Are these anti-bodies found in people that do not have lupus? I have both, but the numbers are very low, so they're not flagged. I've seen in a number of places online that anti-dsDNA and anti-sm are pretty exclusive to Lupus.
View 6 RepliesThe short version of my story is I went to a fertility doctor after having trouble conceiving my 2nd child and having a miscarriage..the dr ran a ton of blood work and I came up with with a positive abnormal ANA (no numbers listed) and a positive high anti dsdna at 38..I think it said over 9 was considered positive. I have zero symptoms of lupus and am now scared to death I have lupus. Could this mean anything else??I have an appointment with a rheumatologist next week but this is the hardest week while I wait. I spoke to a friend's aunt who is a rheumatologist and she thinks the positive anti dna is rare in people in my age to be false (i'm 32) and thinks I may be developing lupus. I am assuming the rheumatologist will re-run all these blood tests and add some of their own but could this be something else? or nothing at all?
View 9 RepliesSo I have been sick with a mystery illness for the last year or so. I've seen every specialist, and the first thing they looked for was a malignancy, but there seems to be nothing. Then I saw a rheumatologist and she sent me for blood tests that came back with a positive ANA and positive anti ds-dna. From what I've read, positive anti-dsdna is VERY specific to Lupus. I never thought I had Lupus because my symptoms weren't specific to it, but after ruling almost everything else out, I'm thinking more and more that Lupus could be it. Because my symptoms weren't specific enough, my rheumatologist told me she wanted to see me again in 3 months to see if there were any progressions. I'm really becoming more certain that it has to be Lupus with these positive tests, and I'm worried that I won't be able to get a diagnosis for a long time to come.
Some of my symptoms include:
Extreme fatigue
Constant low grade fever
Neck discomfort
Headaches
Random pains in fingers and knees (not constant, every once in a while)
Chest pain when breathing deeply
A lot of memory problems
Thinning hair
Can barely work out or walk at the same speed as most people
What do you think I should do next in order to speed up finding a diagnosis? How do I make it clear to my rheumatologist that I feel like this is becoming more and more urgent?
2 years ago it was ANA 1:80 and the anti-dsDNA was 10, now it's ANA 1:40 with anti-dsDNA 22. So which is worse ?
2 years ago they said it's borderline and if I don't have symptoms, let's wait, they didn't dx. me with lupus.
I had ( and still have ) unexplained hip pain ( comes and goes ), headaches and lightheadedness ( had them before, but usually around periods ), but 2 months ago they become very bothersome and almost constant. My vitamin D is 25 ( should be 30-70 ) and vitamin b12 is 244 ( should be 200-900 ) my dr.said is still kind a low
.
Are these lupus symptoms at all ?
My grandmother is 53 years old and has arthritis. She takes cataflam against pain and inflammation. Some time ago she started telling us that her tablets are missing. She thinks someone is taking them. I have a younger brother who is a teenager. When I asked him if he knows anything about grandma missing medicine, he yelled at me, slammed the door and went out with his friends. Is it possible that he is taking Cataflam? I mean, is it possible to get a high of cataflam?
View 2 RepliesI have read on several message boards lately that there could be two new anti-tnf drugs coming to the market soon. Would that make the total 5? If so then does anyone know when these will be available to the UK market?
View 4 RepliesI was diagnosed with fibromyalgia years ago due to constant and sometimes debilitating muscle and joint pain. I am seeing a new PCP and she ordered some blood tests. The first was just a general screening but my c-reactive protein came back as elevated (also my platelets) so the doc ordered an ANA with reflex if positive. ANA came back positive (no titer information - it was just a positive/negative test I guess) and anti-SSA came back at 8.0 (negative range is 0.0 to 0.9). But RA factor, anti-centromere B antibodies, anti-dna (ds) qn, anti-jo-1, anti chromatin, anti scleroderma-70, rnp, anti-SSB, and smith antibodies are all normal.
Besides my muscle and joint pain I have had periods of alopecia (losing quarter to half-dollar sized patches of hair on my head), full-body rashes during especially hot times, asthma, and suspected endometriosis (currently controlled by depo-provera). I also used to never get sunburnt but my face especially gets really red now if I am in the sun for more than a little while. I have darker skin so its sometimes hard to see but lately my cheeks and nose seem constantly flushed.
All of these symptoms have been spaced out and gradual so I never thought anything of each individual symptom. The alcopecia was blamed on "stress" when I went to the doctor for it. The rashes I blamed on a simple "heat rash". My pain was diagnosed at first as carpal tunnel and then as fibromyalgia. But now with the ANA and anti-SSA tests I am thinking it all may be related. But I don't know and my doctor is out of town, and although I know she will refer me to a rheumatologist now as we have talked about that, who knows when I will actually be able to see the rheumatologist. So any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I am thinking maybe SLE (lupus) but with only that one anti-SSA and none of the others I don't know. Also I do have flares 2-3 times a month where my pain gets much worse but it constantly hurts and aches the rest of the time regardless, which doesn't seem like typical lupus. Oh and I also had severe fatigue until my doc put me on Savella which helped with the fatigue but not the pain. So now I am on gabapentin also but it doesn't seem to help too much either.
