How to Support a Friend With Lupus

1. Check Up on Them

Send them a text or give them a call, and just see how they're doing. Don't just send the usual, "hey, how are you?" because if you say that, they're most likely gonna be like, "I'm fine, everything's good." And it's not always true.

They may not always want to talk to you about their lupus, but having a friend that's there when you want to rant is still nice to have.

2. Don't Stop Inviting Them

Even if you invite them ten times and they deny your invite, they might be feeling good the day you don't invite them. And it's hard with lupus because you never know when you're going to feel good. Or you're also worried about the repercussions of going out.

Many times when I go out, I have to recover two or three days after. And then I'm finally getting back to my usual lupus self.

3. Visit Them

If they deny your invite all the time, it might just be because they're too sick to go out. And sometimes it can be so nice to have a friend that just comes over, brings you food, visits you just to talk, and gives you some social time.

I have had times where I've been sick for two to three weeks at a time. And it's very lonely. It'd be nice to have a friend to come over and visit me. And of course, make sure you tell that friend before you surprise them.

4. Avoid Them When You're Sick

Yes, I said to avoid them. With lupus, our immune systems are suppressed. So this makes it hard for us to fight off infections. If we get sick, we're usually ill at least two weeks. Sometimes for months. And you don't want to do that to your friend.