Burning

Welcome, Lorn -

Burning skin isn't generally a Lupus symptom. Lupus is diagnosed by having at least 4 of these 11 diagnostic symptoms.

1. Malar rash: butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose
2. Discoid (skin) rash: raised red patches
3. Photosensitivity: skin rash as result of unusual reaction to sunlight
4. Mouth or nose ulcers: usually painless
5. Arthritis (nonerosive) in two or more joints, along with tenderness, swelling, or effusion. With nonerosive arthritis, the bones around joints don’t get destroyed.
6. Cardio-pulmonary involvement: inflammation of the lining around the heart (pericarditis) and/or lungs (pleuritis)
7. Neurologic disorder: seizures and/or psychosis
8. Renal (kidney) disorder: excessive protein in the urine, or cellular casts in the urine
9. Hematologic (blood) disorder: hemolytic anemia, low white blood cell count, or low platelet count
10. Immunologic disorder: antibodies to double stranded DNA, antibodies to Sm, or antibodies to cardiolipin
11. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA): a positive test in the absence of drugs known to induce it

If it's nerve damage, I wonder if you might need Lyrica or a similar medication? (Generally used for nephropathy of all kinds.)

Keep in touch!

Hi Lorn
The first step would be to request an ANA test. I find the Johns Hopkins Lupus site very helpful.

https://www.hopkinslupus.org/lupus-info/diagnosing-lupus/

It's important to know that a positive ANA in the absence of symptoms really doesn't mean a lot. And you can have Lupus without a positive ANA. So it's best to see a rheumatologist if you suspect Lupus and get a proper evaluation.

Here is what Johns Hopkins (Maryland, USA) has to say about a positive ANA.

"A positive ANA result means that you have a higher than normal concentration of these antibodies. This is one of the tools in diagnosing lupus as well as several other autoimmune diseases, so a positive result may be related to lupus or to another disease. Or you may simply have a higher than normal concentration of these auto-antibodies that may not have any impact on your health. Even among people with lupus, ANA results can vary widely; one person can be in remission at a certain titer of ANA while another can be extremely ill at the same titer. Autoimmune diseases often have a systemic effect on the body and are very complex by nature. Your healthcare provider will interpret what the test results mean for you and may need to compare your test results as well as the severity of your symptoms over a period of time in order to make a definitive diagnosis."