Doctors blamed this woman’s health problems on her weight — but it was actually lupus

It’s a tale as old as time for any woman who’s ever gone to a doctor while overweight. We’re constantly dismissed, told that losing weight will solve any and every health problem. For one Florida woman, that meant battling serious health issues for years. She had lupus, a serious autoimmune disorder that wreaked havoc on her health, all while doctors told her to just lose weight.

Alexandra Marcela started experiencing symptoms when she first became pregnant at 18 years old, she told People.

“My legs were so swollen I couldn’t walk,” she said. “Doctors were telling me it was preeclampsia, but this was also my first pregnancy and I was having so many complications. So it was very frustrating, and nobody knew the answer to what was going on.”

She continued, “I remember I went to my doctor for one of my checkups and my OBGYN looked at my face and said I had a butterfly rash, so she sent me to a rheumatologist. I was a heavier set girl, so when I started following up with all my appointments, I was always told that losing weight would fix all my problems.”

Marcela, who lives in Orlando, remembers doctors telling her, “my legs wouldn’t hurt if I wasn’t so heavy set.” She was also told she must be “depressed,” because she must be “unhappy” with herself and “insecure.”

Two years later when she became pregnant again, she had similar symptoms, but much worse.

“I was like, this can’t be normal, there’s something wrong,” Marcela said. “I got sent back to rheumatology. I had to do tons of blood work. They did an A panel, and sure enough, they came back that I had lupus. I was 20 years old, and I’m like, what the heck is lupus? I’ve never heard of lupus a day in my life.”

Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by the attacks can affect joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs.

Now, Marcela shares about her diagnosis, symptoms, and daily struggles on social media. She shares her story because it was difficult for her to get treatment from doctors who would only focus on her weight, not her health.

“Somebody had to advocate,” she said. “You don’t ever hear much about autoimmune diseases. And there’s still no cure. The worst part about it being an invisible illness is that we may feel we’re literally crumbling on the inside, but nobody is ever going to see that.”