Need help from experienced Lupus lab readers : )

I need help! Back in April I was referred to a Rheumatologist from my OB-GYN, I thought I was experiencing hair shedding and thought it was a symptom of coming off my birth control but for some reason she referred me to a Rheumatologist. *Do need to mention I have thyroid disease, my thyroid was removed in 2007 (I had Graves). So my hair was more than likely from just thyroid related*. My hair is not bad anymore. However the Rheumatologist ran labs on me because he wasn’t sure why I was referred there, well I came back having a positive ANA.

Homogenous Pattern 1:640
My Anti-DNA(DS) Ab Qn said 2, with the ranges listed below:
Negative <5
Equivocal 5-9
Positive >9

This Doctor CALLED me over the phone and told me I had Lupus SLE. I had NO clue what Lupus was. He never even asked my family or physical history. I went into a panic and googled Lupus and frightened myself. I ended up going back to that office and seeing another Doctor and he spent over an hour asking me many questions about myself. He reassured me that I did not have Lupus. But ever since this happened to me I have had severe healthy anxiety and I cannot let this go. I’m in constant fear that something is going to happen to me or when something random happens to me I go in to fear that oh my gosh this must be a Lupus sign.

Please please please someone help me. Please help me rest my mind. I don’t know what to do anymore. This was April of 2015 and here we are January 2016 and I still suffer from anxiety regarding this.

Thank you in advance.

Lupus is not diagnosed on any single blood test. Furthermore, A Positive ANA Does Not Equate to Having a Disease. Please see the Lupus 101 Board for an explanation of ANA as well as the criteria for diagnosing Lupus. I am not a doctor, but your Anti-DNA is 2 which falls into the negative category and you must meet 4 of the 11 criteria for a diagnosis of lupus. Sounds like the first doctor made an error and the second confirmed it. I wouldn't stress over the positive ANA or needlessly worry about "what if" scenarios. If you feel fine that's what matters at the end of the day.

I think your first Dr was not very experienced, I would go so far as to say he was just plain stupid. Nobody calls and tells you that you have a disease without at least scheduling an appointment and developing a treatment plan.

As Mrs Brady said, Lupus is diagnosed by having at least 4 of 11 symptoms, and an ANA is just 1 of the symptoms. ANA can indicate a number of diseases, but each of them requires a number of other symptoms, nothing is diagnosed by ANA alone.

Check out our Lupus 101 thread, or look at www.lupus.org. I think you will find you are not experiencing Lupus symptoms -- hair loss doesn't even make the list. The OB/GYN should have sent you to an endocrinologist - they are the experts in thyroid disorders, not a rheumy.

Let us know if you have more questions!