Could This Be Lupus?

Hi,

I've been having alot of problems for about 9 months now. When they first started I though it was from getting older and just having my first child. My daughter was born in Feb and about a month after that, thats when my symptoms started.
I thought my exhaustion was from having a newborn and breast feeding, though it has continued.
I use to have a unreal memory and now I forget everything. I have trouble remembering words and whole coversations.
Clumsy, wobbly, light headed, dizzy, triping over, blurry vision, headaches, joint pain, muscle cramps, muscle twitches, tingling tounge, tingling arms/legs/fingers/feet. Vertigo mainly when laying down. Ringing in my ears. Heat intolerance. Sweat really easy. Hot swollen hands in the morning. Find it hard to walk when I wake up. I get tingles in the back of my head. I get shooting/stabbing pains in my head and neck. Stabbing pains in my legs. Dry itchy spots on legs. Petechiae on nose and arms. Last week I had two episodes of cramps that were horrible. The first was in my calf and it woke me up, it stayed slighty cramped unitl lunch time then my leg went numb and I couldnt lift my foot. I tried everything from walking more to running though it wouldnt change it. When my husband go home from work he rubbed it and it made it a little better, though the dragging was still there. It was like someone was pulling on my leg. The I had a full neck cramp, this too woke me up because I couldnt move it at all. I had to sit there and rub it, though I still have pain and a stiff neck.
I went to the doc and she tested me for a whole range of things. She did a CBC, Thyroid, Cholesterol,RA, ANA, Glucose, ESR, Vitamin B12 and Folate.

When I was called back, I was told that my WBC was a little high though this was 'probably' due to smoking. (Wasnt happy)

RF was 6.9 (0-13.9)
ANA SCR was Negative
MCH was High 31.3 (27.0-31.0)
NEUT/100WBC was High 72.8 (43.0-65.0)
LYMPHS/100WBC was Low 16.4 (20.5-45.5)
MONO/100WBC was Low 5.3 (5.5-11.7)
EOS% was High 5.2 (.9-2.9)

Vitamin B12 was 498 (160-970)
Folate 6.4 (4.2-19.6)

Total Cholesterol 203 (200-239 Borderline High)
Fasting Blood Glucose 103 (100-125 PreDiabetes)

Because my doctor didnt say anything was wrong I took it on myself to look into my results and that was what I found. I just cant believe with all my symptoms there is nothing wrong.
Is it possible to have a Vitamin B12 Def though have a normal reading? The only thing that is making me think that is a white blotchy rash I have all over my body that I have read can happen.
Im really confused because it seems I could have something anywhere from a Vitamin B12, Lupus, RA or MS?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You

xLx

[Chaman]

HELLO
Your tests clearly indicate that u cannot have SLE, RA, Vit B12 deficiency.
Your neutrophils are  high and may be suggestiveof infections.
high Eosinophils occour in selective situation as parasite infection, CERTAIN DRUGS, certain allergies, or idiopathic condition as eosinophilia myalgia syndrome.
You did not mention about platelets as these may be low as u have petiechie and may help in diagnosis. Mildly low platelets can occour due to splenomegaly after certain infections.
Also u did not mention about thyroid test as hyperthyroidism can be a cause of heat intolerance, sweats, myalgia.
White blotchy rash may occour due to iron deficiency anemia or other causes.

I hope u get the right diagnosis and get a quick relief 4m all those symptoms.
Do post back about ur diagnosis.

Best of luck.

[Chaman]

HELLO
Your tests clearly indicate that u cannot have SLE, RA, Vit B12 deficiency.
Your neutrophils are  high and may be suggestiveof infections.
high Eosinophils occour in selective situation as parasite infection, CERTAIN DRUGS, certain allergies, or idiopathic condition as eosinophilia myalgia syndrome.
You did not mention about platelets as these may be low as u have petiechie and may help in diagnosis. Mildly low platelets can occour due to splenomegaly after certain infections.
Also u did not mention about thyroid test as hyperthyroidism can be a cause of heat intolerance, sweats, myalgia.
White blotchy rash may occour due to iron deficiency anemia or other causes.

I hope u get the right diagnosis and get a quick relief 4m all those symptoms.
Do post back about ur diagnosis.

Best of luck.

[LisaL80]

Hi and Thank You for your reply.

I had read also that high eos can indicate parasitic infections. Do you think its possible I have Lyme Disease?
My Platelets were 179 (150-450)
I ended up in hospital on wed with vertigo, chest pains and my left side went numb. They couldnt find anything, though she did the Romberg test and I fell backwards so she ordered a MRI which I had on Friday.
Sat I was out walking and after about half an hr both legs dropped like someone was pulling on them and I was dragging my feet.
I have had the petechaie for about 6 months now, though I have one on my arm which is probably the size of a quater that has been there since I was about 16.
I did have a thyroid test which was 0.77 (0.34-4.82)
I have also for the past few night been having night sweats.

Thank You for your help.

xLx

[karajo]

Hi and welcome to medhelp.

I commend you for nursing your baby.  What a wonderful and healthy way to start your little one off.

