What are the chances that I have Lupus?

I'm a 17 year old girl and my doctor thinks that I might have Lupus. I am going to get my blood tested later this week, what do you honestly think my chances are?
- I am always tired
- Have terrible headaches all the time
- Have a moderate amount of joint pain in my toes, back and hips.
- Had a flakey butterfly rash(but it was worse on one side) and it went away after a couple weeks

But I don't think that I have any of the other symptoms like hair loss, weight loss or sun-sensitivity. HONESTLY... what do you think are the chances that I have Lupus? And if you have Lupus, how did your lifestyle change once you got diagnosed?

Thank you so much!

Hi there, I am a lupus sufferer. I presume the butterfly rash you talk about is on your cheeks and across your nose. The symptoms are very similar to mine. I was diagnosed in 1996 and I am now 48years old. I don't let it stop me from enjoying my life, and I still go out to work as a nurse-aide. Once they confirm that you have it they will be able to give you the right medication. The best thing you can do is to wait for the results as it may not even be that. There are support groups out there where you can meet with other lupus patients. You are so young and I really do hope that it is not, . I wish you all the very best.

To literally answer your question:

Genetics play a part: if someone in your family has it, you have about a 10% greater chance of contracting the disorder, but certainly environmental factors come into play. Lupus sufferers often have multiple allergies. In addition, certain races tend to develop lupus more than others - black and Hispanic people have a greater chance of it than Caucasian people. There are known triggers that catalyse the illness - these include ultraviolet light, prescription drugs, stress, infections and hormones.

As far as the actual number: 1.5 million Americans suffer from Lupus that is 1 out of every 185 Americans. So your chances are 1 in 185.

The Lupus Foundation of America has a lot of info, you may want to check it out: http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webartic...

Good luck.

wuts lupas?lupus?

I'm 18, and my mom was just recentally diagnosed with Lupas. There isn't any history in our family of Lupas, so when she got it, it was kind of a shock.

Um, my mom getrs really tired, sometimes she can't even walk because of how much pain she's in, and misses a lot of work. Her wrists, feet, and hands swell up a lot, and she gets some pretty bad, and sometimes not bad, rashes on her legs.

The way that I noticed that it changed her lifestyle, is she wasn't able to do a lot of stuff she was before. She used to excerise a whole lot, and now she can't because of the swelling or pain. She's been going to a lot of appointments doing blood work, and getting put on lots of medicine to ease the pain of her joints and swelling. But the swelling and pain comes and goes, and she can tell when it comes back. There are days when she can walk around, clean, cook, go to work, and do a lot of other things, and then there are days where she has to sit or lay down from hurting.

Good luck if you have it. Hope this helped a bit.
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