Confused... new diagnosis

[Spriggy]

I am a 27 year old female who up until December of 2004, was very healthy. I was running 4 miles several days a week, rarely ever sick, etc..
I had gotten an infection (my white count was high), went on antibiotics, and then had a very traumatic experience around the same time. I have not been the same since;

This first began with me having chronic yeast and sinus infections. Then I started having panic attacks and crippling anxiety for the first time in my life ( I am SUPER social and at one point I could not leave my house). I then began getting vertigo, running fevers every afternoon, and am now to the point that my knuckles swell up and turn purple, I feel very achy all over, just general malaise along with the feverish feeling.

Right now, my most bothersome symptoms (other than aches and pains in my wrists and elbows), are that I have a weird "Full" feeling in my neck and having a tough time swallowing- along with this feeling like my gums are swelling and become SUPER sensitive.

It's hard to describe but I Just generally feel toxic.

My doctor first thought I was "bipolar" until he started seeing weird stuff in my lab work, watched me drop 25 pounds in 3 months, and then noticed my ANA count was elevated. Then he started realizing this was not just a sudden onset of mental health issues (which me and my husband had been saying ALL along!). UGH.

Anyway, I just finally got a diagnosis last week. He now wants to send me to a neurologist (which kind of confuses me?), and has started treating me with just anti inflammatory's and pain meds.

I'm still not feeling very good- I just have that achy,toxic, feeling and am having labored breathing throughout the day as well.

THis is all SOO new to me. I am not used to being sick. I feel so unproductive and am having a hard time coping.

I have two son's, my oldest is severely autistic and requires much time, attention, and energy. I just feel so crummy all the time that i feel like I am a failure at being a wife and mom right now.

This has just been the toughest time of my life quite frankly, and I suppose I Just need to know if you all feel/felt that way.

I would especially like input on my symptoms (is this normal stuff for lupus??).

Thank you so much! I look forward to getting to know you all better.

[positiveportrait]

i am new to this lupus stuff as well so i can't tell you what to do because i don't know but i can say i am glad i am not alone. and working together brings great understanding and relief. explaining it to others about the condition i find to be a challenge because it seems like a joke to others when they are on the outside looking in. i am confused as well but i think this site has given me a whole nother family to vent to. :whisper:

[Clare.T]

Welcome to the forum Spriggy

I am sorry you are going through so much. Severe stress can certainly trigger autoimmune disease.

I have no idea why your doctor would refer you to neurologist - a rheumatologist is the usual first port of call for lupus and other connective tissue diseases.
I suggest you ask him ! I am assuming this doctor isn't a rheumatologist

Sometimes people do see a neurologist first because they present with neurological type problems, seizures or cognitive problems or movement disorders for example. If you have not experienced anything like this and no psychosis ( which you might not be aware of), then it's a good question

ANA is not specific, it's a screening test only and many other tests need to be run.

Make a personal health history leaving nothing out, ditto of close family, then a list of current symptoms and the impact on your life. This is not the time to downplay anything.

Take photos of anything that comes and goes like skin rashes - and those knuckles. There is one connective tissue disease which can affect knuckles in that sort of way, but there maybe 100's of other reasons that I know nothing about.

Read the ACR Criteria and the alternative criteria to see what you can identify with. Get copies of blood tests to see what has been done and what the results were. Maybe this doctor can do further useful tests.

I hope you will keep in touch- we will do all we can to help you find answers

Bye for now

Clare

[JennSexton]

Hello!

The Bi-Polat got me. I am a 43 year old female who up until August 2004 was VERY healthy. My mother became ill in 2000 and passed away in 2002. I took care of her for 2 years and NEVER once felt bad. THEN in August 2004 I had 7 TIA (mini-strokes_ was hospitalised for a month. Began having multiple seizures that were actually seenby nurologigist on the EEG. My heart also began acting up and I HURT EVERYWHERE!! I literally have NO memory of August 2004 and have not been able to go back to work since as I have retention and memory issues to this day! Also I have Fibromyalgia?? SO I hurt all the time. BUT my Nurologist sent me for a phyc/Nuro evaluation and the report came back that I was BI_POLAR!!! I have NEVER been moody or depressed in my life so this was MIND BLOWING to me. Sure I eplained to the doctor that hurting all the time and not being able to work was wearing me down and the fact that I use to have my grandson everyday and now could not be left alone with him OR drive as they said I was not allowed anymore because of the seizures BUT I never felt too depressed to stop trying!

These doctors that LABEL us BI-POLAR or as I was once told JUST DEPRESSED should be put out of business!

Hang in there - there are better doctors!!

Recently diagnoised - took them a year and my levels were 640 then 1280 when they FINALLY decided to let me know what that meant!

Jennifer