Anna Nicole Had Lupus????

I just have to say it. Lord help me. I've been following this Anna Nicole Smith and her death soap opera, about half-way paying attention to the television "new" programs that blared into my kitchen tonight.

Same old same old, I thought absently, until my ears heard the word "lupus."

Anna Nicole had lupus, one of her intimate circle declared, and she didn't want it ever to be known.

The young announcer said earnestly that "lupus is an incurable disease of the immune system" and then the scene switched to some white-coated doctor who intoned that "yes, if she had lupus, it is extremely painful, and she might have been on some high-powered drugs to control the pain."

Well, uh, pardon me for asking, but who was treating her? Why wasn't her doctor contacted when she began her 105 degree fever? It was my experience with lupus that when I finally went to the doctor for a "little fever and pain in the back" he immediately put me in the hospital before my fever spiked to 105 degrees as I was checking myself into the hospital. Just in time, I thought, as I crawled into the waiting bed. Then the nurses began IV lines of antibiotics and Lord knows what else, and a couple of days later, I was ready to be dismissed.

Now, if this blonde beauty was in denial about having lupus, she did herself in by ignoring the symptoms of high fever. And where were her so called friends and lovers? Geeze, Louise, if I saw a friend with a fever that high, I darn sure would haul her ass off to a hospital, pdq, whether she wanted to go or not. To not have done so was criminally negligent, in my humble opinion.

Why haven't I heard any more about this? If this is true, where is the outrage that she died needlessly, untreated or mistreated, or those around her ignoring her symptoms until it was too late?

If she did have lupus, why wasn't she being treated with steroids or anti-malarials, as most people with this disease are taking on a daily basis? Maybe she was taking steroids several years ago, which might explain her weight gain. Believe me, when I was taking prednisone, I was ravenous and gained a lot of weight. Weight which is almost impossible to lose, but being the "star" that she was, she had to lose it in a hurry. Did she quit taking the steroids, then? And substituted the methadone to control the pain? All for the sake of "looking beautiful?"

Maybe this was not true. I guess we'll never know for sure, if her instructions were to tell no one about it. As if having an autoimmune disease was something beautiful people couldn't possibly have. Let's just look the other way, then, and continue to treat the pain with illegal drugs, and ignore any warning signs that meant the disease was in full flare, calling for immediate medical attention.

I am jolted by the news today of one of our lupus support group members, whose funeral is set for tomorrow, as is Anna Nicole's. This ordinary woman was in the hospital for months, being treated as best as anyone can with this disease, and she still passed away. But in her case, she recognized the fact that she was very sick and needed medical help.

In Anna Nicole's case, evidently nobody wanted to admit the truth and call for help before the fever reached its high of 105.

And that's a shame. Who is going to tell her baby when she's older that her mother died needlessly? Or will they continue to keep the deep, dark secret and denial?

I guess I just don't understand. But then, to quote a line from The Great Gatsby, "The rich are different from you and me." I'll continue to be poor and still walking around, then, if that's a choice.

It will be interesting to follow this drama. Sad, but interesting.