Joined: 09 Oct 2003 Posts: 3 Location: Pennsylvania
New to Forum - Looking For Advice Posted: 10-09-03 20:06pm
Hi,
this is the first time I have posted here.
I am 44 years old and the mother of 2
children. I have only recently learned
about lupus and some of it's symptoms. I
suffer from photosensitivity, raynauds
syndrome, days of extreme fatigue and a
red rash across my cheeks and nose. I
have had 3 cbc test which showed anemia.
About 3 years ago I started with other
symptoms. After an unexplained tia the
doctors discovered I had some unexplained
heart damage and mitral valve prolaspe
with regurgitation. I also started having
unexplained seizures. Occassionally I
have severe joint pain, but I don't think
I run a fever. I have numbness and
tingling in my arms and legs. Other than
the raynauds syndrome and the
photosensitivity (i break out in a rash
and then the area turns dark), my
symptoms are intermittent. I never went
to see a doctor, except my ob/gyn, until
after the tia. Now it seems like I have a
doctor in every field. Not one of my many
doctors has ever mentioned the possibility
of lupus and I have never been tested for
it. I was hoping that someone here on the
forum would be able to tell me if this
sounds like lupus. After reading about
lupus I am wondering if I should ask my gp
to test me. Does anyone think my symptoms
could be indicative of lupus? If I were
to ask for a blood test, should I wait
until my symptoms are really bad? Would
the blood test be accurate if I were not
having a bad day/week/month? I would
appreciate any information or advice you
could share.
Thank-you,
donna
|
LadyBrannon
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 506 Location: TX
Posted: 10-09-03 21:55pm
Welcome! It is nice to meet you! I am
ladybrannon.
I read briefly through your story...And a
couple things come to mind:
1) it cannot hurt to be tested for lupus.
However, lupus is diagnosed by a
combination of blood tests and symptoms;
there is *not* a lupus test, per se.
2) could it be lupus? Sure. Could it be
something else? Sure.
3) tias- yes, they do occur in lupus
patients. Have you had an mri? If not, I
would.
4) you listed having a lot of docs...Do
you have a rheumatologist?
5) keep a diary. Be *very* detailed.
Take it to your doctors.
6) find out what tests they *have* done
and obtain the results. This will help
the doctors as well to have *all* your
tests in one place.
7) don't stress! It will only make it
worse, lupus or no.
8] waiting...No! Will the tests be more
*reactive* if you are sick, yes; but not
worth waiting to find them that way. If
you are diagnosed with lupus, you will
find that the doctors will re-run those
tests ad naseum (but for your benefit and
you will also find that the test results
*can* change).
Blood tests?
Ana
sed rate
c reactive protein
c3 and c4
anti-dna
anti-ro
anti-sm
see if any of these have been tested...
We are all here to help in anyway we
can...Ask away if you have any more
concerns. We will help if we *can.*
hugs,
ladybrannon
|
DonnaMc
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Oct 2003 Posts: 3 Location: Pennsylvania
Thank-you Posted: 10-10-03 11:23am
Thank-you ladybrannon for taking the time
to respond to my post. I don't have a
rheumatologist. I was looking through the
the copies of some of my blood work and it
does not look like any of the tests you
suggested have been done. I have an
endocrinologist that checks my tsh, t4 and
glucose about every 3 months. They have
always been normal. I have had an mri.
Supposedly that helped rule out ms. I
live in a small town and I am not sure we
even have a rheumatologist. Perhaps my gp
can order the blood work. Thank-you again
for your help.
Peace to you,
donna
The site is not a replacement for professional medical opinion, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treatment. Do not delay seeking or disregard medical advice based on information written by any author on this site. No health questions and information on eHealth Forum is regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore the information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a medical doctor. Posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author, and not the administrators, moderators, or editorial staff and hence eHealth Forum and its principals will accept no liabilities or responsibilities for the statements made.
Schizophreniahealth
This page was last updated on June 11, 2008
