I have not been diagnosed yet, but within the past week, two doctors have mentioned the possibility of lupus. This seems to have occurred after a bout with some viral type illness in 2005.
In 2005, I came down with what my doctor concluded was some sort of viral illness. It started out with severe consitpation (actually more like my intestines shut down) lasting about 2 wks and followed by intestinal bloating, fever, joint pain, fatigue, urinary retention, my mouth breaking out, extreme asthma-like symptoms, shortness of breath with even the slightest activity, and a sore throat with an ulcer on my tonsil. The sore throat went away but the ulcer on my tonsil left a scar. That's about all I can remember. Lyme disease was discussed as a possibility, and I was treated with a course of Clindamycin without effect. I had a high Rheumatoid Factor, but at that time an ANA was negative. My symptoms eventually subsided.
Late December of 2007, I began experiencing similar symptoms.
In January I began to have a sore mouth and open ulcers on my tongue.
I had flu-like symptoms and was diagnosed as having the flu, but when the flu did not resolve, my doctor tested for mono/Epstein Barr Virus. That came back positive in March, and my IgG and IgM counts were high.
The symptoms I am currently having are:
Extreme fatigue
redness on my cheeks, and to a lesser degree on my nose
ulcers on the left side of my tongue and a "rash" for lack of a better word on the other side of my tongue that, for lack of a better way to describe it, looks like ring worm. Sore mouth when the ulcers appear, and swollen and painful lips with little white areas on my lips
Joint pain, especially my right knee. Worse at night. Diagnosis of arthritis by an orthopedist, confirmed by MRI. I am not fond of pain medication, but now take Darvacet fairly regularly for the pain. Nothing touches this pain. My knee is also hot and swollen. Also occasionally pain in my elbows and wrists.
On MRI, a finding of "severe red marrow reconversion of the femur, tibia, and fibula."
Intestinal bloating
This one is weird....my hair is growing in differently. It's growing in curly and of a different texture.
Shortness of breath and tightness in my lungs and had to use my inhaler regularly for about a month. That has subsided. Off and on, over the past year, I have had just a subtle dry irritating cough, jsut enough to be an annoyance.
40 pound wt gain since January
A swollen clavicular node which comes and goes. Sometimes it will be swollen for days, then it goes away, then it comes back.
I'm not depressed but I don't really want to do anything between the pain and the fatigue.
A noticably change in that I am irritable. I'm usually very laid back. I wonder if this is just due to pain.
Disrupted sleep pattern. I used to sleep through the night, now I am up a couple times in the night. Again, perhaps this is ultimately just due to pain.
So there it is. What a mess.
In 2005, I came down with what my doctor concluded was some sort of viral illness. It started out with severe consitpation (actually more like my intestines shut down) lasting about 2 wks and followed by intestinal bloating, fever, joint pain, fatigue, urinary retention, my mouth breaking out, extreme asthma-like symptoms, shortness of breath with even the slightest activity, and a sore throat with an ulcer on my tonsil. The sore throat went away but the ulcer on my tonsil left a scar. That's about all I can remember. Lyme disease was discussed as a possibility, and I was treated with a course of Clindamycin without effect. I had a high Rheumatoid Factor, but at that time an ANA was negative. My symptoms eventually subsided.
Late December of 2007, I began experiencing similar symptoms.
In January I began to have a sore mouth and open ulcers on my tongue.
I had flu-like symptoms and was diagnosed as having the flu, but when the flu did not resolve, my doctor tested for mono/Epstein Barr Virus. That came back positive in March, and my IgG and IgM counts were high.
The symptoms I am currently having are:
Extreme fatigue
redness on my cheeks, and to a lesser degree on my nose
ulcers on the left side of my tongue and a "rash" for lack of a better word on the other side of my tongue that, for lack of a better way to describe it, looks like ring worm. Sore mouth when the ulcers appear, and swollen and painful lips with little white areas on my lips
Joint pain, especially my right knee. Worse at night. Diagnosis of arthritis by an orthopedist, confirmed by MRI. I am not fond of pain medication, but now take Darvacet fairly regularly for the pain. Nothing touches this pain. My knee is also hot and swollen. Also occasionally pain in my elbows and wrists.
On MRI, a finding of "severe red marrow reconversion of the femur, tibia, and fibula."
Intestinal bloating
This one is weird....my hair is growing in differently. It's growing in curly and of a different texture.
Shortness of breath and tightness in my lungs and had to use my inhaler regularly for about a month. That has subsided. Off and on, over the past year, I have had just a subtle dry irritating cough, jsut enough to be an annoyance.
40 pound wt gain since January
A swollen clavicular node which comes and goes. Sometimes it will be swollen for days, then it goes away, then it comes back.
I'm not depressed but I don't really want to do anything between the pain and the fatigue.
A noticably change in that I am irritable. I'm usually very laid back. I wonder if this is just due to pain.
Disrupted sleep pattern. I used to sleep through the night, now I am up a couple times in the night. Again, perhaps this is ultimately just due to pain.
So there it is. What a mess.
