possitive ANA. Lupus?
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September 1, 2009 at 9:18 pm
ok so my blood tests reveal a possitive ANA. I am now going to a rheumatoidologist to find out if it is lupus. problem is that I had been hospitalized for the neuropathy 5 years ago and have had an array of blood tests then and later 4 years ago had an MS panel that included a bunch of blood tests all came up normal. I would assume that an ANA was included. I am going to do the foot work and get allll of those records. this has completely derailed any diagnosis of CIDP and for good reason. Peripheral neuropathy from lupus is very symtomatically similar to cidp. but why did I have neuropathy and GBS then without a possitive ANA. Back then my primary and only complaint was neurological symptoms. now yeah I can see an array of other stuff consistant with Lupus including a swollen lymph node and bouts of flu like symtoms but not back then. so anyway it is good to be getting closer to an answer but man I dont even know much about lupus and dont intend to do the research because whatever it is, I know it varies so greatly from person to person that I would only upset myself looking up pointless statistics on it.
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September 2, 2009 at 7:43 am
When I was told I needed to see another doctor due to high ANA. I went back and pulled every lab record through the course of the various doctors I had seen leading up to a diagnosis of CIDP. My ANA was normal until I started IVIG. After I showed the neurologist the many normal lab reports, he agreed that I did not need to see another doctor for possible lupus.
I already feel like I am on the “doctor circuit”. I know everything has to be checked out, but I get so tired of going to the doctor.
I now get a copy of every lab report so I do not have to go back and ask for them like I did for tracking the ANA. Also, since they now have me going to several doctors, I have been able to eliminate several lab reports due to recently having them done by another doctor. The doctors do not coordinate lab reports very well. So, I take the most recent lab results with me. -
September 2, 2009 at 11:25 am
It is true that ivig will affect ana results. On the other hand Tara, you DO have the other obvious symptoms. Good luck to you in trying to get the bottom of this, it is a hard task.
Dawn Kevies mom -
September 3, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Hi Tara. I have a pos ana also-was tested for lupus long before all this neuropathy stuff came to head. Relax, let the drs do their thing-get on them if they slowdown. Don’t give up, but don’t burn yourself out either. Keep in mind you may not get a dx, I’ve been told that many times-but I have more drs working on me then one should have. They seem to like the challenge:) Please take care Hun!!
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September 7, 2009 at 11:46 am
Hi Tara ,
I have had CIDP for the last 7 years and I also have positive ANA test. A couple of my docs thought I had Lupus as well but the rhumo doctor said he felt that it was part of having a connective tissue disease . Either way he said it becomes a process of ruling out things and time to really diagnose properly . Either way its all scary …. I have ended up with 3 auto-immune conditions as a result. I would never win the lottery but won three times with this crazy thing LOL
Best of luck 🙂
Kimberly -
September 7, 2009 at 3:50 pm
unfortunately lupus would make alot of sense for me. I have always thought that there seems to be three different pathological identities at play. I will catergorize by pain.
joint pain that came in flu like bouts where I would get a fever and the skin over the joints even hurt. that has only happened a hand full of times over the past 5 years.
musculo skelatal pain which happens in bouts that can correspond with my period or can happen spontainiously. this pain feels toxic. like I have been poisoned
radicular pain. I only get that pain when the neuropathy is present and it radiates down from a horrible pain in my neck. it feels like my nerves are being pulled too short.the wierd thing is that the joint/ bone pain was present at the onset of the gbs and the onset of the big bout of neuropathy I had 5 years ago. the bout 5 years ago evolved into the musculo skelatal pain as the neuropathy subsided. so I think even the GBS is not just interlinked because it an auto immune disease, I think alll of my symptoms are interconnected somehow. because the symptoms all overlap at some point. no ANA present back then though
its funny I have always thought that heat was a antagonist for my symptoms but only outdoor heat. I could tolerate hot tubs and showers but not outdoor heat. I never thought about photo sensativity.
anyways it fits
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