Tentatively diagnosed with Lupus- ANA question

karceo85

Hello,

Hope everyone is doing well. I was recently "tentatively" diagnosed with lupus yesterday. I say tentatively because it was my allergist who believes it is lupus and not confirmed by a rheumatologist yet. I do have an appointment with one soon though. My question is in regards to the ANA titers and their meaning. I had 4 ANA panels done, 2 came back positive and 2 came back negative.

11/30/2018- positive, nucleolar pattern, 1:640
12/04/2018- negative
12/18/2018- negative
02/05/2019- positive, homogeneous pattern, 1:1280

Is it possible to have a variation in ANA results if one has lupus? 

Symptoms I have experienced or am experiencing:

fatigue
hair loss
itchy rashes on my legs, arms, chest and feet
anemia
on and off pain in my knees and right ankle
pericarditis
chest pain
shortness of breath

Treatment: started plaquenil yesterday evening.

With all the information above, and of course I will confirm and follow up with my doctors, but do you think I truly have Lupus?

Any information, opinion is welcome and appreciated.

teskeg

Hi, I think you definitely need to see a  rheumatologist. It took around 5 years for me to end up at a rhuematologist and then he did diagnose me. Sometimes it is very difficult for them to do so depending on all of your symptoms. I do not think that primary care doctors have the background that a rheumatologist does to be able to give you a definitive diagnosis. Sometimes even then you will not get a definitive diagnosis as mine is undifferentiated connective tissue disease related to lupus. Good luck

Alfo

Hey! Similar to you. Last year I had an apparently alergy. But my allergist told me that I probably have lupus. And my analysis was positive 1:640 and then I attendend by a rheumatologist, and she told me that I have a  predisposition, but I'm fine, because clinically I'm fine. And I feel I'm fine. I sleep a lot and sometimes I feel so si tired. But It's the only sympths that I have.

And this weekend my finger was swelled, and today was turned at the normality and for this synthom the doctors request to me to make me again my analysis. And I just waiting my results.

briannawelborn

Hey! So believe it or not the answer to that question seems to be yes! I had lupus symptoms for 10 years but my ANA never went positive. It was when I went into a full flare that my ANA went positive and they finally were able to diagnose me with lupus. Why did they put you on plaquenil without a rheumatologist giving it the okay? I don't recommend it even with the symptoms as I had eye damage.