Random thinking...

I was thinking recently. I tired to work out if there are any benefits to having lupus and I came up with some pretty strange ideas. Here’s a few of them:

Sunblock on prescription, which for me, means it’s free. Just think of those poor people having to spend around £15 a bottle for the stuff! It also means that I’ll not get sunspots when I’m older.

Thanks to my malar rash, I don’t have to wear blusher and I look healthy, even though I may feel awful.

If I’m feeling pretty rough I can get people to carry things for me, open doors, and, best of all, do those annoying bottles and jars that don’t seem to open for anyone.

Having a bad day is a fantastic excuse for a duvet day and I don’t feel guilty for watching daytime TV. I still think it’s rubbish, but it’s great being able to do it.

When my memory goes, I have a great excuse for forgetting to phone someone back when all it really is is that I don’t want to speak to them. It also makes for great stories, like the time I dried myself using the top I’d laid out to wear that day and wondering why it was wet when I put it on…

Being photosensitive is a wonderful reason to refuse to leave the house to avoid random family gatherings that you really can’t be bothered with.

It means that I can steal the disabled person seats on trains and give people the evil eye when it looks as though they’re just sitting there because they can’t be bothered to look for another seat further along the carriage.

Getting tired early can come in very handy when you’re at a bad party.

Using Dictaphones is always fun…

Wilting and getting sore when you’re out means frequent coffee stops and therefore developing your tastes and general coffee shop snobbery. It will also teach you which coffee shops use cups that are suitable for arthritic hands and which ones are accommodating to you during those few days after a flare when you’re starting to be able to get out. It really is surprising how helpful people can be when you need it.

You learn just exactly who your friends are.

If you’re taking plaquenil you can be assured that you won’t get malaria.

It’s a perfect opportunity to get caught up on reading. At my worst I was only able to read for a few minutes at a time but now I’m going through books like mad. Without lupus I’d never had read what I think is my favorite book of all-time, Anna Karenina, and I’d never have dreamed of attempting War and Peace.

You get to know your postman very well, which isn’t surprising considering how much stuff you order online.

And, the best one for last, you get to know the receptionists at your doctor’s very well. I’ve now reached the stage where they ask me how I am, they know it’s me when I phone to make an appointment and they know I’ll refuse to see anyone apart from my usual GP. All of this means that they treat me pretty well, which always comes in handy when you have one of those times when you just need to see your GP.

Yes, I know these sorts of things don’t make up for having lupus, but still, every cloud, eh?