Shironda, Kendra and Jeff on Surviving Lupus: Kidney Failure, Flare-Ups and Diagnosis

Shironda, Kendra and Jeff live with lupus. Christie of the Lupus Foundation of America joins them.
Together they explain why the invisible illness takes years to diagnose.

Shironda, Kendra, Jeff and Christie of the Lupus Foundation of America in Dallas sit down to talk about lupus. The host notes that lupus gets overlooked and mentions T-Boz of TLC being hospitalized. Shironda describes SLE, stage three kidney disease, inflammation and flare-ups set off by the sun. Jeff explains he was diagnosed in South Korea in 2016 after symptoms began in 2010. Kendra recounts nonstop fevers after a vacation, a Christmas 2024 ER visit, failing organs, and New Year's at Baylor. An ice storm delayed her diagnosis. Christie says 90% of lupus warriors are women, many of them African American, and that diagnosis takes about six years on average. The panel covers hair loss, Shironda's blurry vision on the freeway, gaslighting by doctors, specialists, medication, yoga, dialysis, alcohol and fatigue. They discuss Lupus Awareness Month and name celebrities including Toni Braxton, Nick Cannon, Selena Gomez and Trick Daddy. Christie describes the Lupus and You conference, the Dallas Walk to End Lupus at Clyde Warren Park, and promising clinical trials. The panel also talks about family support, Kendra's strained relationship, and Shironda's emotional first lupus conference. Work and insurance come up, including Shironda's team at Radio One. The conversation closes with pregnancy, disability, FMLA and ADA protections, and Jeff's Men Versus Lupus support group.

CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Meet Shironda, Kendra, Christie and Jeff
2:33 - Why Lupus Gets Overlooked and T-Boz
3:36 - Shironda's SLE and Kidney Disease
6:08 - Lupus Flare-Ups and the Sun
8:12 - Jeff Diagnosed With Lupus in South Korea
10:46 - Kendra's Super Flare and Christmas Hospitalization
13:23 - Is Lupus Hereditary
14:57 - Lupus in African American Women
15:57 - Why Lupus Takes Six Years to Diagnose
16:28 - Early Signs: Inflammation and Hair Loss
17:30 - Shironda's Blurry Vision on the Freeway
19:32 - Lupus Stigma and Invisible Illness
21:34 - Finding Doctors Who Listen
23:08 - Rheumatologists and Lupus Specialists
24:39 - What Lupus Medication Does
25:09 - Exercise, Yoga and Avoiding the Sun
26:39 - Dialysis, Diet and Alcohol With Lupus
28:12 - Lupus Fatigue
28:43 - Lupus Awareness Month and Celebrities
30:47 - Dallas Walk to End Lupus Fundraising
31:49 - Clinical Trials and Chemotherapy for Lupus
33:50 - Family Support After a Diagnosis
35:51 - Kendra on Lupus and Relationships
37:57 - Jeff's Family and Friends Checking In
38:30 - A Partner at Doctor Visits
39:33 - How Loved Ones Can Help
42:09 - Shironda's First Lupus Conference
44:44 - A Whole Person, Not Lupus
45:15 - Lupus at Work and Insurance
48:21 - Pregnancy With Lupus
48:53 - Disability, FMLA and ADA Protections
50:25 - How to Support Lupus Warriors
51:57 - Jeff's Men Versus Lupus Support Group
54:00 - Where to Find the Panel

Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DstJFmumNpQ

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