Went to see my GYN today for a regular well woman exam and she let me know my labs were in. Being impatient I asked what the results were. I wish I had gotten a hard copy, she mentioned that the RA factor was positive and she spouted off with a test name and said Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. I am also anemic but kidney and liver looked fine. Does this make any sense to anyone. Next week is my appointment to go over the results with other doc.
Always get and keep a copy of anytype of test you take.
This was not my regular Dr. appointment. I was in for birth control and well woman exam. Dr. Is in the same health care system and it showed up as “new” in the system so she let me know the results. My official Dr. Appointment is next week, but I wanted the results so I can prepare myself and ask the appropriate questions in my coming visit.
I, too, keep a copy of all my blood work and I take my binder with me to every new doctor that I see. I also try to look over them every once in a while so I can point out where specific tests are in the binder. It saves a lot of time and unnecessary repeats of labs. And Ann is right- you paid for them, they are yours the docs have to provide you with copies.
I don't want to sound like a nag, but.... yes, get hard copies of your test results. My rheumy is old fashioned and doesn't have an online system, so I just call the office and ask the office people to send me copies. It's very routine these days to ask for and receive them. So don't be afraid, just pick up the phone and ask. That way you will have time to prepare. There's a great website I use to figure out what the lab tests mean. It's called Labtestsonline and, of course, you've got all of us here to ask too! Hang in there and good luck with your appointment next week!
Interestimg that she said MCTD with RF positive… positive RF correllates to what’s affectionately known as “rhupus” (RA/lupus overlap) whereas my impression (from when my SLE wasn’t yet clinically definite and some labs looked suggested of it) that MCTD is normally lupus/scleroderma overlap. In any case, be prepared to discuss “overlap syndromes” (very common in autoimmune patients of all kinds… Similar cellular mechanisms dysfunctioning in more than one body system (i.e. Type 1 diabetes and Hashimoto’s thyroid) or with more than a few ways of affecting the same systems (i.e. joints in Rhupus, skin and blood vessels in MCTD)
There was just a big long feature by our lead man JC Coyler on overlap syndromes. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet but I previously did when I got diagnosed (suspected SLE or MCTD with Hashimoto’s was my initial dx after my first rheum visit, a few months later it was definite SLE with minor/negligible and improving Hashimoto’s, and a few months after that, clinically definite SLE with probable CNS-NPSLE (subtype in the nervous system, akin to lupus nephritis being in the kidneys.) Overlap was a very hot topic at the autoimmunity research clinic where I worked for 2 years, so I knew a bit of both the immunobiology as well as patient & doctor perspectives on it (all before I was ever seen by a rheumie for my own longstanding mystery issues! Luckily finding out wasn’t a shock at all because I knew my symptoms fit the picture and new what to steel myself for but also how much hope is achievable!)
I’d suggest reading JC’s piece on Overlap Sybdromes and listing your questions about it for your rheumie visit, which is the appropriate place to discuss. NOT primary care; they’re in over their heads to even manage a single autoimmune condition and even rheumies get frustrated by overlap unless they’re the research-oriented type that is fascinated by them. Glad you got the word ahead of time so you can compile info and questions for a more productive rheum visit! 
In the mean time, don’t worry, it’s not scary news per se, think of it as a key to unlocking more info to describd the pain-in-the-a$$ symptoms you’ve been tolerating already and a means to better targeting your care. That’s what lab findings are!! They’re our saviors because doctor’s pay attention to lab values even when they hand-wave at symptom reports (or, if they’re great docs already, like the ones I worked for and now see, use the labs along with the symptoms they’be been tussling with diagnosing to find the most promising treatments for your individual case. It’s so helpful to think of it as coming into focus, not “getting worse”, and it empowers you to intervene before it ever “gets worse”
Thank you, I think there was some confusion about my question. I learned of results before the Dr. had a chance to formally hand the results over. I do get hard copy of all medical records. This visit was not about my results, my GYN doc was just doing me a favor and gave me the results before my other doc had a chance to. She let me know that it was out of her realm to discuss the results but just gave me general info on them.
Hi Stacy, sorry about the misunderstanding. Hope your appointment goes well!
Stacy said:
Thank you, I think there was some confusion about my question. I learned of results before the Dr. had a chance to formally hand the results over. I do get hard copy of all medical records. This visit was not about my results, my GYN doc was just doing me a favor and gave me the results before my other doc had a chance to. She let me know that it was out of her realm to discuss the results but just gave me general info on them.
Stacy, perhaps you’re referring to my post on the confusion? (about not seeing primary care on these issues)… I’m sorry if that seemed corrective or out of touch! I understood it the way you just reiterated, but tend to write generally so that anyone wondering about the problems in this discussion gets to hear my thoughts on the topic altogether. Thanks for starting off the discussion, and I hope you get a good discussion in at your visit! Your Gyn is rad for tipping you off ahead of time Tell him/her I said that, in those words 
Hi! WHAT??? Is a mixed connective tissue disease?? I think she made that up!! Smile but hay since she didn’t tell you then you can’t do nothing but wait I’ve never heard of this, hope that everything goes well…Beverly L.
MCTD is an overlap syndrome which has features of lupus, scleroderma, myositis/poly myositis and sometimes RA. I was diagnosed with it last week (by phone but that’s another story) and have not had a chance to talk to the doc yet but have looked it up on the net and talked to others on here. I am calling tomorrow to make an appt with the rheumy so I can get some questions answered. From what I have been able to find out so far, it is not unusual for someone who has one autoimmune disease to have other(s). Have a great day!
After reading all these comments about going to the GYN for a yearly check up I do not know if I should go. I was just told by my Rhuemy that my blood test showed that I am in remission, yippee she dropped my Predisone to 2.5 mg. I have a positive blood test for Lupus since 2010 so its gone for now. What happened, why did it disappear, is it gone forever. Hope all is well with GYN. That's the doctor who found my Cancer 7 years ago, which is gone also. I go on Wednesday, will get back to you after my appointment. Thanks for listening.
I’m confused by your answer, but it’s pretty important to go for our Gyn visits for Gyn monitoring, since our rheumies don’t follow that aspect! We still have women’s health needs like other healthier women… Even more so! As far as being told your lupus is in remission, your rheumie said that because of labs? Do they not know anything? It’s not a remission if you still have symptoms, labs can go positive or negative for no reason, and you can have positive labs still while your symptoms are in remission. They are investigating better lab indicators that correlate to disease activity (known as “biomarkers”), but it’s not working out too well so far.
For your question about whether it’s gone, unfortunately not because lupus never leaves you, just shuts up for a while (hopefully a long while, and there are many things you can do with drug treatment and lifestyle that can keep it that way!) until it starts barking again.If your symptoms are in remission, congratulations and I hope it lasts many years! This group is full of suggestions for how to best care for yourself, including when you feel better (so you don’t reactivate it.) For one, stay out of the sun!
(source: I worked in autoimmunity clinical research for 2 years, plus did a bunch of reading in authoritative sources once I found out I had my own autoimmune disease!)
LupusSucks said:
After reading all these comments about going to the GYN for a yearly check up I do not know if I should go. I was just told by my Rhuemy that my blood test showed that I am in remission, yippee she dropped my Predisone to 2.5 mg. I have a positive blood test for Lupus since 2010 so its gone for now. What happened, why did it disappear, is it gone forever. Hope all is well with GYN. That’s the doctor who found my Cancer 7 years ago, which is gone also. I go on Wednesday, will get back to you after my appointment. Thanks for listening.