Son

[RAD1]

Hello to all,

I hope this doesn't sound like tooo stupid of a question. I'm rather concerned about my 17 yr. old son. He seems to be tired alot the past couple of years. He can sleep 14 hrs at a time as though his body is trying to catch-up. I wouldn't be so concerned if he stayed out late and ran with his friends all the time, but he doesn't. He is very under weight for his height also. So skinny.
Do any of you guys remember your Lupus symptoms at a young age ?? I would very much appreciate your comments if you have the time and feel up to posting.

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Thanx.gif

Ruth

[rwb200]

Has your son been diagnosed with Lupus or do you suspect for some reason that he may have it ?
As for being tired there are many reasons why a young man may be tired. If he has been diagnosed with Lupus then this is very normal, Lupus can also effect your wieght by making some people loose alot and get very thin.

If he has not been diagnosed with Lupus then the wieght could be a key to why he is so tired. If he is worried about his wieght and cutting back severely on what his daily intake is this can have large effects on what energy levels a person has. No food no energy.

Depression can be very dibilatating and can effect every aspect of someones life such as wieght and energy.

At any rate it sounds like you need to take your son to see his doctor, Rheumy if diagnosed with Lupus and Family Doc if not.
Ask them about his wieght and his energy level. Write down your concernes prior to going so you do not forget anything while there.

[RAD1]

Thank you very much for your reply. I think I will go ahead and have him tested by my Rheumy as I've found out that alot of Dr.s just can't see any reasoning to have tests done. I hate to have him suffer as I did for so many years with so many different things happening and not knowing why.

Thanks again and happy holidays style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/flowers.gif

Ruth

[Edd]

Hi Ruth

You've probably already taken your son to the doc, but just to let you know that I'm 19 and was diagnosed with MCTD (lupus family) when I was 17/18. One of my initial symptoms was Raynauds - so it was easy to spot. But since then, it's been joint pain, hair loss, extreme tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea - so although not common at this age, it can happen. Hope your son's tests come out negative.

Edd

[RAD1]

Thank you all for your replys, it has meant alot to me to hear from other males who have been through this.
Nathan is 17 as of October. For these past several years I have noticed that he has times, 2 or 3 a week that he just has to lay down and sleep 10 or 12 hours. He is tall and skinny, 5'5" and about 103 lbs. and never seems to feel 100 % on any given day. When he does gets sick it seems to be real sick.
I just don't want to upset him over this and insist that he get tested and yet I really feel like there's more to it that just a skinny kid. If he ran with his friends and stayed out late partying and smoked ( anything ) then I don't think I would give it much thought but he doesn't. He's a Junior in high school and trys to keep his grade point above 3.0 . I hope you can understand that he has seen me really ill at times over the years and I do not want to stress him especially if tests came back negative. Perhaps I will wait untill I need to have him in to see a Dr. and then ask for the tests to be run ??

Anyway, thank you all very much for your information. I hope that all are well for the holidays and Merry Christmas!!


Ruth

[Erskine]

i was diagnosed back in 93, i've had some really nasty problems at times. if you need any advice, i've been doing the research for years and can refer you to my resources if you like. my symptoms have been extreme, and if i didn't manage the whole thing myself, i'd be dead by now, thought luckily, things have changed for lupus patients in the last five years. outcomes are better.