Did you Rheumatologist say you have Lupus? I would call him and ask him straight out dear. Or did he give you a reason why he put you on Plaquenil? I would also ask if he put you on it for Lupus.
For right now I wouldn't get too upset, I know thats a hard thing to do. The idea of having Lupus is very scaring to some mostly what scares people is they don't know what it is all about and the first thing people think is their life is over cause they just got told they have it. Yet if your Doctor does report back to you that is what you have your life is no way close to being over, you can still go shopping with your friends and do anything that you normally do, you can have a job, find a good guy and get married and have children. People with Lupus live long and happy lives.
The only thing that will change in your life is going to doctors maybe every 6 months and taking medication. just little changes.
Once I had fluid on my right knee and thats what they did with me right in the Doctors office, I so far have only had to do it once and that was alopt of years ago.
Take a calm and deep breath and give your Doctor a call.
Hope to hear from you again
Cassie
My ANA level fluctuated between 1:160 and 1:320. The pattern was mixed - one homogeneous and one speckled. Although, after my rheumatologist asked me to take Plaquenil, my ANA has reduced to 1:40 with a homogenous pattern.
I haven't experienced any rash as yet, although, admittedly, I don't spend much time in the sun.
By SED rate, do you mean ESR? My ESR is within normal range (both before and after consuming Plaquenil).
Re draining fluid - would the fluid just keep coming back after draining?
Is my condition likely to be an early sign of lupus? I read somewhere that one of the early signs that 70% of lupus patients experience is joint pain... I'm really concerned, as I am only 20 and would be very upset if I had to live with such a condition for the rest of my life! :(
Your right the reason you have been having knee pain is because of the fluid on your knee also that is why your ANA are elevated.
The one thing the Doctors can do is take a needle and drain the fluid off. If you do that it might take a couple times before it is all over with.
I'm thinking the ANA detects if the nucleous of the cell is damaged by the immune system. You can have an elevated ANA w/o an elevated sed. The sed detects inflammation in the body - I think??? Weigh in :)
Did this include a SED rate as well- ANA tests can detect if there is any inflammation in the body.
Could you tell me what your ANA level is and the pattern? Do you ever feel tired? When you spend time in the sun, do you get a rash on your face?