Update on diagnosis with ANA + symptoms only!

[aimenkhattak27]

hi guys,

i posted a week ago on here about how i was confused about my lupus diagnosis since my doctor diagnosed me on symptoms and positive ANA alone and started me on treatment right away. She did give me more blood tests, MRI, and ultrasound but she said even if those come back normal shed still diagnose me with lupus. well my blood tests came back and i was negative for double stranded DNA, have yet to get my ultrasound and MRI done. sorry for the lengthy post but i mentioned in my last post how im only questioning my diagnosis based on my rash. My rash seems to be very random and mainly at night, and lasts about an hour unlike lupus rashes ive heard that last days or weeks! i dont even have to take antihistamine it just goes away on its own in about an hour. One weird thing is that the "rash" begins at my joints ALWAYS. i creates one big lump on one of my joints and then spreads down my arms a little after that. I've attached a photo to show u guys and ask for your input in case any of u with lupus had experienced this too. I wish i could post more pictures because this one is low quality but if u look at my ring finger u cant see much in this photo but in real life it was double the size of my other fingers and REALLY red!! Also that scar on my hand is skin graft surgery from a burn i had when i was a kid, it might be hard to see rashes on it in photo sorry! ah sorry for rambling!! please let me know what u guys think and thanks soo much for the support on my last post!

[aimenkhattak27]

guys im gonna post another photo of my right hand on another post so u can see what i mean that it all starts at the joints, the photo is far better quality please take a look! heres a link! healthunlocked.com/lupusuk/...

[LalSD]

Hello aimenkhattak27, I would suggest to see if your symptoms get better after the medication even the slightest improvement would indicate and you would know it yourself. This reminds me Dr. House the movie serious a bit. Sorry for the resemblance. Lupus is a complicated illness. I do not know any other illness which effects joints in this form, other than arthritis and llupus, if it reduces quickly by the morning, it might be that your body is fighting with itself to reduce the swelling and indicative of auto immune conditions. Thats why lupus is complicated.

One minute we are fine, the next is a complete different story I wonder what others think? Lx

[aimenkhattak27 in reply to LalSD]

Hi! thanks for the reply i appreciate it. I honestly dont even know if thats joint swelling it looks like its a rash that starts at my joints or maybe my joint swells and i get a rash because of it? lupus really is a complicated disease and despite this rash i cant seem to explain to myself why else id be getting other symptoms like mouth ulcers and joint stiffness/pain/weakness. also im on hydrocholoquine and my joint pain in my hands have gone down but i still experience the slight stiffness and weakness in

[LalSD in reply to aimenkhattak27]

hydrocholoquine works about 6 weeks into the medication to feel well enough and manage symptoms better. I would be inclined to feel lenient towards lupus.

[KayHimm]

I know you are concerned about your diagnosis being incorrect because it is based on symptoms and a positive blood test. Actually, it may be more accurate to say your diagnosis is based on signs and a positive ANA. Your doctor may have seen objective evidence of arthritis, oral ulcers and certain rashes in additional to your symptoms of fatigue and joint pain.

Just wanted to offer this difference so that you could feel confident about the doctor’s diagnosis.

K

[aimenkhattak27 in reply to KayHimm]

Thank you! based on this forum and other researches i have done i have seen that its really hard to diagnose lupus specifically because it seems to show in the blood tests very later on when the disease is at its peak. I guess my double stranded dna being negative is a good thing and means my disease was caught early (not sure if thats a correct conclusion but its what i found based on the research i did). i would say the only thing hesitating me is the type of rash i have but i cant seem to find an explanation for the multiple other symptoms so lupus does seem the most probable. glad i have a doctor who is alert and treats right away and people like you guys to ease the worries! thanks so much for your reply