[Silverman]

Hello there.

I have had a few tests recently in order to check out some symptoms which i had. Firstly, i am a 37 year old white male ( i understand lupus predominantly hits females)and all my usual blood tests show that i am in otherwise considerably good health.

My symptoms involve:
month of severe mouth ulcers
some dizziness
facial rash (eventually breaking out into pimples esp on nose)
hives on feet
numbness in left foot
burning in left shoulder
raised pulse

i had some comprehensive tests done:

they showed :

rheumatoid factor - negative
microalbumin - negative
ANA - negative
Anti ds DNA - negative
thyroid - normal
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (inflammation marker) - non existent

are there any other tests that should be done to rule out lupus?
any opinions anyone?

many thanks and get well soon to everyone who is suffering

 

[Katharine]

Hello Silverman and welcome

I presume that for you to have come to this site one of your doctors must have suggested lupus?

Some of your symptoms could tie in with lupus but they could also tie in with many other things and it may well take a lot more investigation to find out what is going on.

If you want to have a better idea of what diagnostic criteria are needed for lupus you can take a look here

http://www.thelupussite.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33123

How long have you been having these symptoms? Lupus (if it is lupus) can be extremely hard to diagnose due to its complexity and its tendancy to "mimic" other diseases.

Sorry I can't help more,
Katharine

 

[Silverman]

Actually it was me who suggested Lupus to my doctor and she wanted to rule it out. heofficial verdict is anxiety/stress , which i have been under a great deal of lately at work...

 

[Silverman]

actually been having these symptoms for about 6-8 weeks now. thought at first it was acute hiv infection due to an episode of unprotected sex ( i was stupid) but hiv and other std tests have ruled all that out (pcr and antibody test for hiv). i think the anxiety of thinking i might have hiv nade things worse and the anxiety of possibly having lupus could also be making things worse.

I have a history of depression from when i was 19. I dont know of anyone in my family who ever had lupus or any other chronic illness.


as i mentioned , every marker in my blood is within range or indicates negative for anything to be concerned about but the rash on my face is spreading and the ulcers in my mouth are still bad

 

[Katharine]

Hello again Silverman,

It sounds like you will just have to follow everything up with the docs. All in all lupus seems rather unlikely. Most lupus sufferers suffer for months if not years from very varied symptoms before diagnosis unless they have a very sudden onset which literally lands them in hospital.

In addition, if there is no family history, you have no positive bloods, very few symptoms which tie in and you are a man (yep the chances are less there) then I doubt that it is lupus, though, of course, it always good to check things out (without obsessing and causing extra stress).

It might be an idea to see if treating the anxiety might not work. Stress, depression and anxiety can have very strong effects on the body and are generally really not good for us (including and especially for lupus sufferers).

all the best,
Katharine

 

[Clare.T]

Hello Silverman
I don't believe there are any tests that can rule out lupus, but having no abnormal blood work of any sort and normal urine, makes lupus very unlikely unless there is very weighty clinical evidence. That means signs and symptoms, what the patient reports and what the doctor observes, plus health history.

The ACR criteria list gives a good indication of the various ways in which lupus can affect people.

I wonder if maybe you have some sort of anemia? That could certainly account for some of your symptoms. I'd suggest a B complex or B12 supplement anyway and also some form of de-stressing

I hope you are feeling better very soon. There are several ways of soothing mouth ulcers which you can look up on-line

All the best
Clare

 

[Silverman]

thanks. have been put on b vits by the doctor and also 1000mg daily cose of vitamin c. have been using a steroidal cream and mouth rinse for the ulcers which has brought the pain level down to about 20%...really i never knew pain until i experienced these ulcers.

also a topical cream for the rash on my face, which is bizarre as it stared wih a few red thread veins now it looks like a dose of boils on nose and under eyes.

 

[LolaLola]

Hello Silverman,
At least you have the reassurance of knowing that you don't seem to have an inflammatory condition.

The mouth ulcers could easily be stress related. Sometimes Dentists are more useful than Doctors with their treatment .

Having a skin problem at the moment is upsetting for you, if it persists would your Doc. consider referring you to a Dermatologist?

Sorry to hear you have had problems with Depression.
Lola

 

[Silverman]

thank you LolaLola. today im actualy seeing an improvemnt with the physical symptoms but woke up with heart pounding, guess thats anxiety

by not having an inflammatory condition,and all the other results of my bloodtest, that rules out lupus then, would you say?

 

[onetay]

Hi silverman,
Have a few questions if you don't mind. What type of doctor are you seeing for tests? Has this doctor noted all the things you told us and have they given you any medicine that seem to work for you? You might be able to have the bumps biospied if they continue and that would tell you if they are anything to be concerned about. You can also try keeping a journal that lists the problems you are having and when you are having them to see if it is related to sun, season, or anything else that could be happening. It takes time to rule out a lot of other things that could be going with you. I can not say if it is lupus or that it is not lupus, but if these things are bothering you then you should keep looking for an answer to the problem. A dermy maybe able to help you with some of the things you listed. I wish you luck and please keep us posted as to what you are finding out

 

[Silverman]

onetay, this is actually my GP who is very sympathetic. She immediately wanted to investiate the lupus angle via blood and urine tests - with all the markers i mentioned coming up negative , she seems satisfied that this is not lupus, but as everything has onset so quickly , i wonder if it would show up?

she is going to onitor the skin rash across my face and will send me for a biopsy if it doesnt clear up within a week.

I am just so confused as there seem to be a lot of tests for lupus which will identify you as having it if tehy are positive, but of they come back negative there seems to be a possibility anyway!!!! :hehe:

 

[Silverman]

Going to investgate food intolerances also, with an eye on coeliacs.

Something other than stress/anxiety MUST explain my symptoms

 

[LolaLola]

Silverman, Tammy is quite correct no one test rules Lupus in or out. What I would say is that it seems unlikely, but a good Dermy may well do a biopsy for it if he thinks it a possibility. Sometimes a little time is needed for things to clarify.
I know you are anxious but even if it is Lupus related there is every reason to assume medication will help.
x Lola

 

[Silverman]

well this weekend i had a raging flu, dizziness headaches barely able to speak, diarrhoea...left me flat and then disappeared in pretty much 36 hours.

during this time i was unable to eat and all my other symptoms left me, including the ulcers. the face rash has healed up (teh sores didnt leave scarring thank god) with the application of the cream that the doctor gave me. ulcers returned this a.m. after having breakfast.8)

i dont know what is going on - i just know that the month of february has been **** but by narrowing things down i hope i am going to come through this ok soon.


thanks for support so far people.