Not the greatest news in the world...

For the most part I have tried to stay positive on this blog. Unfortunately I got some bad news this week. Some of you are aware that James and I have been trying to have another child for nearly three years now. Between James being deployed three times and a couple of miscarriages we obviously haven't been too successful. I decided to take advantage of my time here in Utah to see a specialist to see if there is anything that might be causing me to miscarry. After about a million tests I finally got some answers. I was diagnosed with Lupus. For those of you who are not familiar with Lupus (like I wasn't) I'll tell you a little bit about what I have found out about it. I copied this next paragraph off an article on the internet:

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can be fatal, though with recent medical advances, fatalities are becoming increasingly rare. As with other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage. SLE can affect any part of the body, but most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and nervous system. The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remission. Lupus can occur at any age, and is most common in women, particularly of non-European descent.[1] Lupus is treatable symptomatically, mainly with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, though there is currently no cure. Survival in patients with SLE in the United States, Canada, and Europe is approximately 95% at 5 years, 90% at 10 years, and 78% at 20 years.[2]

I also found out that 40% of pregnancies end in a miscarriage for women with Lupus. This explains a lot. The doctor also asked me if I had been experiencing joint or muscle pain and fatigue. I have been for over a year, but I just chalked that up to being a mom and going through a lot of stress. Lately it has been pretty bad though. With my body attacking healthy cells it also leaves a greater chance of me getting other illnesses. From here I'll be sent to two other specialists to decide what to do for care and to prevent further tissue damage. I guess one good thing about this is that James might ( a really doubtful might) get to come home early. Also, I will have good days too that I won't have any symptoms.
Thanks for "listening". Sorry to be such a downer this post. It feels good to get it out though. I know I will be seeing some of you who might read this soon, so maybe this will help you to understand if I'm not feeling very well. Now that I have had a chance to vent a little I do hope to take a more positive view on this in the future. I'm not going to let it get me down and I'll try to keep life as normal as possible.