biopsy help ?

[Milliesal]

hi everyone , I’m new to posting here.

I would be delighted for any advice .

I have been reading many of the posts which have been more than helpful, especially when time in the consultant room can be short .

I have ? Lupus , no diagnosis yet .

Have what appears to be full time butterfly rash on both cheeks .

Fatigue , migraine / headache , GI symptoms , muscle /joint pain swelling , positive ANA. Plus many more symptoms , may or may not be related .

On hydroxychloroquine 400mg od

Getting skin biopsy Friday , derm wants to take from near hairline and not cheek as says will leave a scar . But the rash is more on the cheek , really need a diagnosis and don’t want a missed diagnosis if taking from the wrong place to give me a negative if taken from another spot would be a positive .

Can anyone shed any light on previous experience ??

Need advice please !

Thank you all in advance ❤️

[WinterSwimmer]

When I had a skin biopsy back in 2012, the dermatologist took the sample from a spot near my eyebrow. As far as I know I have no scar.

This may be TMI - but my seventeen year old youngest son (who had come to the hospital with me, and held my hand during the procedure) - reported afterwards that the implement used was like a spud gun of the sort used to dig into a potato to make a pellet. I remember the worst thing about having the sample taken from the eyebrow was the need to have a my right eye covered afterwards. With my puffy red steroid infused face covered with a white dressing, I remember walking through the hospital afterwards looking/feeling like some kind of deranged Pudsey bear! 😂😂😂

[Milliesal in reply to WinterSwimmer]

Thank you for your reply , hope I won’t get a scar either , but that why the dermatologist says she will take from the hairline and not the cheek where it appears to be worst. Not looking forward to the spud gun 🤣🤣 ..

[Jodelights in reply to Milliesal]

Hi Milliesal, Don't worry about the biopsy, you won't feel a thing. I've had a couple now and I can honestly say the worst one I had was behind my ear... not because it hurt (there was no pain at all) but because the punch (looks like look a pen and not sure if it has a spring mechanism to pierce skin, they just twist and out comes a perfectly round piece of tissue smaller than your little finger... which they send off for testing.

Good luck x

..⁸

[Dressgirl52]

I had a biopsy - nhs doc wanted to take from my head as had lumps there but went privately , this was during lockdown , biopsy was taken from another area as had round ring like rashes on my sides . my diagnosis was lupus tumidus and facial paniculitus … every one is different

[Milliesal in reply to Dressgirl52]

Thank you for taking the time to reply , i had to go private as public system lists are too long . Never heard of lupus Tumidus or facial paniculitus , but will put an update in 4-5 weeks when I get the results . 😀

[Walkinglondon]

Hi, just wondering did your Rheumatologist refer you to dermatologist? With positive ANA , joint pain, rash and your other symptoms the diagnosis for Lupus could be made by the Rheumatologist.

[Milliesal in reply to Walkinglondon]

Hi walkinglondon, yes my Rheum consultant referred me to the dermatology for the biopsy as , I think he is unsure if it def is lupus hence the query , and he said a biopsy should tell us more . I’m also getting tested for scleroderma and myositis after my rheumatologist rang today and said to get bloods done to test for these also. Then he is starting me on a short course of steroids after d biopsy to see if that makes any difference to symptoms . There are so many auto immune diseases that have the same/like symptoms I think he is on the fence re d lupus . Thank you for your reply . 😀👍