Pushing for diagnosis
Hi,
My 13yo daughter has been in and out of the doctors for the last two years. She has this recurring rash (see photo) which begins as a red malar rash but then leaves these raw patches which takes months to heal and leave scars. It seems to be triggered by strong chemicals (eg air freshener is a realy problem). She is sporty and fit so doctors have ruled out lupus (her ANA was borderline) but I am concerned that the topical creams (we've tried steroids, tacrolimus and pimecrolimus) aren't helping because there's a root cause...lupus. If anyone has anyone suggestions for how to push for further investigation or any further trips I would be so grateful. It is awful seeing her face so sore all the time. Thank you from a desperate mother!!
I’m so sorry your daughter is going through this at such an early age. It can definitely take a while to get a firm diagnosis. There are some questions you can as like what his differential diagnosis that helped to rule out lupus. This will prompt him to say why he feels and what he did to rule in or out the diagnosis. I did a video about this if you’d like to take a listen. https://lupus.net/video/doctor-communication
It can be hard to decipher all of the different symptoms but your doctor should do all he can to rule it out or give a diagnosis. I am glad she has you to advocate and get the answers to what’s going on. ~Racquel~ Team Member
