Men on Board

[ironcaster1]

I got to thinking yesterday, as i explained to yet another person- that yes men have lupus too, just how many men are on this board?
looking for other men to comiserate with style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/shakehands.gif
Todd

[Tom]

Hi Todd, style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/shakehands.gif

I just missed you in chat the other day so I will say "Welcome" here. There have been quite a few men who have joined recently and I have chatted with most of them. It's nice to meet some brother lupies to share and compare with. Hope to chat with you soon too.

[rwb200]

Hello Iron
There are a number of men on here. Both Lupies and men like me who have spouces that have Lupus and are here to help us understand or to try to help other with what we have learned over time.

[mellowflyer]

count

[phalpin]

I am also a man with lupus, I check in every once and a while.

[iandelta]

count me in Ian style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/shakehands.gif

[Douglas]

Male, long time sufferer, newly diagnosed, and very glad to be here with others who understand what it is like.

[ironcaster1]

Hi douglas and welcome
glad to have you although not glad you have lupus.
welcome to a great site.
Todd

[Richard McGee]

Male here. I'm on the Chat sometimes also, as Richard. Look forward to talking with you.....

Chap

[WalkingWolf]

add me in. 26 SLE 41yo. It's good to chat with fellas once in a while
style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/woohoo.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/foryou.gif

[crispy]

hi,

im ive had lupus for 9 yrs now. great site, nice to know that there are other men with lupus.

Merry Christmas

chris

[Douglas]

Howdy Ironcaster,
Thanks for the welcome. I see that you are from Detroit. I grew up in Windsor, just across the river. I once knew Detroit well but a long time ago...... Always thought Detroit got a very bad rap; no one seems to believe me when I talk about the Detroit Zoo, the Institute of Arts, the old Belle Isle Aquarium, and further out Greenfield Village et al.
I truly appreciate this site: those without auto-immune diseases seem to find it very difficult to understand what goes on in the emotions of people like us.

[liberec]

Hello,

I'm a 34 year old male recently diagnosed with Lupus (although I have a history with the disease as my mother died from it when I was 13).

I just found this site and was curious if there was anyone on here who had any concerns/thoughts with regards to the hereditarial nature of this illness? 20 years ago I was told there was a strong family link, but my current specialist has mentioned that there is less certainty today. I'm particularly interested as my fiancee and I have been talking about starting a family and I'm nervous that I could bring a child in to go through this. Any thoughts?

Also, I have been suffering with bad episodes of dizzyness that have been blamed on my migraines but which have only gotten worse. Any other male with Lupus having similar issues?

Cheers.
Alan

[Tom]

Welcome Alan, style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/shakehands.gif

I understand your concern about starting a family. I never had any children myself but that's just the way things turned out. I had many thoughts about heredity and the questions of being able to cope with the stresses of raising children before I got married. As it turns out, I'm think I'm pretty good with kids (Sometimes we are even on the same level style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif)

My wife had one child before we met and she has 3 of her own now. I'll tell you that enjoy them all as if they were my own. We enjoy spending time together most of the time, but there are days! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hissy1.gif I'm pretty sure that's just normal. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/bigsmile.gif

The best advice I can give is to talk it through and decide together. You may have Lupus but that doesn't mean your child will too. I got to hold the youngest just minutes old and there is no feeling like it.

I can't help on the migraine issue but I'm sure others will have some ideas. Take care. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/goodvibes.gif

[Jayep107]

I am looking for men with lupus out there. My boyfriend has had it for almost 14 years. I've only been with him for a short time but am looking for resources, suggestions and general help!! Thanks! Jaye P.

[Tom]

Welcome Jaye,

There is a lot of material here on the home page. You can also use the search feature on top for finding answers to specific questions.

Feel free to post here as well. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/goodvibes.gif Take care.

[Jayep107]

Thanks Tom!

Do you have any suggestions for a caregiver??

[Tom]

Hi Jaye,

Sorry for the wait, I honestly didn't know much about caregiving and needed to do a little research. Not knowing the circumstances or where you live, you need to find the agencies near you and programs offered. Just doing a quick search in my area, there are a lot of useful infomational sites. That's where I would start. Good luck. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/goodvibes.gif

[Erskine]

hi, i'm male, 40 years old. i hate to think about having sle, and one of the main reasons i've never contributed to a forum or joined a support group on sle is i'd actually have to think about it. the last post, from a girlfriend trying to help her boyfriend, reminded me of my wife's situation 10 years ago. i wish somone had been there to answer some of her questions.

here's something to consider. the low testosterone levels in males, i've found almost nothing out there about bringing those levels up and how that might effect males with lupus. when i brought it up with my doc, he had no info one way or the other. we agreed to try it. my free testosterone was very low. and man, what a difference the t made. it didn't cure me. i'm not talking about that. i'm talking about quality of life, about feeling like yourself. my libido came back, i gained some muscle, i started feeling like even if i couldn't get healthier, i could at least go down fighting.

i hope this helps someone.