I think I may have lupus
Hi.
I have just come across this site and thought I would join for some advice whilst I was for my drs appointment tomorrow.
So for the last probably 8 years I have had some on and off symptoms mainly with aches and pains and the odd butterfly rash, discoid rash also. Some fatigue but I have coeliac so that sometimes affects that.
Anyway over the last 6-12 months slowly I have found that my symptoms are worsening. I have had the butterfly rash a few times, this has spread to my chest at times, my joints ache particularly my arms shoulders neck and thighs. Mostly at night but sometimes in the day too. I get pins and needles in my hands and feet. I have dizziness, fatigue and brain fog and feel unmotivated.
I feel anxious and like there is something wrong with me.
My eyes have become sore making me squint a lot and very sensitive to any sunlight. I have palpitations and night sweats at times and feel feverish although my temp is always normal.
I get mouth ulcers and my appetite is decreased. I have headaches and feel generally unwell alot of the time I am also anaemic.
My arms right now feel like Iv been doing heavy weights they are so sore. I have bruising in patches which I think is likely to my low hb.
I don’t really know what I’m asking I just wanted to see what people think. I have uploaded a picture of my last facial rash. Thankyou 
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Thank you for sharing with us. I'm so glad you have an appointment with a doctor set up. I hope they will be able to run the right labwork and get you some absolute clarity so you can get a treatment plan started. Many of the symptoms you listed are commonly experienced by those living with lupus, including bruising, joint pain, fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, rash, mouth ulcers, headaches, and sensitivity to the sun. We have many articles about these different symptoms, along with treatment options. The early days of diagnosis can be especially confusing and overwhelming; this article has some tips from community members for folks newly diagnosed: https://lupus.net/living/newly-diagnosed-tips. Also, it can be hard to remember all the symptoms you are experiencing when there are so many to remember (not to mention when brain fog rolls in...) We also have this free symptom tracker that can be downloaded to help make it easier to track and remember what symptoms you have experienced to bring to your next doctor's appointment: https://lupus.net/living/symptom-tracker. Let us know how it goes, and if you have any other questions, we can try to help answer!
Gabby (team member)Thankyou so much for this. I forgot to mention food! I get so poorly after food mainly dairy or high fats high sugar. Fever, severe fatigue and nausea. Iv always been like this but it’s worse sometimes more than others. I go dizzy and feel lightheaded. I have also had 4 urine infections this year which is unusual for me. I will use all of the links noted. I got a phone call from dr today (no visits available) and they didn’t really seem to take on board what I was saying (even though I am a nurse 🙈) however they agreed to do some bloods so fingers crossed 🤞 I hope it isn’t but I feel really that it is lupus. Thankyou again ❤️
, Have you ever heard of the anti-inflammatory diet? It might be worth trying out in the meantime while you wait for some answers to see if your body reacts well to eating anti-inflammatory foods. This article explains which foods to avoid and which ones have anti-inflammatory effects: https://lupus.net/living/nutrition
Gabby (team member)
I have Thankyou and I will definitely look at this link. I will definitely try this and see if it helps:l. Thankyou Gabby 😀
so sorry you are dealing with this. So many symptoms that seem to be similar to lupus. I hope your doctor was able to help with some answers and clarification. Please let us know what happened. ~Racquel~ lupus.net team member
