacia, Kylie Minogue and Belinda Emmett, there is a significant increase in breast cancer awareness among women of all ages. But how many women over the age of 40 years old do you know who put off their regular mammogram for weeks or even months?

I’m yet to experience the sensation of having my breasts squeezed between two heavy metal plates so I suppose I can’t truly identify with the women out there who continually put it off due to the unpleasant nature of the process. However, I do have it on good authority that if I wanted to know what having one was like, I could go out into the garage and lie on the floor while someone put an ice block on top of my boobs and left it there for a little while. I think I will pass on that somehow.

Regardless of how unpleasant a mammogram is, I would encourage you all to go out and have one if you are over the age of 40 years old. If you are of high risk of developing breast cancer, having one at an earlier age is not a bad idea at all – it could save your life. Certain characteristics can increase your risk of developing breast cancer and the National Breast Cancer Centre has developed an online risk assessment tool to help you determine your individual breast cancer risk.

Some of you might think that you don’t need a breast screen – after all, you can feel or see obvious signs that you have breast cancer right? Yes there are breast changes that could indicate a problem, such as:

• A lump, lumpiness or thickening
• Changes to the nipple
• Discharge from the nipple
• Changes in the skin of the breast
• Persistent unusual pain which is not associated with menstruation in one breast only
• Change in the size or shape of the breast

In any of these cases, further investigation is warranted and it is best to see your doctor without delay. If you follow the link above, you will find that the NBCC has provided extensive information on the signs and symptoms associated with malignant changes of the breast.

But there is also a type of breast cancer which cannot be detected by any outward signs. It is called Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) and can only be detected by medical imaging, such as a mammogram. Women with DCIS are often completely unaware that they have it. Figures from the National Breast Cancer Centre indicate that around 1200 women each year are diagnosed with DCIS from regular breast screening. DCIS is different from other types of malignant growths in the breast in that it is restricted to the milk ducts and does not spread outside the breast tissue. If it is detected early and treatment provided, the prognosis is good and survival numbers after diagnosis with DCIS are high. The key point to note here is that early detection is vital for a positive outcome. If you would like to find out more about DCIS, please see this publication from the National Breast Cancer Council for more information.

So please, if you’ve been putting off that free mammogram for far too long – make an appointment today and just get it done. To make an appointment, simply call BreastScreen Australia on 13 20 50.

Fighting hunger with word power

Free Rice is a online vocabulary game that will help you learn as well as help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

Since it’s 7 October launch, Free Rice has donated over 1.5 billion grains of rice which is enough to feed 75 000 people for one day.

The idea is simple, for every word you get right, Free Rice will donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program and you get a harder word, wrong, and you will get an easier word. The program is funded by advertisers that are displayed on the site, who pay for the donated rice.

Approx 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations.

It just takes a few minutes out of each day, the more you play FreeRice and the more you learn, the more rice is donated to feed hungry people around the world. Challenge yourself, family and friends..who can get the highest level?

Almost half of Australian women aged 18-41 were sexually abused as a child

Megan at ImginIf  writes about a story in the Sun Herald today. Research that shows a staggering 45 per cent of women were abused as children by family members, friends or strangers. 

Abuse ranged from non-contact behaviour such as indecent exposure or being forced to watch pornography, through to rape. It found 75 per cent of abuse involved some contact, most of which was shockingly severe, such as forced intercourse.

Megan, who is an passionate about child abuse and protection says she is not at all surprised by these numbers. I, on the other hand was quite shocked. While I know of a family member who was abused and read a lot of what Megan writes, I really did not know that it was so common.

As the mother of 2 daughters these numbers are frightening, does this mean that one of my daughters will be sexually abused?

This highlights the problems facing people such as Megan, who are working so hard to bring awareness to everyone. People are unaware, or just do not want to know how serious the problem is becoming. Due to the stigma surrounding sexual abuse, people are unwilling to talk about it.

How can we all work together to protect our children?

October is Breast Cancer Month-How you can help

Right around the world, October is Breast Cancer Month. A whole month devoted to raising awareness and funds to help fight breast cancer.

It is estimated that some 1.2million people worldwide will be diagnosied with Breast Cancer worldwide.

There are many ways that you can get involved to help spread the word and raise much needed funds for research and support. A number of fundraising activities and products are released just for October.
Here we have a list of some great ways for you to get behind and support Breast Cancer Month.

• Do you have a website? Well, why not go Pink for October! Websites all over the world will go pink for the month of October to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. Last year over 1500 sites went pink for the month of October. Add a bit of pink to your site, and a badge to let everyone know your going Pink for October.

• Pink Ribbon Shop Purchase Pink Ribbon merchandise online at the Pink Ribbon Shop

• Porches in Pink Drop into your nearest Bunnings store and pick up some OSRAM Pink LED Portable Light for $6.95 and get creative. Turn your porch pink for October.

• Naked for a cause The McGrath Foundation have produced a limited edition, thirty page, 19 month calendar featuring Australia’s hottest players from rugby league and Australian rules football. The calendar runs from October 2007 to April 2009.

• Pink Ribbon Day Monday 22nd October is Pink Ribbon Day. Purchase your pink ribbon items from selected stores, or buy it online.

• Girls Night In  Send the boys out and invite all your girlfriends around for a night of fun and pampering. Movies, junkfood, chatting, gossip and all things girly. Get your friends to donate what they would have spent on a night out of the town. Raise money for Women’s cancer and have a great time.
  

• Pink Ribbon Breakfast During October, the NBCF invites all Australians to host a Pink Ribbon Breakfast. Get your friends together, or hold one at work. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have some fun, some yummy food and raise money for breast cancer research.

• Limited Edition Pink Ribbon products During October many companies are producing special limited edition Pink Ribbon products and donating a percentage of their profits to the NBCF. Add a few to your shopping list, and keep an eye out for them when you are shopping.

• We all know that early detection is so important and saves lives. So if you do nothing else this month, at least start regular breast self exams, become breast aware. Breast Cancer can happen to anyone, at any age and not just to Women! So encourage your whole family to become more breast aware.

Breast Cancer month is worldwide , we would love to hear what is happening in your part of the world to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer. Leave a comment, or use the contact form to let me know about what other events are happening around the world and I will add them to this post.

What every woman should know about Breast Cancer

Over 13,000 Australian women are diagnosed with Breast Cancer every year.

We hear so much about Breast Cancer these days, but how do we know what is fact and what is fiction?

The National Breast Cancer Center have produced a free DVD to give women the facts about risk factors, the types of breast changes to look out for, and also dispels some of the myths and misconceptions about the disease. It addresses women’s most most frequently asked questions about breast cancer.

The video also provides advice to women of all ages about what they can do to find breast cancer early.

You can watch the video online or order a copy from National Breast Cancer Centre.

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