How Do I 'Treat' My Lupus?

Since I started this blog some people have been kind enough to leave insightful comments and inspiring responses. A recent comment from a fellow lupus blogger included the title question, "How do you 'treat' your lupus" and I thought I would answer directly on my blog.

Anyone with lupus knows about the symbolism of the Wolf and the Butterfly. Picture it: one has all the intense passionate beauty of a powerful wild animal, a survivor of the ice age, and the other is an ephemeral winged insect, known for its larval caterpillar form, inactive pupal stage and finally its breath-taking metamorphosis. Treating lupus is a matter of balancing the outrageous suffering and howling with a lighter touch achieved any way you can. I do it through writing, laughing, praying, gardening... healing. Healing is everything. And fearlessness. All I have ever wanted since I was diagnosed is to be fearless. Not stupidly fearless, but consciously fearless. In full awareness of yourself, anything is possible.

My two top ways of treating lupus this month are:

• Acupuncture Several years ago my mother (who has always been on the lookout for ways to get her daughter better) discovered a Vietnamese acupuncturist who is also a gynaecologist, and practising Buddhist. Her skill with acupuncture however did not lead her to predict a cure for me. She demanded patience on my part, and described my lupus as a ball of wool, all tangled up; unravelling me has certainly demanded patience on her part too. Patience and persistence are necessary with this condition! I would wholeheartedly recommend acupuncture and wish you luck in finding someone as superb as my own Dr Ly.


• Audiobooks A few years ago when my father lost his sight around the same time as I had a very clever operation to save mine, we realised audiobooks were the way forward. Lucky for us we have a brilliant library system in operation here in Cambridge. Audiobooks are expensive so locate your nearest library. Listening to audiobooks means resting your eyes and your body, two impossibly hard things to do when life is waiting to be lived. On a bad day, have an audiobook at hand. Here's what I am loving today:

Further Under the Duvet Marian Keyes, Irish writer and general all round fabulous woman, herself has experienced the hells of a chronic illness, in her case alcoholism. Her books are insightful, charming and hilarious. Go on, treat yourself!