I had no idea what she was talking about. I went in to the doctor because I was having frequent joint pain. He ordered some bloodwork but said it was mainly to rule out Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. I guess the ANA is one of the first diagnostic tests for Lupus and other autoimmune disorders. I know a handful of people that have Lupus and they say that the symptoms are really, really annoying . . . but not debilitating. So that is good.
Anyways, I meet with a rheumatologist in June for more tests. For now, it's kind of nice to know that it is actually something and not just in my head. On the other hand, it's also not nice. It seems like I've had some amount of joint pain every day since they called. But the good news is it doesn't really get worse with activity or rest, it just stays the same . . . so that is no reason to lay around in bed all day. Although, it is a reason to lay in bed all day if you are really really tired . . . which I am right now. Good night.
3 comments:
My sis-in-law has lupus and swears by a vegan diet. She says her insomnia decreased and her joint pain went down significantly. Not sure if you'd be up for trying it, but after years of meds, this was one of the main things that worked for her. (I'm sure you're going to just love all of the suggestions that come your way unsolicited...! Sorry, just my first thought when I read this.)
So, here is my story of having a positive ANA- I was having crazy joint pain, extreme fatigue and so on for a while, so my doc did blood work and my ANA was positive. She sent me to a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist couldn't rule Lupus or RA in or out, so she started treating me with meds (gag) to see if maybe finding a med that helped would help direct her diagnosis. I did that for a year, and wanted to scream the whole time. I went off all my meds (and got pregnant with Avery). We moved to a new city. After I was done with all the baby stuff, I saw a new doc, had blood work ran- and it was all negative. She thinks it may have been a long-running virus(that lasted almost 2 years!). Anyway, moral of the story- don't freak out. Blood work changes. Just don't do anything you're not comfortable with :)
PS- now my rheumatoid factor is positive, and my ANA is still negative. So strange.
So. I think you need to put more videos on your blog. Specifically the ones that you and Steven make.
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