Do I have undiagnosed LUPUS?

[ptlauti]

Hi guys, found this forum and need some advice on my symptoms.

I have always suffered with fatigue as long as I can remember and always seem to feel tired. It gets really bad sometimes I use to have trouble staying awake at the work desk.

About 4 years ago I started coming down with these weird spates of sickness that started with really bad abdominal cramps followed by vomiting for between 1-3 days and then it would magically go away. The abdominal cramps were horrific and would just start to come on over a period of a few hours and wake me up in the night. They would happen every couple of months and the last episode of this I had was about a year and a half ago and have not had one since.

Last year (cant remember when exactly) I had a blood test at my GP surgery due to complaining about fatigue and they wrote and called me to say that my lymphocites (white blood cells) were quite low in my blood and they would need to monitor this to make sure it is not any underlying health conditions such as Lupus. I panicked and got scared and ignored it and forgot about it ever since as finding things out from the doctor gives me severe anxiety. In hindsight yes I should not ignore it.

In September 2019 I went on holiday and got horrifically sunburnt all on my back and chest and it took a good 2 months to fully clear and peel before it was better - took forever. I have never been burnt like this before and rarely sit out in the sun to tan in this fashion.

About 2 weeks ago I noticed a large scab that had formed from a large circular area of broken skin. It was as though the top layer of skin had simply rubbed off and to touch it was very sore and almost burn like. Over the coming days more of these scab/burn like things have come up on my skin and I had to be careful when touching my face not to make more breakages to the skin in area where this was happening. In total I've had about 10 of them and theyve all been on just one side of my face. Cheeks, Lower cheek,temple and a small one on the undereye area. Almost burn like scabs that started with broken skin. This picture from google looks similar to what I had but mine are more scab like:

images.app.goo.gl/VzMwYVBT5...

A few weeks ago my doctor prescribed me 50mg of Sertraline (antidepressants)) and automatically assumed that I have been having a reaction to this medication however I couldn't find any tangeable evidence that this drug can cause these skin lesions. Only thing I could find was that Sertraline in some cases can cause anaphylaxis and produce bad skin rashes on face. I stopped taking the medication to see if there was a difference and about a week and a half afterwards I can start to see an improvement but not sure if it just coincidence.

I have also started to experience spates of weakness for a milisecond or two here and there, as I stand up or move about, walk or turn my head to look. Not sure if this is also related.

I am worried that all of these things over the course of time are undiagnosed Lupus. Could anyone shed some light on these symptoms and whether any other Lupus sufferers think I have a cause for Lupus concern? I have had a number of blood tests over time that screened HIV and they are all negative. I can only think back to when I had my GP blood test and they called me to say they want to keep tabs that it may not be Lupus. I now regret not taking further action back then.

Can someone please help me - Many thanks in advance!

Peter

[Hidden]

Peter, ouch! I’m so sorry you are going through this.

Lupus can present as do many similar things that it is nicknamed ‘The Great Imitator’. I know this won’t be of much help currently, since regular specialist appts are on hold, but I would suggest getting to a doctor once things are back to normal. Only doctors and (many) tests will let you know for sure.

[Bebe76]

It's worth mentioning the previous low white count to yor GP again, along with your other issues, and ask for another full blood count. Unfortunately lupus can be quite difficult to diagnose because physical symptoms can be vague. You will need to start with blood tests and from there you may be referred to rheumatology.