Bruises, Rash, Chest Pain, Tired, Is This Lupus?... Posted: 03-10-05 15:11pm
I have always had weird chest pains
sometimes when I breathe. Ever since I
was in junior high when I was diagnosed
with mono. I would be sitting watching
tv and all of a sudden it felt like my
lungs were frozen. I couldn't breathe in
and would have to take short, shallow
breaths for several minutes till the pain
went away. Now recently it happened
twice (once while I was sleeping, it woke
me up) and then when I was waiting for a
table at a restaurant.
I also get terribly huge bruises just by
having someone touch me. Sometimes it
looks like I was beaten with a baseball
bat and I have to tell people "no, i"m not
abused, I just bruise easy". I went to
the doctor for this but he said "women
tend to bruise easier than men. You have
thin skin". He did blood work and
checked to make sure I didn't have
leukemia and said I was fine. The
bruising tends to come and go. Months
i'll be fine and then all of a sudden 10
bruises sometimes the size of a fist show
up just from my boyfriend squeezing my arm
or from bumping against a table side.
Most recently in december I had a kidney
infection that lasted 3 weeks and kept me
in bed for all of december and most of
january. I had severe back and spine
pain from it that eventually went away.
It was the 1st kidney infection and uti I
ever had.
Now for the past two weeks i've had a
strange rash on patches of my arm, my
wrist and on my eyelid. It's itchy and
red.
I had a severe migraine two days ago,
which I never have had before but I
suspect it was from wearing only one
contact during the day...
I also usually sleep at least 12 hours a
night on the weekend and have an absolute
terrible time getting out of bed in the
morning. I'm always tired. I have a
history of depression too, but don't take
meds for it cos they seem to make things
worse not better.
My aunt has lupus.
My question is does this sound like the
kind of syptoms anyone here has had? I
can't find any info on severe bruising
except that I may need iron pills...
Thanks! Btw i'm in my 20s and female and
I weigh about 105.
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dragonflylove
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 3 Location: Sandy, Utah
Posted: 03-17-05 22:10pm
It could be lupus... But lupus can be
extremely difficult to diagnose. You can
be tested once and it will be negative,
and after 3 ,7, 10 times it will finally
be a positive, I would see a nephrologist,
and go over your symptoms. And be
prepared for some negative tests... But
then again... It might not be lupus
either. Thats one of the bad parts of
lupus, is getting it diagnosed :(
good luck, I hope you get it all figured
out.
Summer
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cscott
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 4 Location: Atlanta
Discoid Lupus - I Desperately Need Some Advice Posted: 07-18-05 12:35pm
My sister is 42 years old and was
diagnosed with discoid lupus 15 years ago.
Her symptoms are as follows:-
- lesions on arms, legs, face, under feet
and finger nails and inside ears
- recent incontinence (8 months to 1
year)
- loss of control/numbness in 1 leg below
knee so she uses a walker
- loss of hair including eyebrows
she has been on plaqunil and prednisone
for almost all the time since she's been
diagnosed, yet she doesn't seem to be
getting better. Yet in visit after visit
to her doctor, her internal organs are
fine, blood pressure, eyesight, etc
excellent. Dr says he sees no reason why
she's as debilitated as she is.
We're at our wits end, can anyone recommed
a good dermatologist in the atlanta area,
what about a lupus expert. I don't know
if her symptoms are side effects of the
medication. She stays at home in bed all
day and seems unwilling to fight for her
health. Yet she eats like a horse, maybe
a side effect as well.
I have done quite a bit of research but I
have yet to come across a patient with her
combined symptoms. Please give some
advice that I can pass on to her.
|
Hollydc
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 20 Location: South Carolina
Pinkelephant And Cscott Posted: 08-03-05 09:04am
Hi. I was diagnosed june 2003 and prior
to that, my mom was diagnosed in the
spring of 1997. I have recently been
experiencing chest pains and extreme
bloating in my abdomen that initially
started about a year ago and it has become
progressive the last few months. The pain
sometimes radiates through my chest to my
back on both sides and in the center
sometimes. I also have started to have
heart flutters that come on a few times a
day. When I have these pains I have to
take short breathes and be careful not to
breathe to deep or hard to not worsen the
pain. These episodes usually last about a
minute. I have also been experiencing
servere back pain also. Upon my
diagnosis I underwent a kidney biopsy that
I believe has left adhesion scares that
cause my back pain. But who knows, I
have not had any formal tests to pinpont
the problems and I have been complaining
to my doctors about this for 2 years now.
The fatigue and migratory arthritic pain
is very common for people with lupus. Its
a very frustrating disease!!! Frustrating
to diagnose and treat and live with.
It's hard to get your doctors to listen
sometimes and I have changed my primary
care physician and my rhuemy since my
initial diagnosis, was having luck with
the new ones, but now they seem to be
going deaf on me. I have had two dvt's
(blood clots/ deep vein thrombosis) one
during the summer of 2003 (september) and
another the summer of 2004 (august). I
just pray that I do not have another one
this year. I have been on blood thinnners
for the past two years and it was a shock
last year to find out that I indeed had an
extensive dvt case (had the old ones, some
new ones, that were described as a string
of clots) with no swelling only a small
twinge of pain which was very different
from the first time. Afterwards my doctor
had to up my dosage of blood thinner med.
I am feeling some similar symptoms of dvt
like last year and when I went to my
doctor last month and told him this and
suggested that I have a ultrasound to
check, he brushed it off and said that I
shouldn't have any problems because I have
been on blood thinners. But I was on
blood thinners the year before last and
had to be hospitalized again for them.
The following week he calls me back to
tell me that my blood test came back
showing that my blood was too thick
(pt/inr 1.6, when it should be at 3 and
no less than 2.5). He doubled the dose of
blood thinner med. I am at a lose because
I don't seem to be your textbook case for
dvt treatment and my doctor is still
trying to fit me into this mold.
Cscott, would your sister consider taking
a trip to charleston south carolina to the
medical university of south carolina?
That's were I go, I travel almost an hour
and a half but it's worth it. They are a
research institution and they are touted
as staying on the cutting edge of lupus
treatment as well as many other diseases.
It may be worth a try but the trip will be
an all day thing from atlanta (about 4 or
5 hours).
I have also been doing research on natural
herbs that can help symptoms. I have
found some good reading on www.
Herbalhealer.Com about colon cleansing,
parasite infestations within the body that
causes illnesses, and also candida
infections with have been found in all
cases of lupus, cancer, fribromyalga, ect.
I would advise you to go to their site,
search key words like: lupus, candida,
parasite, colon cleanse, detox and also
request a free catalog because the catalog
has some extensive information for you to
read in it even if you don't want to
purchase nay of their products. Just good
information to know..... After reading
and doing some research I am convinced
that these ruthless diseases are appearing
out of no where by the droves for some
reason. Food, infections, pesticides,
and sluggish digestive tracts that allow
parasites, infections and other
contaminants to take over our body's
systems and throw them off. I am going
to start with a colon cleanse, then a
parasite cleanse, and then move on to
ridding myself of the candida infection.
Don't know if it will help, but i'm going
to try it and I just wanted to share.
Please be reminded that anything you do as
far as treatment should be run by your
doctor. I'll let you know how things work
out for me. The cleanses with take about
4 months to complete. I'll let you know
how I feel then.
