yup

seem to be developing this on arms

yup

see below

nope

yes

Nope

Pending tests

This list isnt quite the one from the lupus.org site.  Their's is more
symptoms vice actual test results.

a.. Achy or swollen joints
    yes, and loose ones with connective tissue damage, not prone to
swelling nor have I ever been even when I broke a bone.

a.. Persistent fever over 100 degrees
    yes, comes and goes.

a.. Prolonged, extreme fatigue
    Abnormal fatigue common, growing more common.  Had chocked this up to
back pain causing restless sleep but Doc says maybe, maybe not after many
questions.

a.. Skin rashes, including a butterfly shaped rash across the cheeks and
nose
    have perfect butterfly, plus marked spot on arms, both photosensitive

a.. Pain in the chest on deep breathing
    Just went through a bout of this, thought I was getting Bronchitis but
no cough, went away, had recent chest xray due to standard annual mamogram
etc and nothing noted but they weren't looking for this. Will have referral
Doc pull that up from the computer.  Have another a year ago when MRI was
done on back that they can use to match against.  May not be optimal for
this purpose but they are on record so won't hurt to have them look.  The
'odd like bronchitis' recent event may really have been incipient bronchitis
that I fought off.  I've not had it go that way before, but it is a single
isolated instance about 2 weeks ago.  Lasted about 3 days and went away.

a.. Anemia
    dunno, tests pending

a.. Excessive protein in the urine
    dunno, tests pending

a.. Sensitivity to sun or ultraviolet light
    yes, lovely redder face and spots on arms flare quite a lot.
Inordinant reaction compared to exposure time.

a.. Hair loss
    yes though hardly going bald.  Naturally have extremely thick hair
which is now 'near normal'  Also nails thinning and splitting (may or may
not be related, Doc asked though).

a.. Abnormal blood clotting problems
    Not that I know of

a.. Fingers turning white and/or blue in the cold
    got asked instead about numbness and tingling (yes)

a.. Seizures
    Nope

a.. Mouth or nose ulcers lasting longer than two weeks
    Sporadic oddities on roof of mouth, oddly painless, not a frequent
thing, less than 1 a year, reactive to hot spicy foods but little else.
Last about 4 weeks? Dentist found them interesting but no sign of infection
of tooth root.  Not further persued.

Not looking too great eh?  Still, tests not yet done and it might be
something else.  Not much mentioned on any page I saw, but Doc knows about
it is another system it often damages is connective tissues.  Not quite the
same as the arthritis angle but related.  I have DDD with 3 herniated discs
and several abnormal ones.  Wonky wrists with carpal tunnel like symptoms
but tests show it's isnt carpal tunnel (some is related to one of the
herniated discs), wonky ankle joint, wonky knee, and both elbows.  They are
looking for underlaying causes of so many joints going 'wrong' in one
person.

One thing is sure it seems.  Rosescea (sp?) or lupus for the face.

"Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) attacks multiple systems in the body
which may include: the skin, joints, lungs, blood, blood vessels, heart,
kidneys, liver, brain and the nervous system."

"Drug-induced lupus may develop after taking certain prescription
medications. Symptoms generally disappear, within weeks to months, after the
drug is discontinued.
See: Drug-Induced Lupus Erythematosus"
I add the drug induced as I was once on INH for 6 months and currently am on
some drugs which may not be optimal but will have to be reviewed. (Keflex
for a long term skin condition, taken 'as needed' for flareups).  Doc was
real interested in a skin condition 'hydratinitus suppervita' (close
spelling, not dead on) but seemed to indicate it was a separate issue other
than the drugs that had been used off and on for 20 years now for it?

Anyways, got a yes for 7 of those, a maybe for some, and tests not taken yet
for blood or urine.

Recon my chances of not having it seem slim but I'm hoping it's not and it's
something less scarey to have.  Pain and I are old friends though I wish
he'd take a vacation now and again!  (grin)

My bad!  Yes, we all can understand the wishing for having no reason to join
the group.

I was raised with Military medicine many moons ago and my Mom still recieves
her care via TRICARE...but what you describe is not much different than what
we get in the world of civilian medical care when one has insurance and of
course both are far better than those without either system.

Don't stress and scare yourself while waiting for diagnois or ruling Lupus
out.  Remember that Lupus and living with Lupus might mean taking a few meds
and learning just what triggers your body's reaction and then adjusting your
life a bit.  Sun block when you are outdoors, avoiding long periods of
exposure to the florescent lights in stores like Wal-Mart should help with
your dermy reactions.  Avoiding or limiting the amount of "nightshade" plant
foods from your diet can also be helpful.

Good luck on the 7th and we will add you to our thoughts and prayers.

Sherry