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Shea B. Yoso
Hi my name is Shea B. Yoso. I am a 28 year old pregnant woman. I went to the doctor when I noticed I had a fever and extreme joint pain. It was worse than what I was used to from the pregnancy. I was also experiencing hair loss which didn't concern me until my doctor asked about it. My doctor says to me,"this might be lupus." -
Getting Tested
My doctor tells me I will need to get a series of blood and urine tests to be certain that I has lupus. With the blood tests, there will be a complete blood count to see if I'm anemic. Also, the blood tests will check my liver and kidneys since lupus affects these organs. Increased proteins or blood in my urine will show if i have kidney problems. Lastly, I'll get an antinuclear antibody test to see if my immune system is on overdrive to fight this disease. -
Results
My doctor calls me in to tell me about the results. The results showed my ANA test were positive, but that doesn't necessarily means I have lupus. My doctor continues by says the blood tests showed that I was anemic and had some proteins in my urine suggesting my kidneys were affected by lupus. So, my doctor suggested several others doctors that I should see to be able to handle my lupus. -
Visiting the Rheumatologist
The rheumatologist checks my whole body, looking for inflammation, swelling, redness, and warmth. He presses on all the joints and asks if they are swollen. We come up with a plan to combat my lupus, but it will be very difficult with me being pregnant, she tells me. At this point, I was two months along. -
Visiting the Perinatologist
My perinatologist (a doctor who specializes in high-risk pregnancies) said lupus can complicate pregnancy since it has an increased chance of miscarriage, premature delivery, preeclampsia, and it can give the baby heart problems. My doctor decides to do a series of tests to make sure the baby will be safe. I'm told though that my chance of a premature delivery is high. I started making a calendar to frequently come to her for ultrasounds and sonograms to make sure the baby was doing good. -
Visiting the Pediatric Cardiologist
I make sure I have a pediatric cardiologist for when my baby is born. Lupus antibodies can be carried over into the fetus and a babies heartbeat can be affected by lupus. My doctors are all telling me to think of the future so this is the first step. -
Doctors Visits
I goes regularly to my doctors to make sure the fetus is healthy and that I was healthy. My symptoms had gotten worse though. My rash had spread from my shoulders (where it originally started) to my back and arms. My joints in my knees especially hurt me and I spiked a fever every now and then. Then, one day my chest started to hurt. My husband thought I was having a heart attack and called 911. -
Robin H. Yoso
My baby girl is born on August 19, 2014. Rbin H. Yoso was healthy and so was I. -
Hospitalized
I began having chest pains which was making it hard for me to breathe. My husband called 911 and I was rushed to the hospital that I've been visiting where my perinatologist is. A cardiologist checks me out and saw that I had high blood pressure. I also had swollen ankles, hands, and face and had been complaining of a headache for days. The perinatologist says that I have preeclampsia. Since I was close to 37 weeks, the perinatologist said she'll induce labor. -
Living Life
I was put on many medications to combat the many symptoms I had. Luckily, my symptoms dissipated after I started healing from being pregnant. When I finally had no symptoms, my doctor told me that the symptoms of my lupus became prevalent when I became pregnant. My doctor also told me that since they know that I have lupus, if I was to have another baby that they would be more prepared.
