Well I didnt get any response so presume it doesnt sound like Lupus to anyone. Now my arms & legs are red too & that is with them protected from the sun. I am confused but guess I am wasting time on here so will go back to just reading posts.
Happy New Year to all

Hi Sue, by the sounds of it I am in a similar situation (as far as Dx). It takes less than a minute for me to turn red in the sun, it is like sunburn but you are right it disappears quickly...I avoid the sun these days where possibly becasue it seems to suck all of the energy out of me & makes me feel achy & horrible....living in sunny QLD makes it difficult!!

I too go bright red even in the british sunshine (when it happens!) and it goes away quickly. My skin changes colour whenever i think something different, they say they can tell my emotions by it. The constant thirst etc sounds like raised blood sugars? I have not yet been diagnosed but have similar joint problems and other lupus symptoms. Happy new year.

Hi Sue,
Please dont feel like we dont care about you here. With the holidays here, it can be hard for some of us to check our emails....We do care. Just may not be able to answer as quickly as normal....Its hard to say whether your symptoms are lupus related as there are so many different things that can cause lupus like symptoms. That is the reason it can be difficult to diagnose for many of us. I dont get red from the sun, I get an instand flare up and feel sick like a dog for about an hour after I get back into the house. Some people are just sensitive to sunlight.....You need to have a full work up for everything. Hormones, thyroid, ANA, Lupus panel, etc. Once you have all the blood tests ran, you will hopefully get a better picture of whats going on with your body. I was so sick I felt like I was dying before my diagnosis. Literally. My whole body. I had fevers, flu like symptoms, headaches, joint pain, etc. It sounds like you are at least going in the right direction though. But, you need to see a rheumatologist. Try to get a referral from your GP. Gp's are not knowlegable enough in the lupus/auto-immune department.
Hope you had a happy new year,
melissa

Sue
Hello...and so sorry for the delay on a response. The Holiday's makes it more difficult for some. I am like Melissa that I don't actually get red from the sun...actually get one heck of a tan. But I get very ill from it...feels like I get a horrible flu. Joint pain, fever and weakness. It will leave within a few hours or days. So it makes being in the sun a crap shoot. But it does sound like you are trying to get some answers and remember that lupus does not effect each of us the same. And because of that it is miserable to diagnosis. Hang in there.
Tishka

Sue, From the sun (I wear a huge sombrero to garden and a long sleeve mens cotton white dress shirt, and slacks.) I never forget the hat...but if it is before 10 in the morning or after 6 in the evening, I can garden without the shirt (the angle of the sun does make a difference in my lupus. sometimes I get involved and go beyond the time and forget the shirt. I pay for the indiscretion by getting a rash you can't see but you could feel under my skin on my arms. It itches like a hundred miniature hives (first time it happened the doctor told me I had sun poisoning). Benedryl doesn't help it. Reflected sun brings out my butterfly bright red. I wear a 40 sun screen made for the face (Clinic sells it. I bought two tubes thinking I would need it. a tube goes a very long way. I could have gotten away with one) It is slightly tinted so makes a good make up base.

Please try not to get a sun burn (You can get sunburn through a piece of clothing, everytime I have it has resulted in a flare. Keep well hydrated, I don't know if I got heat stroke because I had Lupus (It was not a hot day)but the flare after I had the heat stroke was warning enough not to set my self up for the problem.

I hope the New year brings you a diagnosis of what you have so you can receive the proper treatment to bring you back to good health.

Thanks everyone for responding, sorry I was so quick at shooting off (one of my worst traits is impatients with myself & life).
I've always been sensitive to the sun but not as bad - sick after being in it even when fully covered.
Today I dont know what is wrong with me, had a rotten night & about 5am this morning I felt like I was itchy/stinging/prickly all over & was fidgeting all over in bed. Ended up getting up & having a cool shower, put aloe vera gel on to cool it down as my skin was red - I had been cold not hot. When I got changed last night I had noticed both arms & legs were very red as well as my face still being red.
I woke up this morning feeling like total crap, everything is aching, vision in right eye is blurry & very lacking in energy. Wasnt red when I woke up at least. Not sure if it is from the ms or something else. my gp is away for 4 weeks so will wait till he returns as I dont know the other Dr there.
Thanks for listening.
Sue

Hi Sue. Do you think it's wise to wait four weeks to see a doctor. A lot can happen in a month, and even if you don't know the other doctor, he/she might know about your condition and be able to suggest something to make you more comfortable.

