Newbie needs some advice

Good Day to Everyone!!!

I am a 28 year old female. I have been suffering with a red blistery rash (hives i believe) on my legs, bum, arms and stomach. Thought maybe it was an allergic reation to something i touched or ate... doc put me on reactine and predizone (not sure i spelled that right) i found that it helped, but symptoms come back as soon as drugs wear off. Along with that i have other symptoms, extreme tiredness, swelling of feet, hands and ears with red blotchy blisters that are real itcy, sweating ~ more so at nite, headaches ( i wake up and go to sleep with them - tylenol does not work) hair loss, loss of appetite, aching all over ~ stiffness in elbows, knees and hands, shortness of breath ( i am a smoker thought maybe i was getting a cold) and a cough that i can't seem to shake ( i guess you could say like a smokers cough... but different ~ makes no sense) they don't all appear at the same time, some stay with me ( headaches, appetite ) while others come and go.

My first thought that something was wrong was my last pregnancy was horrible - constent headaches, throwing up, not able to eat. Doc said that some pregnancies were like that - figured he knew. I had an emergency c-section, which i will say has not healed all the way yet.... and its been 9 months. Now all these other things within the past 9 months have been appearing. I stumbled upon this forum and once i started reading i realized that some of the symptoms talked about i was experiencing....

I just know that this is not an allergic reaction - these symptoms are nothing like i have ever experienced before. I'm feeling so lost!!!!

Thank you for listening.

Chevyrane

Hi Chevrayne and welcome. I'm sorry to hear about your health problems and I hope you get some answers soon. One of the first steps in getting an accurate diagnosis is to get a referral or make an appointment with a good rheumatologist who specializes in lupus. Also make sure you make a detailed list of all your symptoms (even ones that might seem small or unrelated). It also helps to take pictures of any rashes or swollen joints in case they aren't there anymore when you do go to the doctor. If you do have lupus, I have read that sometimes pregnancy or childbirth can trigger the onset of lupus in women. There are some good resources you can click on in my signature and you'll find some good info there. Hang in there, it can often take a while for docs to figure out what is going on. It;s hard to be in diagnosis limbo, but you are among people here who understand what it is like. Please continue to ask any questions you have. I'm glad you joined us.