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Wondering if it's Lupus

I have been on the MS boards on and off for the past 4-5 years, but they have questioned whether my symptoms really fit MS, and I am beginning to wonder about Lupus. have been having relapsing-remitting symptoms on and off for the past 4 year -- I usually only have 1 bad "flare" a year, and it is always in the fall. Sometimes, I will have some of these symptoms at a much smaller scale at other points, but the more debiltating flares are always at the start of the Fall.

It started 4 years ago—in October—and have had several “relapses" since. I am currently dealing with one now.

My symptoms this time are very much like the other times they occurred (both last year and the year before) – tingling in all 4 extremities, achyness in my extremities, fatigue, dizziness, headache, and nausea (only in the beginning).  With other "flares" there were some visual disturbances, but I don;t have that this time. This is exactly what happened to me last November-- I was bedridden for 3 days (with tingles) and all my lab results were totally normal- B-12, Sjorgen's, yada yada.  I'm currently on day 4 of this.  I also was tested 5 years ago for Lupus and it was normal.  However, I recognize this may not be reliable.

I know that a butterfly rash is a major symptom, which I didn't have when this started, so I sort of wrote Lupus off. However, about a year ago,  I developed Melasma on my face (brown patches each cheek that is worsened by the sun). I wonder if this could constitute the Lupus rash?   I am not pregnant, so I couldn't figure out why I had this problem.  I just checked my temp and no fever, though my temperature has been feeling up and down.

I should also mention that I already have an autoimmune disorder-- Addison's Disease'-- which I've had for the last 20 years (I am 32, and have had this since age 12).  I also have some osteopenia from the steroids I take for the Addisions.

What are your thoughts on Lupus based on my seasonally driven symptoms? What do you recommend from here? Let me also mention I've done a full MS work up-- MRIs and a spinal tap came back negative, so I think I need to put MS to bed, especially since the profile doesn't entirely fit.

Thanks for your guidance.
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Avatar universal
Thanks so much for your feedback. While im not on a strict candida diet, id say i follow an 80/20 rule...i eat very healthy 80% of the time and not as healthy 20% which makes me feel more normal and able to enjoy life. I mostly can control the vaginal candida with antifungals but it still breaks through at certain phases of my cycle.  I was really depressed and in a very bad place mentally...being so restrictive made me feel sick and i ended up doing something really stupid to heal myself and had to be hospitalized for 3 days. That was a turning point for me and realized i had taken the diet and anticandida studf too far and it wasnt really fully working. 3 years is a long freaking time.

Anyway, are your thoughts that the flares are related to yeast or other triggers? Or do u lean more toward a condition liks lupus, ms, fibro, etc?
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The suspected Candida is feeding off the 20% non-healthy foods.
Vaginal thrush is just one visible part of it.
There's a lot more going on inside your body, which you cannot see.
You're dealing with a challenging imbalance, so do your best to continue your battle against it.
There are ways to do it, so you don't
put yourself at risk again.
Stress is a contributing factor, not to be overlooked.
Consider stress as your worse toxic
substance.
If I were you, for the time being I would put aside the lupus, MS and fibro investigation-
yes, I understand you need to know-
and invest your energy toward
boosting immune function, correcting deficiencies and restoring balance.
You might be surprised with the results, if all is done properly.
Best,
Niko



Great feedback!  It is definitely an ongoing battle, and you are definitely right that the 20% unhealthy isn't helping me.  Interestingly, I feel "healthier" ever since I moved away from the strict anti-candida diet, and agree that this is mostly due to stress.  Stress is definitely still an issue for me, so maybe I'll put the focus into reducing that through exercise, etc. Thanks so much.
1530171 tn?1448129593
Hmm, it would be interesting to find out what triggers the flares.
Barometric pressure in relation to weather changes could be a factor, in light of the fact that it may affect cortisol levels. This would explain partially the cyclical nature or seasonality of the flare-ups.
Your cortisol production is already seriously compromised and the steroids you have been taking for Addison's the last 20 years -or so- to make up for the adrenal deficiencies is very concerning.
I hope your doctor has you on a comprehensive osteoporosis prevention treatment protocol.
The mineral loss from taking steroids will eventually lead to osteoporosis, if you do little about it.
As far as Lupus and MS go, personally, I would not devote most of my energy to pursue a conventional medical diagnosis on either on of these two conditions.
Both are extremely lengthy-MS is dx worse than Lupus-
complicated and not without controversy.
Things to look into deeper are:
- Vitamin D levels including Vitamin D resistance
(which may create a functional deficiency, when your labs are normal)
- Vitamin B12 Methylocobalamin levels which do not show on standard blood tests.
Methylocobalamin is the bioactive and neurological form of B12. You need MMA repeat testing instead.
-- Tissue magnesium levels, which is not an "established"medical test.
In lieu of testing you may consider "Magnesium Oil"
transdermal treatment (no laxative issues and very efficient)
-Cholesterol levels. Low values may affect negatively brain, neurological and hormonal functions, as well as metabolism of fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin D.
- Candida and Candidiasis (fungal infections).
They could be causative factors AND interfere with
immune system function and/or treatments, resulting in
progressively worsening symptoms and onset of chronic disease.
You may want to do a self-screening test ->
Saliva Test For Candida. Just do a search.
-- Pathogenic infectious conditions, such as Mycoplasma, Borrelia, Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia etc need to be ruled out.
For this you see a knowledgeable and competent doctor, such as an LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor).
Likely your doctors know very little about these, or exercise deliberate ignorance when it comes to the chronic nature of these conditions, following the distorted guidelines from IDSA and CDC.
Also you may do a search here under Dr Garth Nicolson, a former medhelp contributor and the world's leading expert in these conditions.
-- Finally you really need to know your thyroid function.
You could be both hypo (secondary to Addison's) and hyper.
Ask for free T3, Free T4 and Reverse T3.
Let me know if you need any more details and if you do actually follow through with some of my suggestions,
please consider posting again for further guidance.
Please note that my comments are not intended to replace medical advice.
Best wishes,
Niko










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2 Comments
It's very interesting you should mention candida. I neglected to mention that all of my problems started after I took an antibiotic. Since that antibiotic, I have been plagued with chronic yeast infections. For 3 years, I was on a SUPER restrictive candida diet, but I was so miserable on it I stopped about a year ago.  I do take RX antifungals, very strong probiotics, and other supplements to help combat yeast. Do you think that could be the cause of these flares? I have always wondered about that...
Depending the strain of candida-there are many- the antifungal RX could be
ineffective against many strains.
I would just take lots of organic virgin coconut oil-tapering gradually up to 5-6 Tablespoons daily.
Coconut oil has the broadest action against most species.
Don't give up your anti-candida battle.
It is one of the nastiest conditions and tough to eradicate!
Tell me what made you so miserable.
Was the herxing effects or the changes in lifestyle & diet too limiting?
It is likely a combination of factors that cause the flares
I would suggest you do on your own
Dr. Coca's Pulse Test, a free download.
This will help you identify food intolerance and allergies, including hidden or delayed, which are for obvious reasons challenging to detect, unless you do an elimination.
I hope this helps.
Niko
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