Is Lupus likely?

Hi there,

I know a diagnosis is not possible in a chat forum but I would really appreciate any of your thoughts.

A month ago I had what i thought was some sort of bug- sore throat, mild fever, swollen glands, fatigue, conjuntivitis, dermatitis on my hands and I was breaking out in hives. Then I started getting pain in the joints of my fingers, hands and wrists. The other symptoms dissipated after about a week but the pain in my hands continued and got really bad in one wrist, making it very difficult to use. My GP put me on fenac and prednisolone and ran blood tests. The tests came back with an ANA of 1:640, the other tests were clear, negative for other indicators such as rheumatoid arthritis.

My sister has had a possible diagnosis of Lupus for a number of years. I say possible because she had a very low ANA but has had all the symptoms, she continues to have lots of serious health problems- seizures, heart problems, kidney problems.

My GP has told me to come back in a fortnight and if the symptoms are still present will refer me to a specialist. Since then I have developed pain in my shoulder joint, feet and knees (which comes and goes), feeling pretty wrecked and my skin gets very itchy but I don't have any rash.

What do you think? and what should I be asking my doctor?

Many thanks.
Chris

Hey there Chris - I've only just found this site myself, and, looking for help also. but, if it's any help to you, autoimmune disorders are supposed to be a genetic predisposition, and, therefore more likely if there's another family member whose inherited the unlucky genes? And, then, they are usually "triggered" by an environmental impact on the bod.
So, the bug you had may have triggered something off? Do hope yours just settles down, and, it leaves you alone? If not, if you can find a good immunologist who'll run lots of tests and keep an eye on your progress, so you know where you're at with it, is the best thing. And, try and keep your " environmental impacts" at a minimum? And, then, keep fingers crossed?

Woops, just noticed how old this previous post was? Well, hope you've got it sorted by now!! Sheesh - guess this forum is not so often used?

Hi BeaGee,

I think this forum is virtually defunct. The posts are years old and there seems to just be just the odd blow in like me. It's like wandering around an empty shopping mall! No sign of any mods or updates as to where everyone has gone...must be to another board/forum somewhere... Glad u posted as it emailed me and reminds me to delete my account here. Good luck & I wish you well...maybe see you on another forum - but this time I will check the age of the posts too! Pixi

Okay - even checked in FAQ's and can't delete or leave this ghost town! LOL...
Coooo-eeeee! Anybody out there????