Ana

My ana was first tested when I was 11 and then again in my 20"s, both times it was 1:1280, speckled. After a diagnosis of lupus, and years of no treatment and no testing due to lack of insurance, I had my ana tested a year ago and it was 1:320. Due to recent flare up issues with lupus, I have gone back to a doctor, not rheumy, that I am paying out of pocket for, still with no insurance, and my ana came back in normal range. This has never happened and I feel like crap and keep having flare ups. At the time of this most recent ana I was recovering from a flare and they were unable to draw enough blood from me, only a vial and maybe a half, so I'm suspicious of the results. Would it be normal to have an ana result that highly positive for YEARS and suddenly be normal while still feeling like crap? The main thing is I feel like crap, I already have the diagnosis, and I am terrified of starting back at square one because of not being monitored regularly, y'all know how hard it is to get the diagnosis in the first place, and I do have past ana's, and blood work from rheumatologists to back up diagnosis. I understand ana results aren't really that big a deal and I know they fluctuate, but does anyone know if it would be normal to have a normal ana reading while still feeling like you are having flares?

The ANA number is not an indicator of disease activity. The only blood test that fluctuates in relation to flares and how you are feeling are the inflammation markers... and they don't diagnose Lupus since there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of things that cause inflammation.

You can have flares with AND without a positive ANA. You can have a positive ANA with AND without Lupus.

The ANA is only one symptom, out of 4 needed for a Lupus diagnosis. If you have paperwork from a rheumy diagnosing you with Lupus, that should give e new Dr a starting point, but it isn't "starting over" because old Dr or new Dr, they still have to treat you based on what is going on with you at the present time.