[Katharine]

Hello Sevvenn and welcome

I'm sorry to hear how poorly you have been.

You obviously have an awful lot going on indeed. Some of your symptoms could be related to something like lupus, others are far less common.

I think there are a lot of things that need dealing with here and I hope you have a good GP that you trust. I presume that if he suspects something like lupus he has run an ANA test which is the first basic screening test for auto-immune diseases?

There is also clearly a problem with depression for the moment. Maybe triggered by that attack you suffered or simply by the disease. Depression is a very common problem for people with auto-immune diseases and is a very real part of the disease for many people. Obviously, it also needs treating and certainly shouldn't be ignored.

If your GP really does suspect an auto-immune disease (is your hypothyroid auto-immune?) then he should be referring you to a rheumatologist. It is important to try and get a referral to one that deals with auto-immune diseases as they are very complex and many docs just don't know enough about them. You can post here in the "find a doctor" section to find a doc that specialises in lupus and other auto-immune disorders. By the way, if you do go and see a rheumy, don't say "I think I've got lupus". That often doesn't go down too well with docs. You could say "As I have an underactive thyroid, I was wondering if it might be something auto-immune" or "MY GP is wondering if it might not be something like lupus or RA".

I really hope you get some answers soon. You must feel very frightened and alone with all this.

Keep us posted on what's happening,
hugs :hug:

Katharine

 

[Katharine]

Please don't worry about letting it all out, it's far better to do that than keep it bottled up.

You also have to make sure that you don't ignore things and go back to your doc if things are not OK. It's fine to respect a check up date when things are going well but when they're not the doc needs to know that. Also, if you get any joint swelling, rashes etc in make sure to take a photo of them for the doc as they will most likely disappear the very day you're due to see him; Murphy's law.

I do know exactly what you mean about being able to relax and just be "ill". It is funny to say that, but we need to be able to rest and concentrate on just getting better.

I would insist though, that if there is any chance of something auto-immune going on, you should get a referral to a rheumatologist. They are the ones who specialise in such things.

Katharine