I printed off your list of symptoms and labs and wanted to look it over closer.  I noticed that you mentioned your skin was blochy.  Could this be vitiligo?  If so, vitiligo "can" be associated w/ autoimmune diseases as well as  in healthy people.  Hashimoto Thyroiditis is one of them.  

After the birth of my fourth child I began having trouble w/ fatigue and depression.  All was good and didn't have a reason to be depressed.  The dr. finally checked my thyroid.  Your thyroid test looks good, but you might want to ask for is called a thyroid antibody.  

I didn't see joint pain listed in your symptoms, so I would definitely rule out lupus or RA.  One thing that you could try and would not hurt is magnesium along w/ calcium.  The rule of thumb is twice the calcium to magnesium.  So 1,200 mg calcium:600 mg magnesium.  The elevated EOS could indicate allergies.  Yours was pretty high.  I didn't know what to thik of the petechiae.  Has your dr. commented on that?  Another thought is fibromyalgia.  Has your dr. checked for that?  That is usually associated w/ loss of sleep and what mother of a baby is lacking in that department.

Sorry this is such a long post, maybe we could put our heads together and help you start to feel better.  

God bless, Kara

[LisaL80]

Thank You for your kind words.

You mentioned about Vitiligo and Im not quite sure it fits the profile. My mum actually has Vitiligo and she has lost pigmentation on her shins and her underarms only. The way I see most people with Vitiligo is the skin goes noticably white looking, mine isnt like that. The rash is losing pigment, though its all over me except my stomach.
After you wrote about me not mentioning joint pain, I shook my head. LOL This was one of the first things I noticed which was about a mont after my daughter was born.

I would wake in the mornings and my ankles would be really stiff and painful, then I would get up and try to walk and I would neally fall over. This was the first sign to me that something wasnt right and then over the last nine months Ive just gone down hill.

The past 6 wks everything has exploded. I jus find it really hard to walk in the mornings and I get the shakes. Another thing that started around the time of my ankles was dry cracked knuckles. I thought it may have been from washing my hands, though I have dropped it down greatly and its still there. I at times get psoriasis on my head, and am thinking this is whats on my knuckles?

I have had what you would call 'moments' of depression and 'explosions' of anxiety, though like you I have nothing to be depressed about. Its very strange to me because I have always been extremely happy and able to handle the biggest amounts of stress well. Its just very out of character for me. Im sure you know how I feel.

I have had my thyroid tested twice. The first time it was 1.79 then the second it was 0.77. Do you think this is a sign of something? I will do what you said and ask for the Thyroid antibody.

The doctor didnt mention fibromyalgia, with all my test results she seen she said I was fine. She said my elevated WBC was 'Probably' just from smoking. Grrrr! LOL

Your post isnt long and I really appreciate your help. I got the MRI back and everything was normal. Im not sure whether I need something more tested, though I just know something is going on and I would really like to fix it. I have a 9 month old I need to be healthy for.

I forgot to add in that my ESR was 5 (0-20) so that also rules out inflammation right?
Also my CRP was <0.3 (0-1.0)

Im hoping we can get our heads together and work this out too. :o)

Thank You again and Im looking forward to hearing back.

xLx

[karajo]

OK, what I would recommend is to have your ANA rechecked.  But this time spend time in the sun prior to the test.  Go to your appointment early and stand out in the sun (even if it is a cloudy day) for about 15 min.  If you have lupus, the sun exposure will cause an immune response, thus causing the ANA to spike.  

The other thought I have is an arthritis that is connected to psoriasis.  Ask your dr. about that being a possibility.  

The only thing that maybe doesn't fit the lupus dx is the heat intollerance.  Most people w/ lupus CANNOT tollerate cold.  I personally can't tollerate extreme temperatures, but the cold is much more a screeming issue.  I have what I call cold flashes and just can't get warm.  I usually get into a very hot bath and soak until I begin to sweat.  This usually breaks the cycle.  

There are 11 criteria for a lupus dx.  You must have at least 4 of the 11 to recieve a dx.

They are:
1. malar rash over cheeks (butterfly rash)
2. discoid rash, red raised patches
3. photosensitivity - reaction to sunlight, resulting in skin rash
4. oral and nose ulcers
5. arthritis
6. serositis - inflamation (inflammation) of the lining of the lung or heart
7. reanl disorder - excessive protein in urine and/or cellular casts
8. neurologic disorder - seizures, or psychosis
9. anemia or low white blood count or lymphopenia or low platelet count
10. positive ANA
11. positive anti-DNA or anti-Sm, or antiphospholipid antibody or false pos. syphilis test

Other symptoms are:
fever
abdominal pain
chest pain
shortness of breath
blood in urine
hair falling out
fatigue
muscle pain and weakness
dizziness
poor memory
headaches
poor circulation in fingers and toes
tingling in extremities
diarrhea
bloating
nausea
weight loss
blurred vision
depression
palpitations
raynauds (where fingers turn white when cold)
intollerance to cold
sore throat
...to name a few

Let me know what you think.  Praying for you to get to feeling better for your little family.