Lisa & Giggles

Lisa's Story

Hi, I'm Lisa Pittarelli and this is my lupus story.  I used to be an energetic, hardworking and athletic young woman.  I lived in San Diego (a.k.a., paradise), enjoyed hiking the canyons, playing tennis at Balboa Park, walking on the beach, boxing aerobics and weightlifting.  But, it wasn't all fun and games.  I was an FBI Special Agent who worked long hours investigating criminal activity on the Violent Crimes Major Offenders (VCMO) Squad; affectionately known as, the Bank Robbery Squad.  And being it was SoCal, business was good!

In August, 2000, I received "the call".  You know, the one that profoundly alters your life course.  My primary care doctor re-ran my blood work and confirmed, "you have lupus".  It had taken 1 1/2 years, numerous tests and specialists to diagnose.  And, another 6 months to confirm the findings when my HMO plan refused to acknowledge a diagnosis of lupus.

How Lupus Has Impacted My Life

After struggling with symptoms for almost 8 years, I was retired on disability; which meant, the loss of my career as an FBI Agent and the life I knew.  My physical symptoms: widespread joint pain, fevers, rashes, chest pain, sinus/respiratory infections, photosensitivity, memory loss/confusion and hair loss.  My arsenal:  included over 20 pills, patches and injections daily just to function.  My new vocabulary:  terms like chemotherapy, NSAIDs, DMARDs, biologics, prednisone, analgesics and opioids.  The side effects of just 1 drug often outweighed any benefits.  My immune system was compromised and vulnerable to even the most minor infections.

Mentally, lupus created fear, anxiety and depression.  I dealt with frequent long-term absences from work, loss of confidence and anxiety over what the future held.  In 2002, an added stressor emerged: underwent surgery to remove an unidentified mass, only to discover that a surgical sponge had been left behind by the previous surgeon ... 7 years earlier!  In medical terms, I'd been living with a "retained foreign body" for 7 years.  I'd heard of medical mistake cases like this, but never dreamed it could happen to me.  I tried to manage my lupus symptoms; especially, downplaying the memory loss & confusion.  I vividly recall the day I couldn't remember the security code and procedure to access the FBI building.  I felt a complete and total loss of control over my life.

Financially & Socially, how will I afford medical insurance and prescriptions?  As a single woman, this frightened me.  I began withdrawing from friends, couldn't play tennis anymore and ceased dating.  Living with a chronic illness takes a toll on your mind, body, self-confidence and sucks the life out of you.  When it robs you of all energy ... isolation quickly sets in.

Why I'm Advocating For Lupus Awareness

To give a name and face to a disease; for which, symptoms aren't always visible.  To affect change and bring awareness to a life-altering illness, we must:

• Pass legislation to reduce drug costs and insurance premiums.
• Fund more research to find a cure and new drugs specifically targeted for lupus.
• Educate the public, elected officials and medical profession the impact lupus has on our community.

Healing Powers In Telling My Story

If you live with lupus, please share your story and encourage others to do so!