I sometimes wake up in the night itching nd burning like crazy. Last time it was so fierce that I got up to look in the mirror, felt like my face had acid burning it. There was nothing there, not even red, but the burnig and itching was intense. By the mmorning it was gone. Today, for achange, I have lots of rash on my face but it doesn't itch too much. One thing you can say about lupus is that it's different every day! Hang in there hon. Hugs.

Have you been checked for diabetes? I hate to bring up another disease but you said you are constantly thirty and have to go to the bathroom quite a bit. Also, you sound like you could be retaining fluid with your legs and ankles swelling.
I hope that's not the reason but it is a good idea to get checked out.
I'll be thinking of you and hoping for the best. Please keep eveyone posted. This is a very caring group of people.
Blessings to you....

I thought of something else concerning your red skin. Have you tried triaminicinolone cream or ointment? It will help with the burning and itching. Also Aveeno anti itch cream in a tube is very good. You have to have a prescription for the triamin..... but not for the Aveeno. I hope you get some relief. The type of lupus I have is mainly confined to the skin so I feel like I've tried most everything. I get a terrible rash and it itches badly.
Also, Active-On makes an anti-itch rollon medicine and it will help some.
I really hope you get some relief soon.
Happy New Year....
Virginia

I turn red in the sun very easily. My doctor told me to stay out of the sun as much as possible which can be hard to do especially living in Florida. She told me to wear sunscreen even when riding in the car. I was told having the lupus can make your skin super sensitive to the sunlight. I also have a prescription ointment for the red rashes I get.

Thanks for all your replies. I have been tested for diabetes & thought I might have it but it was the prednisolone they decided as it settled once I was off it.
I do put sunscreen moisturiser on each morning as a habit as our Aussie sun can be quick to burn. This doesnt seem to have stopped the red skin though. The redness is getting more often & different to sunburn for sure. Today we were in a shopping centre & i got hot even though it was a/c. Hubby said my skin was red again & my face was bright red. because I get excema & very dry skin I always have cortisone ointment with me so put that on it, stopped the dryness but not the red.
I think I may have to go back to the dr that is filling in & get him to do some of the blood tests for lupus to set my mind at rest.
I had the same itchy/tingling, prickles again last night so this seems to be happening more.
I will ask about the ointments you have mentioned but what is available here my be different.
Hugs, Sue

Dear Sue,
My skin reacts to sunlight and to artificial sources of light, like fluorescent bulbs in shopping centers and office or halogen bulbs in restaurants, etc. When I'm having this reaction to light, I break out in a sweat. I think the sweat is caused not by heat but by whatever immune reaction is happening. If I stay in the lights after turning red and sweating, I eventually get nauseated and confused, and then my hands and face will start to swell. It's awful. The best thing I've found is to just avoid all those sources of light, which makes for a miserably restrictive life. Anyway, if you can protect yourself at all times with heavy clothing and sunscreen, plus a hat and maybe even a face mask and gloves, you might be able to keep the reaction from happening quite so soon. I know it's awful, Sue. I hope you can find some way to cope. By the way, you might be able to go your local chemist's and see if they'll do a finger stick on you to check your blood sugar. Since the levels can vary quite a bit, you might have missed being diagnosed as diabetic. Your symptoms sound a lot like what I experienced in this past year, and I just got diagnosed with diabetes in October. Sometimes I think the stress my body goes through when reacting to light raises my blood sugar. Just a theory, though.
Best regards,
Allison Julie

just wanted to add to this discussion a possible reason for these rashes is my doctor suggested that we are getting these reactions due to the thinning of the ozone which in turn allows the sun's UV rays to reach us with alarming speed....even if I wear sunscreen I still get the facial rash so obviously the money is wasted on those products....I now wear big floppy purple hats(lupus purple)....LOL

I am so sorry to hear about your suffering. I am also in limbo waiting for my rheumy apt and for a full diagnosis. I felt the same way all summer here in the states. It seemed like all summer I felt even more awful than now(if that is possible lol). Have you searched the 11 criteria for lupus yet? A lot of other things mimic lupus so it can be a very hard diagnosis to get. Hang in there and best wishes. Good luck.
Marissa