I've been getting these really awful headaches recently. They hurt so bad I'm unable to even function. Anyway I was recently admitted to the hospital and the doctor mention that I may have MS in addition to Lupus. I have a specialist appointment in January to confirm. I guess I was just wondering how many of you have both Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis?
Brittany,
I am sorry to hear that you are going through this, and I am glad that you took action when you realized how bad that the headaches had become. There are many things even within Lupus and MS that can cause headaches, and unfortunately there are many doctors that might not be as up to speed on this as you might like. I am going to suggest that you educate yourself about how both of these diseases can affect your brain. Educate those around you about what the symptoms of a stroke are, and make sure that your Rheumatologist has a strong understanding of both how Lupus can affect the brain, and how your particular form of the disease is affecting you. There is a peace that comes from knowing that you have done what you can to help yourself. Once you have done that, trust that it will be dealt with properly and do everything that you can to live as stress free as possible.
Very unlikely you have both. Lupus mimics ms. Symptoms r similar. Make sure you have a great diagnostic rheumatologist. Brain issues r my biggest problem. And fatigue
I went through this over the summer. One way to diagnose MS is MRI of brain and/or body. They look for the demyelination of nerves. If the myelin sheath is present like normal, it’s negative. Thankfully mine came back negative. But they can exist together.
Thank you all for your replies. I have an appt with my rheumy on Monday and my neurologist in January. I have an MRI scheduled for January as well. So hopefully it will come back negative as well.