Save My Sister Felyne With Her Lupus Cerebritis

It was during March when my sister Felyne started to have fever and rasher all over her body. She always has this scars due to what we though allergies and wound from bed bugs. March after school year have ended, she started to have fever, headache and later on lead to sore muscles. She hasn't been eating and drop 10kgs in a matter of weeks. Her regular weight plays around 48-45kg, she's now drown to 33kgs when we rush her to the hospital last May 22, 2019.

Going in and out in the OPD for regular checkup and laboratory test, we accomplished her CBC, urinalysis, SGPT and creatine. We went back to her pedia and to her derma and told us that this are all normal but we still need to complete her anti-dsDNA, ANA and urine culture because she's showing symptoms of lupus. We went to National Kidney Institute to save for the lab fee, got the result the next day. We waited 10days to complete the ANA and urine test. Unfortunately, she got positive in her ANA test. During this period my sister barely stand and sit on her own and within seconds she loses her strength and she continues to become weak. After we completed all the lab test and got the results, we went back to her pedia but during that time the OPD was pack, with this we have to bare the long que and to when the doctor will attend us. We were in the OPD around 9am got our number and they told us that the pedia will arrived by 1pm. My sister is very weak and she did faint while we make her walk a bit. My heart breaks seeing her like this. I decided that we go straight to the doctor and rather pay the doctor's pf. I decided that we go to a rheumatologist, thank God there is no que. We are attended immediately and we showed all her lab results and break us the news that my sister has Systematic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). SLE is an autoimmune disease, known as lupus in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue and can lead to attacking the major organs. Symptoms vary between people and may be mild to severe. On the brighter side, my sister's lupus is only attacking her tissues that's why she have those scars and skin problems. Her doctor advises us to keep tight with her medications to avoid the flare up.

Lupus is a lifelong disease, it's not curable but with proper treatment and medication a person can live almost a normal life. Then her doctor told us to go back after 2weeks and even told us that Felyn will be better after 2 weeks of taking her medicine. She was given the max dosage of prednisone, she also has to take hydroxychloroquine and ferrous. We went home with high spirited because finally we are able to address her condition. 2 weeks and she will be back to her old self and ready for school.

1 week after taking her meds she's almost better and can sit for a while long although her appetite is still the same but she's eating, a little support when she needs to go to the bathroom. On her second week, we noticed a little change in her personality and complains about having a hard time to sleep. She was happier and always excited to do things, she's also very vocal with everything she wants to do. All these are far from her personality. There was this incident when she cries because she was upset. The night after that she didn't sleep. She keeps talking and talking the whole day and telling things over and over again. Comes the night we cannot calm her. I immediately call her rheumatologist and told me that it’s a sign of cerebrities and this is an emergency case. We need to bring her to the hospital and emergency room and we should avoid the point where she'll have seizure. With her case we cannot give her any kind of medication because it might trigger her lupus even more. We rush her to the nearest hospital in Pasig General Hospital but to no avail. Then we went to Lourdes Hospital where her doctor is during that time, she suggested that we have to admit. We decided to bring her to UERM since we cannot afford Lourdes.

We are attended immediately in the ER and she was admitted. She still talks a lot and we cannot control her. Later that night, as what the Dr. advised that she needs to take methylprednisone for 3 days which cost 7,000 per course. It’s been six days, my sister is far from improving. She sleeps around 10 to 30mins max every single day and the same with how she eats. We are told that if she continues not to eat she have to undergo to NGT a tube to be place in her nostril. After her methylpred, she developed a diarrhea which lasted for almost 3 days. Now she was also attended by pscy because she's seen signs of hallucinations.

I’m asking for your help, as the next plan of medications is more expensive and we are still worried on what extent the flare had affected her brain. Your prayers are also very much appreciated.

Please email me at [email protected] for those who can share their experience, knowledge and suggestion of this illness.

Any amount is a big help for Felyne.

Angelyne Calica

BPI : 3009197671

BDO : 005310549316

Thank you very much for your kind heart.