Lupus Support Group
Lupus is an auto-immune disease in which the immune system cannot distinguish between threats (like viruses and bacteria), and healthy cells and tissue. As a result, the body produces antibodies that inflict cell damage, most commonly targeting joints, skin, kidneys and the nervous system. Join the group and find support for coping with lupus.
i have a recurring problem for a number of years. i have been tested for STD's, Lyme, bacterial, staph, etc, etc and not one doctor (and I have gone to over a hundred) has been able to diagnose the problem. Rarely do any of them care enough to pursue it. Some have recommended me to another doctor, which is part of the reason I have been to so many.
Anyway, my question is, just how long can a person have Lupus? And more so, is the name Lupus an umbrella term for SLE? and of course the big question is how do you get a doctor to run tests for SLE?
Anyway, my question is, just how long can a person have Lupus? And more so, is the name Lupus an umbrella term for SLE? and of course the big question is how do you get a doctor to run tests for SLE?
for several reasons, i doubt Lupus. but in my search, i keep coming back to it. i have looked at the Mayo site. they have a nice index of illness, symptoms, and treatments. I have also looked at webmed and even signed into one medical site that is supposed to be limited to health care providers. they take your word that you are one. but again no luck.
the last doctor i saw believes it is autoimmune. the only trigger that i can truly identify is stress. also when i have a flare up, it is usually in the summer.
the symptoms are what makes it hard to define when looking at medical journals, or in presenting to a health care provider. some of the symptoms are extreme fever (as high as 105), soreness in the joints, tender lymph nodes, weakness, dizziness, fatigue, muscle ache, swelling of my penis. the last one can become excruciating at times. the genitals can swell up to three times their normal size at which point the skin begins to separate.
like i said in my earlier post, most GP's, after seeing me with my pants down ask if i am a homosexual or a bisexual. if i have had risky sex. i have been tested for STD's quite often. then they will test for strep infection. then they will maybe test for other bacterial infection. They have prescribed bed rest, aspirin, aceteminophen, Ibprofen, ice, heat, elevation, exercise, baths, epsom baths, amoxicillin, penicillin, erythymicin, keflex, duclosan, prednisone, ciproflaxn, vicodan, lorcet, cranberry juice, not to mention all sorts of topical creams, suppositories, and psychiatric treatment. one doctor said i just forget about it.
none of the medications have really been effective. usually this runs the course, depending on the severity, between 2-10 days. the metra steroid has been the most effective during this last virulent outbreak. if i recognize the symptoms early enough i can use a combination of acetamenophen, ibprofen, cipro, cranberry juice, leg elevation, as much as possible, just staying off my feet and it might pass without severity.
needless to say, i am tired of dealing with it. in the last couple of years it is becoming more frequent. i had the first outbreak some 30 years ago, which seems to point away from lupus. however, the combination of and the initialization of the onset, keeps bringing me back to lupus. doctors hedge. so far i have had poor luck in getting past first base with the medical field.
thanks for your response. sorry my post is so long. it was somewhat cathartic to put this to e-paper.