I was diagnosed five years ago after I went to a doctor with all sorts of ailments such as joint pain, fevers, skin rashes, heart palpitations. The doctors I was seeing at first made me feel like I was a hypochondriac. I finally found a doctor in Johannesburg who got me back to my old self in no time and now, I have not had a flare-up in about three years!

I used to suffer from fever and malaise and shivering whenever I had exams and I was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics because the cause was always undiagnosed. I used to suffer for at least a week. Occasionally, I had swollen eyelids. I sought help from nephrologists and they finally diagnosed lupus.

Before I was diagnosed with lupus, I had frequent viral or bacterial infections, followed by night sweats and fevers. Antibiotics didn't seem to help. I also had joint pain and sever mouth ulcers. I also had dry eyes and a dry mouth as well as numbness and tingling in my hands. I had fatigue to sever that I just wanted to lie in bed. I started reacting to sun exposure, followed by a rash on my face, neck and chest. I even developed panic attacks and ringing in my ears. All in all, it took three years to diagnose lupus for me.

I first began having "odd" symptoms approximately 5 years ago. It first presented as flu-like; chills (no fever) achy joints and a strange redness on my chest. The red area was in a V pattern. The first flare was by far my worst. I have had these symptoms on and off all this time. I tested negative for lupus up until this year, and now my tests come back positive for lupus. My symptoms have also varied from rashes to muscle and joint pain, hair loss, fatigue, loss of libido, sun sensitivity and sleep disturbances. Don't stop looking for an answer! It's not "all in your head"!

I was diagnosed with lupus about 2 years ago after about 2 years of all sort of testing. It is very difficult to diagnose. I have suffered from hair loss, joint pain and swelling, and skin rashes. This has caused me great depression although I have a wonderful husband who is extremely supportive. I often wonder if anyone else knows what I am going thru. I hate to see there are others who share in my suffering. God bless you all!

I was diagnosed with lupus at 30. I have joint pain at the knee and my right middle finger swelled up and would not straighten. Subsequently, all of my fingers swelled and were very painful. My eyes were bloodshot most of the time. I was diagnosed with arthritis initially. When it was full-blown, I had a fever every morning, and I also had rashes on my face. Now, I am suffering from hair loss and lethargy post-treatment, and I'm on immunosuppressants.

My symptoms of lupus were joint pain, severe headaches after sun exposure, nosebleeds and rashes.

The only symptoms I have are related to skin --- butterfly rash, swollen face and lips, open sores, skin sheeting off, bleeding arms etc. Sores were not itchy, but wounds on arms were very painful. Large amount of prednisone dramatically ended peeling and swelling.

My symptoms at onset were arthritis and a bad rash in the butterfly area. I also lost a lot of the hair on my head, and the remaining part of it became thin and weak. I live in Denmark and I am a teacher. I was diagnosed with SLE in 1993, at the age of 23.