Patient-118

Patient-118 went to Sunrise Hospital with back pain. Doctor said he was fine and sent him home. Later he went to Urgent Care and learned he had pneumonia. Sunrise Hospital knew the patient has lupus. Pneumonia is a leading cause of death in people with lupus.

I went to Sunrise Hospital ER in terrible pain—back pain so severe it radiated to my arms and legs.

Dr. Lovinger ordered tests and told me everything looked fine.

I trusted him and went home, still hurting and scared.

Later, I checked my records and saw my X-ray said there was something suspicious in my lung.

I got a second opinion at urgent care and was diagnosed with pneumonia.

I felt shocked, angry, and honestly heartbroken.

I have lupus, and missing something like this could’ve been dangerous.

No one should leave a hospital still in pain and completely unaware of what’s really going on.

Note to readers: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissues. Lupus significantly increases the risk of pneumonia, which is a leading cause of death in lupus patients, often due to weakened immune systems from the disease and treatments. Pneumonia in lupus can be infectious (bacterial, viral, fungal) or autoimmune (lupus pneumonitis) and presents with symptoms like cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain, sometimes with blood. Treatment involves prompt, often intensive, immunosuppression (steroids, etc.) alongside antibiotics, with a crucial need for rapid diagnosis to manage both infectious and autoimmune causes effectively.