Join now

Already a member? Sign in

Welcome to Inspire!

What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.

Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.

How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!

corner corner corner

lupus and RA?

TiffanyB
2 Recommendations

i have RA and my doctor is conserned about me getting lupus? how is that possible?

Explore topics in this discussion:

Autoimmune diseases CREST syndrome Mixed connective tissue disease Pain Raynaud's phenomenon Prednisone Lupus Scleroderma Depression

11 replies

SandiP

How is that possible? Before I was diagnosed with RA, I was "diagnosed" with Lupus. A second round of tests showed that it was RA and not Lupus. I never thought that one can have both.

TiffanyB

thats just what i heard i wanted to ask to see if i was wrong thanks for clearing it up for me
i think the only reason he thinks i might get lupus is because my blood cells are deformed though

mandyblue

Dear Tiffany, I have both SLE Lupus and RA. They are both auto-immune problems and it is not uncommon that once you have one type of auto-immune disease/disorder, that you can have another type also. Sometimes the symptoms will overlap each other making it difficult for doctors to determine exactly which auto-immune disease is affecting you. I wish both of you all the best.

TiffanyB

thank you

you've been very helpfull

Tiffany <(^_^)>

mandyblue

Hi Tiffany and SandiP,
I meant the message for both of you, but I only wrote one name down. My mistake. If I can ever be of any help to either of you, don't hesitate to ask. I have been having so much trouble with auto-immune diseases, and the possible side-effects of the treatments for about 12 years now. My career has been in research, but I have spent a great deal of time turning that toward medical research, trying to help myself as I became more and more ill. I do hope to be of help to others. There are situations that I have experienced that if I can help others not go through them, it would be a blessing to me. I do wish you both good health and happiness. And Tiffany I loved your signature, it is a very cute one. Mandy

AJP8402

I was first diagnosed with "Mixed Connective Tissue Disease" when I was 14. It was a mixture of RA, Lupus, and Raynaud's Phenomenon. RA was my major problem, but now Lupus is the major problem. It's not necessarily common to have both RA and Lupus, but some patients, like myself, do have both.

JayRo

Hi,
Both RA and lupus are autoimmune diseases, which means your own body attacks itself. Alot of people may have more than one autoimmune diseases. I have both lupus and giant cell arteritis which are both autoimmune. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Carol_Lynn

Hi there, I have MCTD (mixed lupus/scleroderma) so like others have said it can happen. But as you noted, sometimes at the beginning in particular the docs just aren't sure.

All the best-
Carol

Tapzs4

I must say that all of you are hitting the nail on the head here. My husband has CREST Syndrome (Scleroderma), RA, Raynaud's, and depression. These are all pretty much a package deal. There are many overlapping conditions and it was very hard to diagnose him correctly, but a wonderful doctor took great interest and did a lot of research at home until he figured it out. His digital ulcers are worsening and the medication that they want him to take is extremely expensive and his insurance will not cover it. I am just at my wits end with this disease and I feel so helpless. He stays in pain and we are down to buying is prescriptions at a bare minimum (7-14 days worth at a time) because we cannot afford the 30, 60 & 90 day supplies. I feel like I am just losing my mind most days and when he calls me crying because he can't move or is very sick to his stomach I dread even going home.

nettesgoal331

hi just want to say i abosultely know the feeling ...
i too have multiple auto immune disorders 3 different one.it started with dysautonomia.i used to balck out.no pulse no bp/then finally after 15 years i got the right combo of meds. i now have ra and lupus.only ay they figured out that one was one day after insisting i go off prednisone. i woke up unable to ove and the left side of my neck and face swollen with a horrible rash,lymph nodes swollen blood count off. add predinisone bak at higher dosage and it as gone within 3 weeks. good luck to all here its been a bumpy crazy ride but im fighting it as much as i can.
good luck

dreamlady1931

Tapzs4--
Your reply makes me wonder if the medication that is so expensive and uncovered by your insurance could be approached in one of these ways.(Sorry, if you've explored these!)

1. Lots of times insurance companies have "formularies," which are the list of drugs they cover. I have had luck with having the MD right a letter documenting why this drug is necessary. (Sometimes, for example, an insurance won't cover a combination drug) but if there is a specific reason that the alternatives will result in worsened health, you might have a shot at it!

2. If you can not afford a medication, there are a number of drug manufacturers that will help getting you a drug they make.

I wish you the best! WHy is it that we are better at denying ourselves than others!?! Guess we're just great people, huh?!
Mary

Add to the discussion

Don't have an Inspire account? Join now!

Forgot password?

Events and resources

Join the Arthritis Walk

Group leaders

You