Hello,
it's been really helpful reading through all of the notes.... I, too, am wondering if I have lupus. Back in september I was sent to the emergency room for what they thought were kidney problems - test results showed no infection or stone. I have never been so sick in my life - pain all over my body that still bothers me in strange places (my shoulders, backs of my knees, joint pain in my hands). I have rashes, headaches, horrible anxiety, fatigue, hair loss & high blood pressure for the first time in my life - I feel crazy! My sister thinks my first pregnancy 8 years ago was my first flare b/c I had the butterfly rash on my face & was terribly fatigued and sick. The doctors dismissed it to the pregnancy & I never gave it a thought. I did have a horrible delivery - I was so eclamptic that I was having seizures & they had to do a c-section. I wonder if that was b/c of the lupus? I have had several miscarriages since.

I still have trace amounts of blood in my urine & have been referred on to a nephrologist and a rheumatologist. The first round of tests showed everything was normal but I did have a positive ana, but a low reading (1:40). The rheumatologist just ran some more tests (dna, etc... - the full panel) & I am hoping to get those back soon - but she seems to think it is lupus.

My question is this - if these tests come back "normal" could I still have the disease or are there some conclusive tests? It seems like everything I read is conflicting. Some say ana is it, some say it isn't.... Not sure what to believe.

Thanks,
k