Question:
I was diagnosed w/Lupus (anticoagulant + SLE) after the birth of my son
(8mos. ago). I'm currently on Plaquenil (last 4 mos.) and haven't had
many symptoms since. I would like to find some other women w/Lupus to
chat with. I know Lupus isn't the same for everyone, but my Dr. hasn't
told me much and I don't know what to expect. It would be nice to find
out from others what their experiences have been and, if you're on
Plaquenil, what your side effects have been.
Answer:
the Lupus website is great also
Here's some info I've collected
Please, please, please go to the Lupus Foundation of America site
www.lupus.org and read all the information they have. It is the most
current information available and you will learn a lot!
Also, either buy or go to the library and get Dr Daniel Wallace's "The Lupus
Book" 3rd Edition and read it cover to cover.
Dr Wallace explains in layman's terms everything you need to know.... just
as the LFA does. The LFA also offers a magazine called Lupus Now which is
full of great info.
The Arthritis Foundation www.arthritis.org also has a lot of helpful
information, a magazine Arthritis Today. There are over 100 forms of
arthritis so there's a lot to learn.
The National Institue of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
offers FREE publications. Take advantage. http://catalog.niams.nih.gov/
like others have said find books and read them,understand thats
not always easy with a baby,also internet sites....I recently had blood
tests and they showed up saying I had lupus but my doc hasnt confirmed
it...had a blood clot in my leg and thats when I had necessary tests
done.My mum has lupus and she has her good and bad days,I have
Rheumatoid arthritis ...Good luck with your research and also your doc
mighten know alot about it and thats why they havent given you much
info
FWIW, there isn't a blood test that can be used solely for the diagnosis of
lupus. Certain blood tests can be pieces of the bigger puzzle.
Unfortunately, having RA does put you at a higher risk for having another
autoimmune disease. Doesn't that suck?
Many meds used in RA are the same used in lupus.
A lupus patient told me several years ago that there now one or more
tests that were either specific for lupus, or were strong indications.
I didn't follow up to find out what the test were. Google or
www.ncbi.nlm.nih should let you search for lupus AND tests
