I mainly have a question about the rash. For about 1 1/2 yrs now I have been experiencing a reoccuring rash in the same spot on my face. I didn't know how to explain it until I started looking up rash information and came across info on the lupus "butterfly rash". That sounds and looks exactly like what my face rash looks like. It goes from cheek to cheek across the nose and can at times be VERY itchy. I haven't found any info on whether or not the lupus rash is itchy. Can anyone offer any insight on this? With all of my health complaints over the last year, I'm really starting to feel like a hypochondriac! I woke up one morning a few months ago with a swollen index finger that was painful to use. I couldn't recall injuring it in any way. After over a week of pain, I went to an orthopedic doc to make sure I had not injured it. X-rays showed that there were no problems other than joint inflammation and swelling. I felt so silly for even going. Over the last year, this facial rash not only comes and goes on my face, but now appears in other spots like under my arms on the side of my breasts.

I also go through spells of getting extremely nauseous where the only thing that helps is taking a dramamine and lying down. I know I sound like a hypochondriac but I am determined to figure out what is going on with my body. I know I'm not imagining these things. Does any of this sound like it's worth checking out for lupus? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Hello Danyale,

Lots of us with Lupus feel like we are being a hypocondriac, but in reality it feels that way lots of the time! Since the symptoms of Lupus can be so vague and unspecific we sometimes think that our problems are not important or not related to a disease.

That being said, you said that you had an x-ray that showed joint inflammation. That is very important! That is "proof" that something is going on so hold onto it for dear life. What you need to do is sit down and gather all of your medical evidence of problems from over the years. I didn't realize when all of my problems started until I got a copy of my chart that dated back to my childhood! It is a good idea to form a big "picture" of everything that is going on so that someone will put it together.

The rash you talked about is what I want to mention next. Is it itchy after you are in the sun? Or does it just get itchy sometimes no matter what. My rash gets worse in the sun and itches like crazy! Have you seen a dermatologist about it? Sometimes it is a good idea, so that you can see what they think. They can also do a skin scraping and find out what is causing the rash. It does sound like a butterfly rash though! The nausea is common too- but its nonspecific again. Have you seen a Rheumatologist? Have you ever been tested for Lupus? The main tests are the ANA, Anti-Dna and Rheumatoid Factor. There are many tests that can indicate soemthing is going on however. The ESR (Sed-rate) can show if there is inflammation in the body. I would see if your GP can test you for Lupus. Hope this helps http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

~Angelic