undiagnosed auto-immune disorder?

[pixelberry]

The tests I've had for auto-immune disorders have come back elevated (a & a titers) but when the tests for specific diseases are run, they are negative.  And I'm trying to find out what is wrong because every day I wake up with aches and pains all over.  Nothing has been found other than osteo- arthritis...but my auto-immune numbers are high...and no one can tell me why.  What's up with that?

[acker]

i recently found through testing that ive got severe food allergies, namely egg and soy. bummer, but i've stopped these and hope the inflammation is reduced on the strength of this elimination...
yep i similarly feel beat up and inflamed - the inflammation is only when i move - like all my muscle fibers are scratching each other up - so as long as i'm not doing anything more than sitting, i'm fine!! (bit of sarcasm)
good luck

[Narble]

Hope the "chase" proves productive. There are several other sleep meds on the market, including older ones like Restoril (a benzodiazepene) and newer ones like Lunesta. Ambien does make many people hallucinate and behave oddly, while not remembering anything.

Have you had a sleep study done? Looked at possible sleep apnea, obstructive or central, or other sleep disorders? Maybe something to explore, since prolonged insomnia can cause a lot of odd symptoms.

[pixelberry]

Insomnia, aches and pains mostly.  I wake up feeling like I've been beat up.  It's worse with rainy weather and a warm bath gets me going, and I do pretty well during the day.  It mainly starts up at night.  Melatonin, Benedryl, and Tryptofan don't help with the insomnia, and I don't do with with Ambien.  Was told that makes me really crazy.  

[pixelberry]

Thanks for your input.  The conditions you mention have all been test for and ruled out.  I'll continue with the "chase".  Thank you, again.

[Narble]

Autoimmune disorders are tricky to diagnose, with various blood tests such as ANA and RA being somewhat "vague." And some autoimmune disorders are largely diagnoses of exclusion. Several related disorders, which would be evaluated by a rheumatologist, include chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, neither of which can be tested for using blood or other samples. And don't overlook the possibility of non-autoimmune disorders such as hypothyroidism.

Other clinical signs or symptoms will help narrow down the differential diagnosis and lead, perhaps not as quickly as you'd like, to a diagnosis. Are you getting treatment from your doctor(s) for the symptoms you already have? I hope so.

Keep "chasing the diagnosis," as one clinician I know likes to say when something is clearly wrong but not quickly or easily identified. It'll be worth the effort.

[blue_violet]

What other symptoms are you having?