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Hi, I'm in the diagnosis process right now between rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. I've had tons on bloodwork, rheumatologist appointments, xrays, and now a skin biopsy.
Can anyone tell me about their experience? If the band test comes back negative, does that mean we can definitely rule lupus out? How long does it take for the boost results to come back?
Thank you!
@A MyLupusTeam Member
Diagnosing autoimmune diseases can be a lengthy process - it took 2 years to diagnose my lupus/lupus nephritis via biopsy, but I also had symptoms of other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, sjogrens, etc., but all the tests for them came back negative. Many people like myself have overlap syndrome - this is where you have 2 or more autoimmune diseases. 9 years after my lupus diagnosis, whammy, I was also diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, mixed connective tissue disorder, and polymyositis. I have all these autoimmune diseases. The good news is that the treatments for all of these disorders are very much the same. Hope this helps some. Hugs Sherry
It took over 4 years to get an accurate diagnosis for lupus for me, many of the symotoms for lupus and rgeumatoid arthritis are the same. These diseases are not always easy to diagnose. For me, the blood test, Smoitj Antibody DNA, was the true dianostic tool, but may not be for someone else. My suggestion is to build a good relationship with your rheumatologist, keep a journal of your symptoms and try to be oatient with the process, even though I know waiting can be hard.
I don't know how many docs I went to and they said it was just arthritis but, I knew something else was wrong then I found a doc who knew where to send me for proper testing and she confirmed that it was lupus. I guess you listen to what your body tells you and never give up until you are satisfied with the answer.
I initially was diagnosed with RA after basic blood work because I had severe joint pain, but had a positive ANA. When my skin was affected I had two biopsies and super extensive blood work which confirmed lupus. My rheumy seems to feel that my RA joint issues are lupus induced. Blood work results vary depending on whether you are in flare or stabilized. In fall I was told that my system had quieted due to meds doing their job; however, after spending a week in sunny Florida in Feb. my levels were off kilter again. It's kind of a roller coaster ride.
You can test negative one day for lupus and positive the next and so on. You can't go by one negative test. Hope that helps.
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