I had vasculitus some years ago. I was in hospital for a long time, during this time I was very ill, the symptoms started where I felt very dizzy and weak. A few days later I got a rash on my legs which was the same as the rash you get with meningitis at first it was just on my legs but soon spread to my whole body ,the pain was terrible . I was covered head to foot in this rash, some of the time I was given morphine for the pain, it was also treated with steroids and antibiotics and lots of other medication. I now have kidney disease which I have been told from the renal clinic is due to me having vasculitus. My heart is also enlarged; my legs are also affected by this. I was having blood tests and scans every 3 month as my kidneys were bleeding all the time. I am now seen yearly at a hospital. It is very frightening having this illness and no one ever found out why I got it.

I am a 53-year-old female that has been diagnosed with vasculitis (PAN). I was referred to a rheumatologist and am on prednisone and methotrexate, probably for two years. My symptoms were lesions on my legs, Reynaud's syndrome in my fingers and toes, fevers, muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. My doctor says the longer I am on treatment, the better my chances are for a long-term remission. I spent 10 months with one doctor before I tried an internist, who suggested right away that it might be vasculitis. I am grateful for the quick diagnosis.

My father has vasculitis, but it is not clear exactly what type he has. His case has been ambiguous from the start. He was a typically healthy adult male, but that changed two years ago. His condition began with tingling in his fingers to burning on the bottom of his feet. As time progressed, nodules were found in his lungs. After subsequent tests/operations, such as an open lung biopsy and needle biopsy, he was diagnosed. (The biopsies came out non-specific so the doctors deemed the nodules irrelevant to the disease as a whole). On the bright side, his organs have not been affected by this disease. As of right now, he is no longer in the hospital, but he still has some of his old problems. He is still disabled despite continued physical therapy and medicine (although he stopped the cyclosporin in August after discovering it was adversely affecting his kidneys).

I have experienced this condition for about three years. It seems to occur in warm weather and it attacks my ankles and the back of my lower legs with a hot itchy rash.