[Redfox]

Hello everyone,.

Just diagnosed with SLE and very glad to find this site !
I started with muscle and joint pain middle of August with positive ANA and was refered to Rumy.
Since diagnosed with Lupus
No organ involvment yet...
Doing 24 hour urine collection, chest x-ray and hands and feet
On 400 mg of paquinel and 10mg Prednisone
My question is regarding hair loss
Lost a bit at first but now it seems to be getting heavier
I have read that hair loss is common in a flare
Does this mean i maybe still in a flare?
Should this slow down?
dont go back to Rumy till january.

Thanks for any advice..

 

[Clare.T]

Welcome to the forum Redfox
I'm sorry about your diagnosis but now you know what you are dealing with and can hope to be feeling better before too long.

Y0u don't say exactly how long you have been on Plaquenil but it does take several months to kick in so it's possible that your increasing hair loss will stop once the Plaquenil is well and truly damping down disease activity.
I think Prednisone can cause hair loss too so maybe that's a factor in its continuing.

We usually talk about flares meaning an increase in disease activity after a stable period. It's hard to tell if your disease is actually getting worse or just as active as it was before. A variety of signs in bloodwork and increase in symptoms can help determine if maybe you need additional medication most often at this stage an increase in the Prednisone. A 24 hr urine test is often ordered when there have been abnormalities in the dip stick tests. So it might be that the disease has taken a new turn.

I hope that the urine test is OK. Let us know. Meanwhile don't do anything to stress the hair. The forum is a fantastic source of information and support for living with lupus so don't hesitate to use it.

All the best and good luck
Clare

 

[Redfox]

Hi Clare,

Thanks for your reply-
I have been on prednsione and Plaquenil since Nov 3rd, not long..
I'll keep my fingers crossed the hair loss slows down.
Not sure about the 24 hour urine test..
The last time I had my kidney checked with blood and urine sample was in october thru my regular doctor and everything was fine then, perhaps he wants to re-check it to make sure its still OK.
I'll let you know...

Thanks RedFox

 

[LolaLola]

Dear Redfox,
Welcome to you. The early days can be hard but you will get a bit more stability with your symptoms in a few months. Also you will learn a lot about living with Lupus. It seems there is a lot to learn but honestly you will soon be really confident with it.
xxxLola

 

[Redfox]

Thanks for your reply Lola...
Another concern i have is my weight loss, I have lost about 10 lbs in the last 3 months, none of pants fit me anymore, its terrible, I dont have any more weight to loose...
Will my weight come back on eventualy ?
How long have you had Lupus for?

 

[KarolH]

Hi Redfox,

Nice to meet you. I am pretty new to Lupus but I hear it is common in a flare to loose weight and it seems most folks do put the weight back on when things calm down.

Hope to get to know you better. Sorry about your diagnosis but glad your on the right medicine to get to feeling better. You just started Plaquenil so be patient and give it time to work......up to 6 months for full effect from the drug.