Diagnosis

Cameron was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes on November 19th. I'll never forget the day. He come home and a couple days later I started itching. By Thanksgiving I had a rash on the back of my legs. That following Saturday it had spread to my upper arms and I went to urgent care. Grandma insisted it was hives, and let's face it, after the week I had I believed it. The doctor determined it hives and gave me a big shot of two steroids in the tush! I thought, "Payback for the shots I'm having to give Cameron." They had me sit there to make sure I didn't have a reaction and amazingly, by the time I left the itching sensation was gone. I stopped at a drive thru to grab some lunch and came home. While eating the itching came back. It was such an intense itching! I called the urgent care and they explained how the two different steroids worked. They recommended 50 mg of Benadryl and an oatmeal bath. Have you ever had an oatmeal bath? Very soothing.

Fast forward to Monday, it has spread again, this time around my pant line/waist. Back to urgent care where the doctor decided it was scabbies. Do you know what scabbies is? G-R-O-S-S! We are such a clean family, where on earth could I have picked up scabbies? She prescribed a cream that has to be rubbed over my ENTIRE body, neck to soles of the feet, paying careful attention in between my fingers and toes. Hubby proceeds to do this for me. I leave it on the 12 -14 hours and take a shower. The medication and doctor indicate the itching could continue for up to 2-4 more weeks. GREAT! I'm digging into myself, breaking blood vessels and bruising myself from the intense itching.

On Thursday Hubby takes the day off to clean and disinfect the entire house. I wake up and it's spread some more, it's on the front of my thighs and stomach. I called the doctor, because it wasn't after hours this time. They got me right in. I cried at the doctor, "Make it stop!" I told her what the urgent care doctor had said and she grabbed her handy dandy book of rashes and diseases. She showed me a picture of scabbies and that did NOT look like what I had. She pressed on my rash and explained the coloration and said it was viral, probably picked up from the hospital. She ordered blood work, gave me a 6 day regimen of Prednisone and an anti-itching medication (better than Benadryl).

Off to give blood I go. The tech tells me my doctor ordered quite a series and proceeded to take 7 tubes of blood. Good grief! She asks me about the arthritic panel and I'm clueless. So was the tech.

The Prednisone worked and within 3 days the itching had subsided and the rash was disappearing. About 7 days later I get a call from the doctor's office to schedule an appointment to go over my labs. This is the only way she does this, she refuses to discuss it over the phone, even when everything is normal, so I had no reason to think anything was wrong. They schedule me for December 23rd at 4 pm.

The doctor proceeds to go over my lab work. I didn't have an allergy to anything she had me tested for. My kidney function was great. My uric acid level is elevated, prescribing 2 pills a day for that. GREAT! I skim the page and see in bold letters, "POSITIVE." She tells me I'm borderline diabetic. This does not shock me at all. I'm surprised I've lasted this long without that news. She says I'm negative for Rheumatoid Arthritis. She points to the positive and say, "I had the arthritis panel done because of the rash. This number indicates you have Lupus." I beg your pardon? What is Lupus? The doctor gives me the abridged version and says she will recheck me in 3 months on all levels, and determine then whether to refer me to a Rheumatologist. Merry Christmas to me. I'm 33 years old. I have high blood pressure and take 2 pills a day for that. My uric acid levels are high and take 2 pills a day for that. I have Lupus.