Hello there and welcome 
Your story is all too familiar but I very much doubt that you are crazy; most crazy people don't think they are!
You have defnitely had a lot of bad experiences and I can understand why, at times, you have given up getting investigated. I went through times like that too and for many years just put up with the pain as I was told by numerous doctors that nothing was wrong, that they couldn't "see" anything and that I was just overworked, stressed, something...
It sounds like you do have an understanding GP. That is excellent and a great place to start. It's good too that he/she has ordered blood tests.
I presume that an ANA test will have been aked for. That is a regular screening test for lupus and other auto-immune diseases. It cannot confirm a diagnosis as it is only part of the pcture. For most people with something going on it will come back positive. For some it might not or it won't appear for quite a while. That doesn't mean that nothing is going on and it doesn't mean that you should be left to suffer and have a reduced quality of life.
I think that whatever the result you need to try a rheumatologist again. If it is an auto-immune disease they are incredibly complex and diagnosis is never easy. Now, when I say try a rheumatologist again, I think you need to take all the precautions you can and maybe ask for advice here in the "find a doctor" section for one that specialises in auto-immune disorders and that works somewhere near where you are. They don't all specialise. If there is no-one in your direct area it is very worthwhile travelling a little further to get someone good.
You do not need to have ALL the symptoms to have lupus. It is a very varied disease and everyone is affected differently. I have had some hair loss but not visible to other people, I have never lost weight due to lupus, in fact I gained weight. Most weight loss goes on in people in a severe flare and as I say, it is different for everyone.
Please don't give up and keep pushing with your doc who obviously doesn't think your crazy.
hugs :hug:
Katharine
Your story is all too familiar but I very much doubt that you are crazy; most crazy people don't think they are!
You have defnitely had a lot of bad experiences and I can understand why, at times, you have given up getting investigated. I went through times like that too and for many years just put up with the pain as I was told by numerous doctors that nothing was wrong, that they couldn't "see" anything and that I was just overworked, stressed, something...
It sounds like you do have an understanding GP. That is excellent and a great place to start. It's good too that he/she has ordered blood tests.
I presume that an ANA test will have been aked for. That is a regular screening test for lupus and other auto-immune diseases. It cannot confirm a diagnosis as it is only part of the pcture. For most people with something going on it will come back positive. For some it might not or it won't appear for quite a while. That doesn't mean that nothing is going on and it doesn't mean that you should be left to suffer and have a reduced quality of life.
I think that whatever the result you need to try a rheumatologist again. If it is an auto-immune disease they are incredibly complex and diagnosis is never easy. Now, when I say try a rheumatologist again, I think you need to take all the precautions you can and maybe ask for advice here in the "find a doctor" section for one that specialises in auto-immune disorders and that works somewhere near where you are. They don't all specialise. If there is no-one in your direct area it is very worthwhile travelling a little further to get someone good.
You do not need to have ALL the symptoms to have lupus. It is a very varied disease and everyone is affected differently. I have had some hair loss but not visible to other people, I have never lost weight due to lupus, in fact I gained weight. Most weight loss goes on in people in a severe flare and as I say, it is different for everyone.
Please don't give up and keep pushing with your doc who obviously doesn't think your crazy.
hugs :hug:
Katharine