Hi. I am researching the symptoms of lupus and am getting very frightened. I used to be a very thin, active muscular woman - used to love to play sports & excercise. I am now 33 and as i've gotten older and working full-time, that has decreased and I have gained a weight. Last summer I began working out again, but never had the energy and my joints ached too much to keep it up. The joint aching has gotten signifiacntly worse and I finally had a blood test. I just got the results, which were written out as "slightly high rheumatoid factor - probably not rheumatoid arthritis". The work lupus has been coming into my head a lot and now I started researching about it. I have many symptoms and have become very scared.

I have just undergone treatments for impetigo - which is finally gone. It started about a year ago, diagnosed early this year, finally seems to be gone today. But, I do have some recurring rashes in the same spot on my stomach - they are red and very itchy. I didn't think anything of them until now. Canker sores on my tongue are more frequent - again, didn't think very much of them until now. Fatique - I have been complaining about this to my doctor for quite some time. Everyone keeps telling me to exercise, take vitamins and eat right. I eat pretty heatlhy, try to exercise and taking vitamins doesn't seem to help. Sleeping more, sleeping less - no help either. Joint pain is extreme. I can hardly get up out of my chair at work, have such a hard time getting up off a couch that I don't sit on it anymore. I love dancing. I was out last night with my hubbie having a great time. Even drinking a lot, I realized my stopping point because I was way too tired and sore to dance. I had to continually step aside and watch. Nausea has been a complaint of mine to my doctor also. I get bad stomach cramps frequently and diarrhea is not unusual.

It just doesn't seem to matter what I eat, what I do and when.....I'm always feeling bad.

Then I researched "lupus & pregnancy". I guess woman with lupus have plenty of miscarriages - sounds like they have a hard time getting pregnant. I have been trying to get pregnant for three years. When we were really trying hard - using ovulation kits - my period would be 20-25 days late. I would have symptoms of being pregnant, but then my period would come all of a sudden - painful & heavy. I used to always wonder if I wasn't really having a very early miscarriage. Hmmmmm....

Sigh....I guess i'm just looking for some feedback. I just feel like there is really something wrong with me. I feel like i'm complaining to my doctor so much that he probably thinks i'm a hypochondriac. But these all seem related when I learn about lupus.

Thanks for listening. I have a physical scheduled on the 19th this month and I plan to talk very seriously about this with my doctor. Either way, i'm asking for a referral to a rheumatologist I think. This is too scary. I have an appt with my ob/gyn on the 25th to discuss more serious plans to get pregnant and I want to have a healthy pregnancy/baby if it ever finally happens.

For any of you that do have this, I completely sympathize with how it feels and wish you all the best. I have a new awareness for people suffering from arthritis and understand that is not just lack of exercise.

Thanks.