Anyone else deal with hospitals and other docs that will not take your case? I have been turned away by 3 different providers (who are well known in our field). They won’t even look at my medical files to review my case. Anyone else have this problem?
I’m brand new to this group and feel blessed to have found others with UCTD. I was diagnosed with UCTD 2 years ago and recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I currently take 200mg Plaquenil daily, 40mg Cymbalta daily, 50mg of Lyrica twice daily, B12, B complex, 150mg Magnesium before bed. I am in pain, all the time. The pain never stops. I’m sleeping pretty well but mornings are hard, y’all. I wake up in so much pain. It takes me awhile to get moving. A hot shower helps get me going and then fatigue takes hold toward the end of my work day. Some days are better than others. Today is a really hard day. Sitting in church this morning was hard and it was the first time I felt so physically miserable in the sanctuary as a result of these conditions. My recent labs were stable, although I was positive with an elevated ssDNA for the first time. I’m 51 years old (female) and grieving not being able to do the things I used to. I’m also in that perimenopause, almost menopause life stage and not sure if some of my symptoms are UCTD related or life-stage related. The brain/fibro-fog is legit. Short term memory issues - just not as sharp as I used to be. This all started a couple of years when I was feeling constant fatigue and having pain in my fingers, arms and shoulders. I had an ANA of 1:320 and here I am. I’m wondering if any of you have had a similar path, take similar meds or have tried other things that you’ve found to be helpful. I don’t love taking all the meds but I’m at the point where I’m open to whatever will work and improve my quality of life. I’m grateful for your response and time. God bless you all.
Has anyone been prescribed plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) for pain and stiffness with no defined specific autoimmune diagnosis?
Has anyone else dealt with numbness as a side effect of leflunomide? A year ago, I added leflunomide to my regimen (400 mg Plaquenil), and it worked really well for me. I recently developed numbness in my feet and lower legs, so I’ve been taken off of it- still on Plaquenil. Waiting a month to see if side effects/numbness resolves, and will likely switch to another medication.
Background, I have UCTD, mostly lupus-like symptoms - rashes, skin inflammation, joint pain, fatigue. I’ve been on 400 mg Plaquenil for almost 5 years. Not asking for a diagnosis, just curious if anyone else has ever had numbness like this.
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