@A MyLupusTeam Member

Many of the obstacles I’m facing currently stems from the fact my rheumatologist ran all my panels while I’d been on 40mgs of prednisone daily for a week

It was s huge dose. It screwed up all my labs including making my WBC skyrocket and raised/normalized my platelet count, which has never been normal in my life. That’s how I recognized the labs were wrong.

It ruined the chance of finding inflammation markers and more specific antibodies. Thankfully my ANA still came back positive but thats not enough for a diagnosis

I had warned the doctor when he ordered my tests and I asked about the prednisone but he told me not to worry and go get the blood drawn.

After getting my results the doctor agreed they were “useless” and all had to be redone. He couldn’t believe he didn’t have me wait 🙄 it became obvious he hadn’t actually listened to me that day

Now these bad labs are still part of my digital record and other doctors keep referring to them. They keep causing confusion and trouble over and over again.

What I have learned is that you really have to be your own advocate! I wish I could say you can just relax and let the doctor handle things but my experience is that they don’t pay enough attention

I’m so glad you found that info! Please do use it to get your labs redone in a few weeks!

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A MyLupus...

I just looked up the steroid cream I’m taking called Clobetasol. Holy cow!! They say it’s so strong it can cause adrenal insufficiency after 2 weeks.

Any steroid cream that could have this severe a systemic effect on the body I’m sure would lower ANA results

So please, check your medication and suggest the your doctor you’d like another test as your steroids could have led to a false negative result

Thanks for bringing this up and encouraging me to research. I need to take my labs soon. I need to stop using my cream ASAP and get it out of my system! My future depends on finding higher levels of dsDNA and I can’t afford to use anything that could reduce my numbers

Wow, sounds exactly like me. I feel like I'm crazy sometimes. Just wanting answers but nobody could get it straight it's so frustrating!!😣

I’ve read that it is unusual to have psoriasis AND Lupus. Tho they are both autoimmune they infrequently overlap. They can, but it’s less common. There are several AI issues that cause those same symptoms tho!

The ANA is what often causes doctors to dismiss AI issue as the cause. Heck, I keep coming up ANA positive and still can’t get my rheumatologist to agree I have Lupus, or any form of AI disease.

But ANA can wax and wane. Are you on meds for your psoriasis?!? An immunosuppressant? Or anti inflammatory? That could very well be the cause of a negative ANA

Greetings,
It does take a long time to get diagnosed. A great doctor will take his time and not rush until he has a complete picture of what is happening to you. Please be patient; they are getting better with the process. There could be multiple other issues that are blocking his decision. This disease is more like a spectrum; you could have multiple autoimmune issues. Most of us do not just have lupus. We have its sisters' diseases as well. They call it the cruel mystery for a reason. It does mimic other diseases. No specific test is consistently used, and there is a series of criteria. There are other diseases like MCTD, too. In the meantime, you need to be under supervision, so find a doctor your insurance covers and let them help you navigate the journey.
It took me 19 years to get my diagnosis. Today it is much quicker. I know your frustration. You will get through this.