In the life of a lupus warrior, once there is stress, there will be pain.

That’s the tough reality of two survivors, 66-year-old Claudette Hobbins and 52-year-old Audrey Malcolm who try their best to escape hectic situations in order to live life comfortably.

Lupus is a condition in which the immune system attacks the body, accidentally causing inflammation and damage to organs.

Malcolm said she was diagnosed with lupus 23 years ago. She told Your Health Your Wealth living with the condition has been a rough ride and has caused her days’ events to be unpredictable.

“I might have been well yesterday and today I might be in the hospital. That’s why I tell persons I don’t make plans, so if you ask me if I’m coming to a party or so, I would usually say, if you see me, you see me, because I can’t say, ‘Yes, I’m coming,’ ” she said during an interview on Tuesday, which was observed as World Lupus Day under the theme ‘Lupus Level Up: Make Lupus Visible’.

Along with the unexpected issues, Malcolm said the condition comes with joint pains and impacted her sight, among other things.

“My eyes are damaged, so I have to wear glasses and get my eyes tested regularly because of a certain medication that we have to take for lupus. It has also given me an irregular heart rate so I have to be also taking medication for my heart and if there is a virus around, I usually catch it. With lupus, your immune system fights against itself, so it can’t distinguish something good or bad in your body,” she said.

“So you might have some curried chicken and you think it’s good, but then it actually triggers off the lupus and then you get a flare-up. That’s when you get all the aches and pain and end up in the hospital,” she explained.

Malcolm mentioned that she was a chartered accountant, which she described as one of the most stressful jobs. She then decided to start her own business so she could manage her stress better.

“I work from home so I can go on a break as I please. You can’t be stressed out. Stress is one of the things that trigger it off. I don’t allow anything or anybody to bother me. So if I promise you something, you have to accept that I may not be able to do it. I don’t let things bother me anymore,” she said.

Meanwhile, Hobbins has been living with lupus for over 20 years, which started out with concern for a rash on her eyelid.

“Nobody was able to diagnose what it was, till eventually I asked to be referred to a dermatologist who did a scalp biopsy and identified that I had lupus. It was something I really didn’t know about and I realised that health workers were the ones frightening you because they tell you that you only have five years to live and they are very sorry. So it makes you really sad,” she said.

Hobbins, who is a retired chief pharmacist from South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), said she had to manage the duties of others, which was very hectic.

The demanding job, she said, caused her to have a lot of flare-ups, but she is getting better at managing the condition these days.

“It’s a condition that doesn’t like stress. What I find is that the more you know about it, the better you understand it, because there are things you need to do, like you go to your doctor, do your blood work, and you take your medication, and you keep on top of things. You try not to stress out yourself. Let people be aware of your condition, like co-workers, family members, so you have a support group,” she said.

An estimated five million people worldwide are living with lupus. In fact, Jamaica is considered to have a high prevalence of the disease, with an estimated 6,000 people affected.