Lupus or chronic fatigue syndrome

Hi, over the past year fatigue and extreme exhaustion has grown to the point where I'm missing 2-3 days of work a month.  I'm sleeping 10-12+ hrs a night, where I normally would be able to function fine on 6-8 hrs. Some days Im so tired it feels like magnets are holding my body down and I struggle to even lift my head.  I sometimes have 'brain fog' and have trouble concentrating as a result which makes it difficult for me to function at my job.  I also seem to get frequent canker sores.  Also often low grade fevers of about 99f too for no apparent reason. My fingers and hands and knees seem to have arthritis, I also have osteoarthritis in my back..  I take arthrotec for it and it helps some. Walking is usually difficult and painful.  My CBC comes back fine with nothing standing out.  I've been tested for diabetes, thyroid all fine.  I've previously had borderline ovarian cancer and have been checked for a reoccurrence and everything looked good. I also had a pituitary tumor found by accident but it has caused no problems and all relating blood work is normal.   I sometimes think my dr. Thinks I'm being a hypochondriac but I REALLY don't feel well at all.  My dads sister had lupus so he did an ANA test, it was negative.  He's since diagnosed me with chronic fatigue syndrome but I'm wondering should I ask for a repeat of the ANA - with family history and my symptoms should I have one done every year?  Can you have lupus or the beginning stages of lupus without a positive ANA test?

Debbie

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
Well, you can have a normal ANA and yet have lupus but chances are very slim in presence of a family history. Extreme fatigue could be due to menopause/hormonal imbalance of PCOD, anemia, diabetes, hypothyroidism, or due to kidney or liver problems. Another possibility is sleep disturbances (like sleep apnea, imbalance of rapid eye and non rapid eye movement sleep etc.). You may sleep your customary 7-8 hours and yet feel fatigued. You need sleep studies to rule this out. Other possibilities are chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, low Vit B12, low iron, low calcium, sodium and potassium. Hyperthyroidism too causes increased sweating and tiredness.   Postviral fatigue syndrome is another possibility. Persisting EBV infection or mono can also be the cause. A comprehensive investigation is required keeping all the points in mind. Do discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined. Take care!