systemic lupus and ms

Hi all,Just joined and was wondering if anybody had any information on lupus and ms.I have systemic lupus but i am currently awaiting an mri to rule out / confirm ms.Is it possible to have both??

Hi halie76, Welcome to the forum. To be direct yes you can have SLE and MS. I have both, was dx in 2009 with SLE and dx with SPMS in 2011. If you do find out you have both don’t fret, the good thing I’ve found out about having both is that at times you don’t know which one it is that’s bothering you. If I can be of any more help to you just pm me. It all sounds worse than it is as with the right drugs you get on with your life as best you can.

Janet

x

Hi Janet,Thanks for the reply.I feel like so many others right now, in complete limbo.I have been on rituximab for itp recently as my platelets dropped down to 3 .Now it’s back pain,and it feels like someone has attached a tens machine to my lower legs.gp has given me gabapentin which seems to help if only for a couple of hours.My mind is forgetful and my words at times seem to be lost somewhere between my voicebox and the tip of my tongue.My hands shake at times (first noticed whilst eating a curry.The kids were quite impressed at the way i flicked the rice) I have been fighting sle for a number of years now and i know i can cope with whatever this turns out to be ,but i can only fight when i know what i’m fighting.Hope that makes sense to someone out there.

Halie x

Hi Halie,

I know where you are coming from but my advice would be not to worry, I know easy to say but SLE and MS mimic each other so much. I to was on Rituxmab once and it did nothing for me at all. Wait until you get the results of your MRI before you start worrying, are you having any other tests? Remember both diseases are autoimmune so anything is possible. One more piece of advice don’t go trawling the net for answers as very often one tends to imagine all sorts of things which are totally wrong. Take care.

Janet

x

I have read that lupus can cause spinal myelopathy (myelitis) as one of its symptoms which in turn would cause MS symtoms. This is why Lupus is tested for in people who start having MS type symtoms. If the MRI shows a single spinal lesion (and no brain lesions) then maybe it is just the lupus that has caused the problem and you dont have MS at all. They would probably also do lumbar puncture and people with only Lupus would be likely be clear of MS markers. If you were to google lupus and myelitis you get plenty of hits.

Moyna x