But What Does it Mean?

When I was first diagnosed with Lupus, my husband didn’t want me to tell anyone.

I asked him– Why?

Because they will think you are a leper. 

Wait. What?

You know leprosy. Because of the skin lesions. 

Silence. *Looks at self for skin lesions dismisses eczema*

When you mention lupus, the first thing people think of is people’s faces being disfigured by skin lesions. 

Apparently, some people think when you mention Lupus it means you have a form of Leprosy.

So I started thinking about what he said. I hope people don’t think we are a bunch of lepers. He is clearly uneducated and speculating. I’d rather find out it’s the real association behind the name than being called a leper.

This led me to research what Lupus erythematosus really means.

Lupus has Latin roots and means “wolf.” Rogerius, a 13th-century physician, used it to describe facial lesions comparable to a wolf’s bite. Erythematosus has Greek roots and means red for the color of the lesions.

One theory is he thought the distinctive butterfly rash looked bad enough to call a wolf’s bite. The other theory says the markings are similar to those of a wolf’s face. Since the disease has the power to eat and tear up your immune system, I would say Lupus acts like a Wolf.  I can’t say I like any of these theories.

After finding out what Lupus means, I believe it does make it sound like you are marked by the disease.

I don’t worry about what others think when they hear I have Lupus. If I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t know what it was, so the issue is maybe they need to educate. If you don’t like me because of it that is fine. I’m cool. Because it’s cool to be kind.

 

• For more History on Lupus