[Borodin]

Hello everyone. I have been suffering for 6 weeks with the butterfly rash, stomach gurgling, occasional loss of stability (just like I have landed in a lift), sinus problems and bad breath. I believed it to be a Yeast Infection but I have had blood tests, urine tests and a chest x ray. All was fine except for positive ANA levels. The doctor suspects I have lupus and has referred me to a rheumatologist. I have been on the internet all day and frightened myself silly with some of the websites on here. I am a 54 year old male and would really appreciate some positive messages. I assume because all my other tests were ok that I have no major organ problems but I would really appreciate some support. My wife has been wonderful but is as much in the dark about the disease as I am.

Thanks.

 

[Katharine]

Hello and welcome

It's good that you have been referred to a rheumy. Do you know how high your ANA titer was?

It is far too early to be reading up too much and, as you say, you can scare yourself half silly. You also have to be careful as there is a lot of unreliable and even very out-of-date information on the internet so you are best to stick to reputable sites like this one and the major hospital sites.

I'm wondering about other symptoms. Do you have any joint pain, fatigue and so on?

This will link you to a list of lupus classification criteria http://www.thelupussite.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33123 - It might be of some use to see if there are some things that you might not have thought connected and also to see if you think it really could be lupus.

If you do turn out to have lupus there is every reason to be positive. Lupus is far more common than one may think (as people have never heard of it) and many many lupus sufferers are able to lead perfectly normal lives once on the proper treatment. You need to bear in mind that a lot of people here are newly diagnosed, not yet diagnosed or the rarer, more severely affected.

Let us know how you get on with the rheumy and if you have any questions feel free to ask, there are plenty of knowledgeable people here willing to help

Katharine

 

[debatat]

Hi and welcome to the site. It is a great source of information and support. You must be bewildered to have this happen to you so suddenly. Googling is natural but not always reliable when it comes to info about lupus.

If you want info about lupus, you need to make sure it is up to date and reliable. The mods will be along shortly with reputable links for you.

Secondly a positive ANA test is a start, it will need to be rechecked and the level analysed, along with your symptoms. It could indicate an infection or any one of a number of auto immune disorders.

I met a teacher at my sons school recently who experienced your symptoms and was told it was lupus. Turns out he had slapped cheek syndrome, which is a nasty virus.

Take one day at a time. Keep a symptom diary and take photos of any rashes so you are well prepared for your rheumy appt.

Take care

Deb

See this site is efficient as I was writing this Katherine was posting a link !!!!!!

 

[KarolH]

Hello and welcome to the board.

You have been given great advice from Katharine and Debatat so there is not much more I can add. I totally agree that if you spend time on Google and you look at what the information posted about Lupus......some of it is not true and simply unreliable too so take what you read with a grain of salt.

Lupus is NOT a death sentence so try and relax and as Katharine said, many people live great lives with Lupus. Knowledge is power and you have come to the right place to find just that. This is a great group of people who are supportive and have taught me more then my own doctor has. Also, any information you read here is 100% accurate so take your time to browse the board and read all you can as there are so many links that have been provided to us.

I think it is great that your following up with a Rheumatologist. Keep a daily journal of your symptoms and any triggers you may have, take pictures of rashes or swelling and take your temperature every night before bed and record it too. This will help you as you move forward towards the next appointment. Also, make a list of questions you may have for the doctor and take someone with you. It is helpful to do this as you may be nervous and forget something important.

I am glad you found us here and hope you get a lot out of this site. I sure did and it has become my home away from home. Good luck to you as you move towards some answers.:wink2::wink2::wink2:

 

[Borodin]

Message of thanks....

What can I say....speechless. I cannot thank you enough for your replies. In answer to your questions I have no idea what my ana result was regarding dilution rate but will find out tomorrow. I have absolutely no joint pain whatsoever except in the end joint of my left little finger which only hurts when I put pressure on it but not when I use it. As I said in my original post all my symptoms convinced me I had a yeast infection. I tried the 'spit' test on Friday morning and that was positive...so maybe I have a couple of things going on here. As you can all imagine my instant reaction to the referral was total panic, cold sweat and "I'm going to die". I am in a minority here I would imagine as apparently only 10% of lupus sufferers are male according to my internet investigations. Strange thing is I have always been a red faced person...thinking back people always used to say "You've caught the sun" right back to my teens. Could this be something I have had all this while ?? in which case it would appear none of my major organs have in any way been affected. I wish you all a peaceful night...and thanks to your messages I have a feeling I may sleep too. Keep you posted....Gary

 

[KarolH]

Well Gary I hope you get a great night sleep and please pop back in to let us know how the appointment goes tomorrow.

I always get copies of my blood test results or any other tests that may be done so that I have a copy for my own records. Just some food for thought.

You ask if it is possible that you have had this your entire life, not sure what "this" is until you have more testing done and see what it may show. The positive ANA may just be from a infection.....you mentioned yeast so who knows.

Let us know upon your return home tomorrow what the doctor said. Best of luck and fingers crossed that the appointment goes well.:wink2::wink2::wink2:

 

[keebler]

Hi Gary,

I really cant add any more. I wanted to welcome you to the lupus site and wish you luck with your doctor appointment.:luck:

Take care,
Lyn

 

[Kyphi]

Hi Gary, I just wanted to add my welcome.
Like you I absolutely terrified myself whilst in the process of diagnosis. There is a lot of really unhelpful stuff on the Web. This is a great place to come for clear advice and help; and importantly for me alleviation of fear
Dont dispair, keep visiting and Im sure it will really help both you and your wife. Look forward to hearing more from you.

K

 

[Borodin]

assistance please....

My appointment date with a rheumatologist has not yet been confirmed but will be soon. I rang my doctors surgery this morning regarding my readings. Apparently they read Rheumatoid Test Negative....ANA positive at a ratio of 1:80 with a speckled pattern.

Can anyone advise is this good or bad please ??

 

[Katharine]

An ANA of 1:80 is a very low positive and could be due to a variety of reasons such as a virus. It doesn't exclude lupus but is less likely to be considered significant as a criteria for diagnosis.

Katharine

 

[Borodin]

Katharine

That's what I thought and the fact that the pattern was speckled. Did some checking on the net and considering my age (54) and the fact that I am convinced I have a yeast infection perhaps the signs are good. Will keep my fingers crossed and keep you informed. Thanks so much for the prompt reply. If anyone else has views on my test results I'd be pleased to hear them.

 

[KarolH]

Hi there and hope your doing well today.

I would have to agree with Katharine here.

Please let us know how you make out moving ahead.:wink2: