I was diagnosed with SLE on June 25. It really caught me off guard because I've shown no signs or symptoms of Lupus except for kidney problems (protein in urine) and swelling in my ankles. I had no fatigue, no sun fatigue, no muscle aches, no butterfly rash, no skin discoloration, no hair loss, no joint aches, no problems gripping anything.
There was an incident about two years ago where my period stopped for two months, my blood pressure shot up, and then my ankles started to swell. This year, I've had 3 kidney infections three months in a row, but never felt sick or tired until I got the infections (and the antibiotics actually made me feel more tired and nauseated). Of course I've had a biopsy that said I was in nephritis stage three (only two spots on my kidneys are being affected thank goodness), but I'm so confused because I would have never gone to a doctor in the first place were it not for the swelling and the infections. I had no reason to, prior.
I've had the shortness of breath, cold blue finger nails, and really, really dull aches in the chest associated with kidney troubles, but that's all really. The hospital that I went to had three rhuemies look at me and they were all shocked at my lack of SLE symptoms. I have tested positive for both anti-dsDNA and ANA, and I know that those two things are highly correlated with SLE, but I also read somewhere that other possibilities should be reviewd if there's a lack of clinical SLE symptoms. The first rhuemie that I saw before the biopsy said he didn't feel that I had Lupus and that I should probably see a urologist (which I haven't yet). I have no idea what I should do though.
They've started me on monthly Solumedrol and a heavy dose of 60mg Prednisone a day, but the meds actually make me feel tired and cuts my appetite. I felt okay proir to taking them. I'm just...I don't know. My mom had SLE but it was so spot on and obvious. My case just isn't.
Should I get a second opinion? Has anyone ever gone through what I have gone through? Is my case just weird? Are the other symptoms just gonna come over time or something? Should I just accept the diagnosis and the treatments? I honestly have no idea what to do.
Post Edited (N.A. Yoko) : 7/2/2012 3:25:16 PM (GMT-6)