You've obviously thought of SLE, but what about Scleroderma? We'll go for the 'big guns' here!

I try not to think about that one. Makes me nervous. I do have a mixed pattern ANA with speckled and nucleolar. It is quite high. Nucleolar is associated with Scleroderma. I don't have the Scl 70 at this point. Whatever I have is evolving. I am already on IVIG, so not much more that can be done, I suppose.

I had a friend who had Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Scleroderma. This all came on after the car she was driving was hit by a train and the accident killed her Mom. Not good.

I never really knew about Lupus or Scleroderma until then. I hope you find an answer. Take care.

Yeah, trauma seems to start up a lot of this junk. I was in a head on years ago.

The nucleolar is 1:160 which is considered a + and speckled > 1:1280, then on another test, speckled >1:1280 with nuclear flrouresence seen which I think is the same as nucleolar? These tests were done within 3 weeks of each other. Labs only to to >1:1280 around here. I had an Elisa in Dec. 2006 which was 2.57 which was extremely high, so this has been going on a while.

I am neg for histones too, so it is not drug related Lupus.

Low C4 is not uncommon with all autoimmune disease. I have been running a low C4 for a long time. Now and then it is normal.

I kinda get to feeling like I will bite it before they ever sort this out (really sick)....then again, I really don't know what else they can do, other than real aggressive stuff, and I want more of a diagnosis before I start with that.

I think when you go to an academic center, they are compelled to make sure every I is dotted, and they don't diagnose very liberally. I see lots of posts with far less clinical substantiation then mine and they have a label. In some ways it is frustrating and in other ways it is good. I would rather get a solid diagnosis than a hunch, but it is taking time, and I am not feeling so hot.