I would do almost anything just to be pain-free for even just a day. I am hoping with the ANA results now the doctors will not only maybe be better able to treat me but also will take my pain seriously.
I’ve been having anxiety attacks for years now, and during this time I’ve been on several anti depressants - I’m currently on sertraline, but alongside them I’ve been also prescribed Xanax to help better control my anxiety. Since my old psychiatrist retired, I’ve got a new one and she thinks I’ve been on Xanax for too long and is now considering to switch me to Lorazepam.
I’m bit afraid that I might go into withdrawal from Xanax, so I’m wondering would it be OK if I continued to take Xanax for at least a while together with Lorazepam?
Would an anti ccp level of 189 be considered high or not? Thanks in advance.
View 2 RepliesReceived my results back with no explanation as usual haha.. shows my anti tpo as <6 is that normal range?
View 1 RepliesWhat is an ac anti hiv duo test serum/plasma Eclia ? What generation is this test and how reliable it is at 62 days after last exposure ?
View 1 Repliesas a part of my anxiety treatment I’ve been taking Xanax for a few months now, together with Zoloft. However, despite the night dose of Xanax I’ve been having huge problems with sleeping, specifically with falling asleep. Despite how tired am I or when I take Xanax, I just can’t fall asleep.
Searching online I’ve stumbled upon information about Rozerem that should work precisely to help you fall asleep, and I’m definitely going to talk about this medication at my next psych appointment. What worries me though is - is it safe to use both Xanax and Rozerem at the same time?
Has anyone taken xanax xr for anxiety?? I definitely need this as I am very anxious and sometimes I can hardly get through the day because of my anxiety. I heard that you can just buy xanax xr on the web and that it is easy to come by. I do want to know if there are any side effects with xanax xr?
View 1 RepliesI’ve been on Lorazepam for my anxiety attacks for about half a year now and I’m also on fluoxetine. Lorazepam does help to ease my anxiety enough so I can function fairly normally from day to day, but I still do get occasional anxiety and panic attacks where even Lorazepam barely helps.
I’ve been reading a bit about this and came across info that Xanax is more effective than Lorazepam in fighting anxiety attacks, is this true?
I’ve been suffering from insomnia ever since I stopped taking Effexor and all natural ways to help me to get asleep didn’t really help much. I tried taking melatonin supplement, running and exercising and even herbal tea as a sleep remedy, but none of them really helped since I’m still managing to sleep only few hours before dawn.
Now i’m thinking to see my doctor to prescribe me some sleep aid and I was wondering what are your experiences with Valium and Xanax - which one works better as a sleep aid?
I have been to multiple doctors over the pas year. I started out at an orthopedic surgeon because my knee was swelling (previous meniscus removal in that knee btw). According to him nothing was wrong with my ligaments so he referred me to a rheumatologist. After testing positive for both blood tests (rheumatoid factor and high anti ccp level) he diagnosed me with rheumatoid arthritis. I did not have any of the typical symptoms of rheumatoid so I went to the Mayo clinic for a second opinion. I then tested negative for the rheumatoid factor and after a thorough exam, he concluded that I don't have rheumatoid. Throughout this time and still now I have been experiencing the following symptoms:-
-random blurred vision
-popping and pain in elbows
-popping in back when taking a deep breath
-numbness every once in a while in fingers
-chest tightness and shortness of breath
I have had chest xrays, full blood work, etc. All came back fine. Am I making this all up in my head?! I feel there is something wrong but every doc I go to says I am fine.
After a two year battle with every drug going and being so terribly ill with AS my consultant has decided we need to move onto anti TNF after trying everything else with very little or no success.
Can you please tell me everything you know about anti-tnf. Was it is successful? Did it give you a life back? Does it stop the pain? Does it help with the fatigue? I am so worried about trying it, but need to urgently do something, as quality of life is very low and nothing else seems to work.
I need both my hips replaced, does anyone know if it helps with hip pain?
I have to say that I never had any health issues or weight problems. I was always good looking. I remember when I gave birth to my second child, nobody couldn’t believe that I was so good looking. I don’t know what happened, but I started to eat everything. I mean, I do know. I went through divorce, and I was so depressed. I was eating everything. I was not disciplined in the food anymore. I was dreaming about pizza.
So, to stop this madness, I started to follow antiestrogenic food two weeks ago. Can you tell me, what are the best anti – estrogenic foods that you need to eat if you follow Anti – estrogenic diet?
Is the presence of anti-HbeAg an indication for low levels of viral DNA? Does it have any significance in the prognosis of chronic hepatitis b?
View 1 RepliesHas anyone ever had the Anti D injection that is required if you are a rhesus negative blood group? If so did any of you note any side effects?
View 4 RepliesI am new to the idea of taking medication for my anxiety. I have suffered from anxiety since my teens but I thought that this is simply part of who I am, and that I could not do anything about it. I have since been in therapy, and I am now starting to consider the idea of medication. I have heard about xanax bars. Are they OK? Do xanax bars have any side effects?
View 1 Replies