Systemic lupus erythematosus.

The very name is intimidating.

Lupus is a disease that is so complex, it is difficult to estimate how many people are affected by it. In addition, because it is “systemic,” it affects many parts of the body.

A few of the many symptoms of lupus, an autoimmune disease, include extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints, unexplained fever, red rashes that occur mainly on the face, sun sensitivity and hair loss.

Rush Springs resident Joe Slawson, 52, was diagnosed with lupus a year ago - after a lifetime of unusual, unexplained symptoms.

“I didn’t know what was wrong with me,” said Slawson. “When I was a little kid, the heat affected me so bad that I would pass out and have to be carried back home.”

At 23, Slawson developed unusually dry skin, another symptom, and he was fatigued most of the time.

Mystified by Slawson’s symptoms, his doctors removed his gall bladder hoping to solve Slawson’s health problems.

“All that did was keep me from eating things I want to eat,” said Slawson.

When he was diagnosed with ADHD, doctors prescribed Ritalin, which Slawson says helped a lot.

A deputy with the Grady County Sheriff’s Office, Slawson was forced to quit because, with the pain and the fatigue, he couldn’t keep up.

Finally, when Slawson developed a red, butterfly-shaped rash on his face, a doctor from a Chickasha clinic took one look at him and said, “That’s lupus.”

Slawson’s reaction was, “What’s lupus? Can you give me a shot and fix it?”

The answer was no because there is no cure.

Now on a regimen of medications, Slawson has good days and bad days, but his condition is considered stable.