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Lupus/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Sjogrens Syndrome/ Candida | 1/13/2012 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I have since September been having severe dry mouth, tear ducts with thrush in mouth, plus fatigue, ... A: I hope to answer your question as thoroughly and helpfully as possible. It sounds to me like you ... | ||
| ANA Titer | 1/5/2012 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I have been diagnosed with Lupus SLE for about 10 years. No doctor has ever tried to explain what ... A: I am a fellow lupus patient (20 years) and have been getting positive ANA test results for most of ... | ||
| red rash on cheeks | 1/4/2012 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: i was diagnosed three months ago with discoid lupus. even though i am covering up with sunscreen, ... A: I read in the book "Alternative medicine" that 100% of lupus patients have food allergies! (100%?!) ... | ||
| red rash on cheeks | 1/4/2012 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: i was diagnosed three months ago with discoid lupus. even though i am covering up with sunscreen, ... A: I am a systemic lupus patient, not discoid, but I will do my best to answer your questions. ... | ||
| Is lupus genetic? | 12/22/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: My mom has lupus along with four other blood disorders and I wanted to know if I could have lupus. I ... A: I can understand your concern, as you have some strange symptoms, and you've seen your Mom struggle ... | ||
| Reassurance for my family | 12/7/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I have been recently diagnosed with Lupus. My family is terrified and worried that I will die soon. ... A: Sounds like you have been through a lot. Are you receiving any treatment? Are you under a doctor's ... | ||
| Lupus | 12/5/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: What can I do as a caring friend do to make my friends life a little bit easier and a a little more ... A: This is the nicest question I've been asked here. I would suggest offering to help run errands, or ... | ||
| Two False Positives | 10/8/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I have had a variety of problems for the last 2.5 years. The worst and strongest symptoms have been ... A: I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles getting diagnosed. This is all too common with ... | ||
| All signs point to Lupus: Time for 2nd opinion? | 10/6/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I am 43 y/o and ever since the birth of my son 2 yrs. ago, my health has seriously declined. It ... A: I sympathize with your frustration in trying to get a diagnosis. It took me 2 years to get diagnosed ... | ||
| Discoid Lupus Erythematosus | 9/23/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I just got diagnosed with Discoid Lupus Erythematosus. The lesions are on ears, scalp, eyelid, ... A: There are blood tests that will let you know if the lupus starts to involve organs. Sed rate and ... | ||
| Discoid Lupus Erythematosus | 9/21/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I just got diagnosed with Discoid Lupus Erythematosus. The lesions are on ears, scalp, eyelid, ... A: I'm sorry to hear of your many symptoms, and the stress and confusion they are causing you. I am ... | ||
| lupus severity | 9/3/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I've had lupus that affects my blood and I had it since birth I'm 16 now and never ever had to have ... A: First of all, I'm not a doctor. I'm just another person who has had lupus for 20 years. However the ... | ||
| lupus severity and life risk | 9/2/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I've had lupus that affects my blood and I had it since birth I'm 16 now and never ever had to have ... A: I understand how scary it can be to live with lupus. I've been living with it for 20 years. There is ... | ||
| sjogren's syndrome/lupus | 9/1/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I am a 41 year old African-American female who recently went to the doctor because I was suffering ... A: I'm sorry to hear about your frustrations with getting properly diagnosed- on top of the ... | ||
| fibromyalgia vs sjogren's | 8/17/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I sent you before asking about lupus. I had many symptoms for long period and lately I got positive ... A: ENA blood tests are for Sjogren's, not lupus. So the negative ENA only ruled out Sjogren's. ANA is ... | ||
| Anti-DNA test | 8/13/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: We have a two month wait to see a rheumatologist. Her anti-DNA (DS) result is unclear to me: This ... A: Here is a link with a little info on the anti-DNA test. http://www.uklupus.co.uk/antidna.html It ... | ||
| Just dx'ed with lupus | 8/9/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: Carla- I wrote recently about a pos. ANA etc. I saw my rheumatologist a couple weeks ago.He repeated ... A: I've never heard of the classification of "emerging lupus." Hear something new every day. CRP is a ... | ||
| Do I have lupus | 7/28/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: Symptoms started in July 2010 Frequent urination, urine urgency (low volume) Joint pain mainly the ... A: That sounds like a very frustrating doctor visit, like you were not properly listened to. I'm sorry ... | ||
| Do I have lupus | 7/17/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: Symptoms started in July 2010 Frequent urination, urine urgency (low volume) Joint pain mainly the ... A: You certainly have a lot of symptoms. I can't diagnose you over the internet, or even in person ... | ||
| Lupus misdiagnosed as Sjogrens? | 6/30/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I have a very similar story to the question you answered very intelligently for a previous inquiry. ... A: You certainly have all kinds of autoimmune activity going on. I also have Sjogren's as well as ... | ||
| pos. ANA | 6/29/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I am 46 yrs old. I have had a pos ANA. The highest titer 1:640 speckled pattern. I recently ... A: Sounds like you have some autoimmune activity going on for sure. It certainly wold be worth looking ... | ||
| could i have lupus? | 6/19/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: i am now 24. ok so when i was 18 i started getting shortness of breath and lil black outs, heart ... A: It definitely sounds like lupus could be a possibility. To be certain, you need to get some specific ... | ||
