Posted 9/11/2018 12:46 PM (GMT -5)
Savena,
Yes I did have a positive ANA and the Lupus blood test was positive for me too. I don't remember what my number was but I do know it was off the charts high.
I got a call from my primary telling me I was positive for lupus. (I even had the butterfly rash on my face, which is what led me primary to test me for lupus-although I also had my fair share and then some of lyme symptoms too) I asked if it was 100% lupus and he said yes nothing else would cause this to be positive.
I was sent immediately to a rheumy and he ran further tests and didn't think it was lupus even though I presented with the rash.
So a few days later I went to my endocrinologist (I am a type 1 diabetic-another auto immune disease) and mentioned it to her. She told me that hashimotos can screw with that blood test and often show a positive there. IDK seemed weird to me but she tested me for hashis and i was positive for that. A few days later I tested positive for lyme on the western blot. It has been three years now and have been treated for lyme. Not lupus. My lyme dr explained to me that lyme messes with the lupus test and show a positive. I did retest the hashimotos a few months ago and those antibodies are still positive. My endo felt I should take my rheumys advice on the lupus front because she said that she would trust his opinion highly-as she felt he as a rheumy that was very very good.
So In my opinion and my lyme dr (dr j in dc), lyme mimics many diseases and lupus is one of them. Just my opinion and my drs opinion. Since I am not a dr I am just offering what happened to me.
If you have lyme, if it were me, I would go with that treatment first and see what happens, since the treatment for lupus involves steroids and suppressing the immune system which is what you do not want to do with lyme disease. This is what was recommended to me and has served me well.