Hi. Now I'm really curious. What did your rash all those years ago look like & feel like? Do any of the rashes described in the "sticky post" on skin problems ring bells? I'm curious because I've never had a malar, either. I had 8 years of the annular form of SCLE, and didn't that befuddle my suburban doctors! The two SCLE rashes correlate strongly (but not 100%) to the anti-Ro auto-antibody, btw. (Anti-Ro is also seen in Sjogren's.) Those are the ony two lupus rashes, of which I'm aware, that is, that correlate to a specific AB.
Lupus loves hormone shifts, per my rheumatologist. I had my first big hit at 13, it lasted a year, but I didn't get answers for many years. (And maybe it wasn't "full-blown" lupus for some years? I'll never know for sure.) Anyway, during perimenopause, all hell broke loose.
Vitamin D deficiency is common in the general population, I think, but even more common in some of the AI's. Mine fell to 10 at one point, so I now take 2000 IU's daily. I was warned not to take too much (toxic in massive doses), plus I've had kidney stones, so I try to keep my level on the low end of the desired range.
There are meds, btw, that induce a form of lupus called "Drug-Induced Lupus Erythematosus". Lab hallmarks of DILE are anti-ss-DNA [single-stranded] and anti-histone. Typical symptom is pain; major organs are affected only very rarely. Cholesterol & BP meds are common culprits. (For what that's worth...)
Also, i think cholesterol meds are famous for causing muscle pain, meaning an issue that falls short of lupus.
There are several excellent lupus hardcovers available in most libraries; you might want to take one or two for a test drive? I think you're already onto a lot of this & should have a useful appointment, having started preparing & lining your thoughts up. You'll probably scare the rheumatologist!

Good, the best patients are the best-informed patients, in my book. Keep us posted on how you're faring, OK? Take good care, V.