| rethinking my primary care | 5/28/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I have recently been dianosed with MCTD by a Rheumatologist. I have been suffering many years with ... A: It sounds to me by your account of things that you are not being taken seriously or treated with ... | ||
| Diagnosis: "funky blood" | 5/13/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: That is indeed what I have been dx with: funky blood. My sister was diagnosed with Lupus 3 years ... A: I know it's easier to say this than it is to do, but try not to panic. It really only makes things ... | ||
| LUPUS/Raynauds | 4/22/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: Good Evening, I have been searching on the web for information since November and I am starting to ... A: Sorry to hear you and especially your feet are feeling so bad. ANA positive is a red flag, pointing ... | ||
| symptoms | 4/22/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I have on going symptoms, several. They have been going on for a while now 4 months +: -purple ... A: I understand you don't have insurance, but with this many serious symptoms, you need to see a ... | ||
| autoimmune disease | 3/18/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I was recently sent to Rheumatologist because labs of ANA were 1:160 from primary care Dr. as well ... A: Well I can't get inside your doctor's head, so it might be worth asking him yourself directly- is ... | ||
| lupus and kidney failure | 3/16/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I am a 32 female who is sick all the time. I had a car accident in 2005 that started all my ... A: I'm very sorry to hear of all you've been through. Fstigue and kidney disease go hand in hand. ... | ||
| lupus/diabetes type 2 / fluid retention | 2/28/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: I have lupus (sle) and diabetes type 2, I take insulin only at night but my glucose levels are in ... A: I am a fellow lupus patient, not a doctor, so all I can do is try to help you pinpoint exactly when ... | ||
| Lupus and mental disorders | 2/24/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: My sister was diagnosed with Lupus when she was about 15 years old - she is now 38 years old. She ... A: This sounds like a very upsetting and frightening situation, and I'm sorry to hear your family- and ... | ||
| Support Groups | 2/15/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: My wife has been diagnosed with lupus. She is 35 and we have a 3 year old child. My wife was lucky ... A: When you're feeling lousy, it can be hard to do something like get up and ask for - or look for- ... | ||
| Lab results and symptoms are they lupus? | 2/8/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: For the past few years I have noticed an increased intolerance for being in the sun, to heat, and ... A: Raynaud's is something that can happen alone, but it also shows up frequently as secondary to ... | ||
| Lab results and symptoms are they lupus? | 2/8/2011 | Carla Ulbrich |
| Q: For the past few years I have noticed an increased intolerance for being in the sun, to heat, and ... A: I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so lousy. I'm also sorry that your rheumatologist is hesitant to ... | ||
| Other autoimmune diseases & Lupus | 3/24/2010 | Cynthia Donlan |
| Q: I am 61 and recently have had elevated CRP. I was dx with celiac disease four years ago after 20 ... A: I HAVE CROHNS DISEASE along with Lupus and I WEIGH 250 LBS!!! IT IS SUPPOSE TO MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT ... | ||
| Other autoimmune diseases & Lupus | 3/20/2010 | Cynthia Donlan |
| Q: I am 61 and recently have had elevated CRP. I was dx with celiac disease four years ago after 20 ... A: WOW! You are a veteran to trauma. Karen did your doctors ever explore the possibility of you ... | ||
| Just Diagnosed, expecting BIG results now? | 2/14/2010 | Cynthia Donlan |
| Q: Crazy question for you. After a long long time not knowing what was wrong, my body SCREAMED lupus! ... A: JULIE: WELCOME TO THE CLUB KID! Sorry this club is not a country club. yet we manage to have a ... | ||
| ANA results | 2/12/2010 | Cynthia Donlan |
| Q: Since last spring I've had really bad health problems. It started with exhaustion, bruising %26 hair ... A: MEREDITH: WOW!!!!!! You definetly have some sort of autoimmune disease. You must be so frustrated. ... | ||
| can i develop lupus later in life | 2/8/2010 | Cynthia Donlan |
| Q: My beautiful sister just recently pass away from this horrible disease. She was diagnosis with ... A: I am sorry about the loss of your sister. It has to hit you like a ton of bricks. The stress and ... | ||
| lupus after endometriosis? | 2/2/2010 | Cynthia Donlan |
| Q: As I approached and went through any easy menopause after endometriosis my health improved. However ... A: You are not crazy and you are not fabricating symptoms. The stress of your parents plight woke up ... | ||
| ALL THIS BLOODWORK, CAN IT STILL BE LUPUS? | 2/1/2010 | Cynthia Donlan |
| Q: Last year out of NOWHERE I began having horrible muscle/joint pain. EVERY muscle! Calves, thighs, ... A: When you wrote me you told me ALL of those tests came back negative. This would make me suspect ... | ||
Carla Ulbrich
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions such as "what is lupus?" (How common is it? Is it contagious? What are the symptoms? etc.). Also, I can answer questions such as "what are the available treatments for lupus?" (both standard and alternative). Really, I'll take almost any question on lupus, though. If I can't answer it, I'll be very surprised, but I'll also go find someone who can.
Experience
I've been living with lupus (SLE) since 1992. I've had three severe bouts with it, including symptoms such as kidney failure and stroke (if you can call having a stroke a "symptom"). I have completely regained my health, though I have to be mindful to take care of myself, lest I get sick again. I use both mainstream and alternative medicine, and have tried just about everything under the sun to alleviate symptoms. A lot of it worked.
Organizations
Lupus Foundation of America
Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor
Toastmasters
Folk Alliance
Publications
How Can You Not Laugh at a Time Like This? (Tell Me Press, pub.)
Theory for the Young Musician (Alfred Knopf, pub.)
Guitar Teacher Quarterly
Lupus Sundial Newsletter
Education/Credentials
BA in music (UNC-Greensboro)
Awards and Honors
Novelty Song of the Year, Just Plain Folk Awards
Winner, South Florida Folk Festival Song Competition
Past/Present Clients
Medicaid Conference
Alaska Palliative Care Conference
Right at Home Health Care
SePHIMA
Anritsu
Club Med
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
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