they tell me i have discoid lupus..which i thought would mainly affect
the skin...but sometimes I just feel dead...they gave me 1 of those 6
day predisone packs(at last visit) ...I felt alive on the 5th day but
then back to fatigue...I get mad at myself for being a messy
housekeeper.....this summer I came down with asthma for the first
time.....I was even hospitalized over the night... feel like this all
fits in together and some of the mctd info i read sounds like it could.
I don't have arthritis but a lot of stiffness
in my shoulders and sometimes pretty bad in my knees....I think i need
more tests
and to be put on predisone regularly or something similar again....They
debated
putting me on methotrexate but then decided on cellcept....which BTW may
cause drowsiness as well...now that I'm through whining I remember how
lucky
I am to not have major organ involvement......and my heart goes out to
all who do

                        (((SQUEEZES)))

One of my favorite terms is UMCTD with SLE (Systemic Lupus Er)
features!(undifferentiated mixed connective tissue disease) and positive ANA
with collagen vascular disease. Give me a break. I am  waving both hands
because I feel like double blah! I have been in bed all day. Wende

Yeah, mixed connective tissue dissorder, MCTD, is what a lot of folks on
this group have. It means you have symptoms indicative of several different
disorders.  "Connective Tissue Disorder" is an outdated term.  It is now
called "autoimmune disorder" and so everything is covered under that term.
Myself, for example:  I have a positive ANA, a negative DNA.  I have
autoimmune thyroid dissorder (which, by itself would be called Hashimoto's
disease),  I have Sjogren's Syndrome, which is autoimmunitly to the exocrine
glands of the body...such as those that lubricate the eyes, nose, mouth,
lungs etc.  I have joint and muscle pain and I am sensitive to sunlight.  Do
I have lupus?  Do I have MCTD.  As my doctor says "we simply treat the
symptoms as they occur."

Wait !Wait! fatigued?  did sometone say fatigued?  I musta dozed off there.
Yeah, I have that in copious quantites...

Is this of help to you?  I only wish to help, and to let you know that this
happens to other people too.

Mary

Disclaimer: I aint a doctor with a degree, so nothing that I say in my
letters should be accounted for as real science. Duh.

Thank you,Mary...  Hey i am bugged because my doctor has told me I test
for mixed connective tissue disorder
what does ne1 know about that...
I feel BLAH raise your hand if you feel BLAH
                                           Jenn

HI Jenn, and welcome to our group.  Feel free to "dot" all you want.  I am a
major "dotter," and I have been here for... has it been a century yet?

I do not have discoid lupus, but I have suffered with Systemic Lupus since I
was in my teens, which means almost thirty years ago.  I have never had a
real remission... only good control by using lots of medications.  Even
under control, I tire easily, and if I push it, I am a wreck the following
few days.  I have to listen to my body... but of course sometimes I don't
because I really want to do something and am willing to suffer the
consequences.

Does any of this sound like you?

This newsgroup is a very friendly group of people.
I hope that you will continue to come here and share.
I am glad you are feeling some improvement with the Cellcept, and hopefully
one of our friends here can be a better "sounding board" than I am.

But I just wanted to say "welcome"

Mary

I have improvment with cellcept <yea!>
I know that I'm still fairly new to this group
and wish all well .....Please respond if you have discoid. ..kinda need
a sounding board ....the real me does this ...,dot,... thing  so bear
with me ((squeezez))