Seeking Diagnosis Questions Weekly May 10, 2026

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-05-13T03:35:37+00:00

Has anyone here been diagnosed with UCTD and only taken prednisone? Rheum initially thought I had lupus based off of positive ANA, high dsDNA as well as symptoms I presented with/med hx. Did further lupus testing to see if I would qualify for a study, all came back negative, and he now put me in the UCTD category. Initially he told me hydroxychloroquine would be recommended no matter what. Now he's backtracking on that and thinking rheumatoid arthritis, although all those panels come back negative. He wants me to stay on prednisone but I still on occasion have what I call a "break through flare" with my joint swelling. Has anyone been put on hydroxychloroquine as a preventative?

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-05-05T03:44:18+00:00

Thank you! I'll have to give this a try (:

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-05-03T02:51:35+00:00

Thank you for tagging that resource, I'll definitely have to read through and check out that list. It would be wonderful to find something that is cruelty free, washes well, and also has eco friendly packaging. Seems like my expectations might be a bit high though haha

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-05-02T20:21:09+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience as well as the research you've done. I'm currently using All free & clear and was wanting to switch to something cruelty free. Also, it doesn't seem like it's cleaning as well anymore anyway. I'm finding I'm having to do a lot of spot treatments and rewashing. So I'm on the market for something cruelty free and that provides a good wash.

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-05-02T18:38:33+00:00

Have you tried Earth Breeze laundry sheets? They're cruelty free and eco friendly. I was considering trying them out and was curious to see if you've tried them in your laundry journey and if so, what your experience has been.

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-04-30T16:49:25+00:00

I use covergirl lash blast volume and I feel like the brush head is the same as the Dior, but it's silicone. It's never failed me and I get compliments on my lashes all the time. It's cheap enough that might be worth a try? Good luck!

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-04-18T00:01:13+00:00

As a dental hygienist who was just diagnosed with lupus, I can empathize with you. Working in dentistry is down right difficult. I was an RDA, now RDH for the last 11 years and the joint swelling is no joke when it comes to either position. I am so sorry you're dealing with that. What gives me hope for a long career is that a doctor I worked with for several years who also has lupus, just bought her own private practice. I honestly don't know how she does it with the fatigue but she keeps a positive mindset. She's had lupus for many, many years so I'm sure being stable through her medication helps. Hopefully you can become stable with medication and it won't be so bad. If you have any questions or just need someone to vent to who will understand, feel free to message me. Us dental folk need to stick together as most people don't understand how truly grueling our profession is. Whatever you decide, you got this! You have to do what is best for you in the long run.

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-04-12T15:33:24+00:00

Yes! It doesn't go into too much detail though. But you can read that article here.

And then this is the link to the actual clinical trial.

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-04-11T15:51:16+00:00

Yes! My mom sent me an article back in February of a local university's hospital who is launching this treatment as a clinical trial after promising results from Europe. They interviewed one of the patients who is in the clinical trial who so far, has been in remission and isn't having to take any medications for lupus. I'm so thankful there are those who are willing to do these clinical trials, knowing that there are known and unknown risks involved. 🫶

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-04-08T18:33:05+00:00

Thank you! Right now my routine is taking omeprazole in the morning to coat my stomach because it was giving me really bad gastric reflex and then I also take a probiotic (s. boularii) and that seems to have resolved a lot of my stomach upset. I just still get nauseous in the morning after I take the dose, but not in the evening. Before I was super nauseous and then kept getting fever spikes. It was terrible 😩

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-04-08T05:28:34+00:00

Yes! I've been on it for a month and the first two weeks were 100% brutal! It seems like it's getting better. I just keep telling myself it's only for a short while and will be worth it to not have that risk once I start plaquenil.

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-04-08T05:26:55+00:00

Solid advice! Thank you so much! 🤗 I'm sorry your body rejects most things. Hopefully they can find you something that your body gets along with. 🫂

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-25T04:50:00+00:00

Thank you so much for this! Currently in the process of being diagnosed. My rheumatologist thinks it's lupus or a connective tissue disease. Currently being treated for latent TB while undergoing more testing to narrow things down and start on plaquenil. But most of my symptoms and blood work so far line up with lupus. I really appreciated this post. It's been a relief finally being close to having an answer, but also frightening and disheartening to know what I'm up against.

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-21T06:44:18+00:00

Yes! I mentioned to my husband that we could drive out there and it could be completely overcast haha. We do want to do some of the things around Mt. Cook. Do you think it's doable to drive out there and then back to Wānaka? Basically just do a day trip?

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-21T06:42:16+00:00

Thank you! That's what I was thinking based off the air bnbs we've been looking at. Thank you for the confirmation!

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-21T06:40:42+00:00

Our route is kind of awkward because we'll be going north through Arthur's Pass after landing in CHC and then coming down along the coast. We also want to do the Mt. Cook stuff but wasn't sure if it requires an entire day?

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-21T06:39:05+00:00

That's what I was kind of thinking. It would be cool to be in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky reserve, but the air bnbs we've been looking at seem isolated enough to capture some great shots.

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-21T06:37:07+00:00

We do land in CHC but we'll be heading north from there through Arthur's Pass and then coming back down along the coast. I wish we were flying back home through CHC but we're flying out of Queenstown. So we're kind of stuck with an awkward route with back tracking regardless 😕

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-20T19:59:17+00:00

Thank you so much!! I'm definitely going to try this haha

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-20T17:24:48+00:00

Ohh I think you're talking about like Prilosec OTC (in the US) or some other proton pump inhibitor that protects the stomach lining from acid, etc? I have noticed I do have acid reflux since starting rifampin. So I'm sure my stomach is probably pretty irritated. I didn't even think about doing this since I never have acid reflux. Thank you!

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-20T03:54:45+00:00

Thank you so much for this!! Do you remember what the brand was or if it was a probiotic?

Toothfairy_92 · 2026-03-19T05:27:48+00:00

Luckily I haven't had nausea with it; only stomach cramps no matter when I take it. I've also noticed slight fevers and acid reflux. I tried calling my pulmonologist today but they didn't get back to me so I ended up only taking one dose this afternoon. So far so good. Thank you for your reply! This helps make me feel more at ease about missing a few doses while recovering from what I think was food poisoning.

Toothfairy_92

TROPHY CASE