Hello Sandy and a warm welcome to you!
I have moved your last post to Newly Diagnosed because it mostly has to do with reporting symptoms to doctors, which can be a big problem especially when Newly Diagnosed.
Here is a link to it.
http://www.thelupussite.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71018
If I were in my " ain country" I would be happy to meet up with you- I'm a Geordie but live in soppy Surrey to be near daughter and family. However LupusUK has an active North East branch. Myself, I much prefer online support for all sorts of reasons mainly ease of access 24/7 and breadth of experiences to tap into. I have found that at real life support groups many people are only interested in talking about their problems and nobody related to mine but maybe I was unfortunate.
Many doctors actually recommend this site understanding that sharing problems is a major help in living well with lupus and learning how to adapt. But it's true that the web has to be used very sensibly. There is a lot of misleading outdated and plain wrong information out there. A good rule is to distrust anybody who's selling products and services.
Another problem is that usually the worst case scenarios are dealt with in detail. Many people live very well pretty normal lives with their lupus under control, even when it has sometimes been quite severe - they don't post on forums because they have no problems so even this forum isn't truly representative.
The right treatment at the right time can make all the difference to the future. There are some good lupus doctors in Newcastle though. I suppose you have been put on some medications already?
We owe it to ourselves to be as well informed as possible and most doctors appreciate well informed patients.
We hate the term 'mild' lupus here because it tends to trivialise very real suffering even if there is no organ involvement. It makes the patient feel they have no right to complain about what's bothering them because things could be much worse
I hope you will find the forum really helpful in every way and soon be feeling very much better
Bye for now
Clare