Hi,
this is the first time I have posted here. I am 44 years old and the mother of 2 children. I have only recently learned about lupus and some of it's symptoms. I suffer from photosensitivity, raynauds syndrome, days of extreme fatigue and a red rash across my cheeks and nose. I have had 3 cbc test which showed anemia. About 3 years ago I started with other symptoms. After an unexplained tia the doctors discovered I had some unexplained heart damage and mitral valve prolaspe with regurgitation. I also started having unexplained seizures. Occassionally I have severe joint pain, but I don't think I run a fever. I have numbness and tingling in my arms and legs. Other than the raynauds syndrome and the photosensitivity (i break out in a rash and then the area turns dark), my symptoms are intermittent. I never went to see a doctor, except my ob/gyn, until after the tia. Now it seems like I have a doctor in every field. Not one of my many doctors has ever mentioned the possibility of lupus and I have never been tested for it. I was hoping that someone here on the forum would be able to tell me if this sounds like lupus. After reading about lupus I am wondering if I should ask my gp to test me. Does anyone think my symptoms could be indicative of lupus? If I were to ask for a blood test, should I wait until my symptoms are really bad? Would the blood test be accurate if I were not having a bad day/week/month? I would appreciate any information or advice you could share.
Thank-you,
donna