If you have not been feeling well, are tired all the time and have skin rashes, you may be asking yourself “Could I have lupus?”. The best thing to do, before you worry any further, is to make a doctor’s appointment . Your doctor is trained to ask the right questions and give the correct medical tests to determine if you really are suffering from lupus. It is best to find out what is wrong with you and start getting proper medical treatment for whatever you suffer from.
When asking “could I have lupus?” write down all of the symptoms you are suffering and compare them to these common lupus symptoms:
–Fatigue, from mild to severe. Difficulty having the energy for physical activity like exercise.
–Skin rashes of various kinds on face, arms, neck, back and chest.
–Muscle and joint pain. This is often one of the first signs of lupus. Joints can be warm and red or swollen. You can have what is called lupus arthritis in joints of the ankles, hands, knees or elbows.
–Nervous system problems like headaches, anxiety or depression.
–Light sensitivity to the sun or tanning bed lights that are ultraviolet.
–Low grade Fever.
–Heart problems such as inflammation of the heart sac that causes severe chest pain.
–Temporary hair loss.
–losing weight when not on a diet.
–Swollen lymph glands.
–Swelling of hands and feet due to affected kidney.
–Inflammation or bleeding from blood vessels leading to red or blue spots on the skin or beds of nails.
–Raynaud’s phenomenon affecting small vessels supplying blood to skin of fingers and toes. Skin can feel cold, numb or tingly.
–Anemia which is not enough red blood cells.
For more information on what is lupus disease and lupus diet , be sure to read articles here on whatislupusdisease.org
When you are studying your symptoms and the above symptoms, remember, not all people have all of these symptoms. When asking “could I have lupus?”, consider that there are other diseases and conditions that have some of the same symptoms or symptoms similar to those of lupus. Only a medical doctor can determine if your list of symptoms matches enough of the symptoms of lupus to worry. Your medical and family background can also help a doctor determine if you may have lupusand answer the question “could I have lupus?.”