[COGlory]

I'm curious if you've looked into N-Glycolylneuraminic acid and whether that could be the issue? Does chicken cause an issue for you?

I'm sorry to hear about your Lupus diagnosis, and glad it's in remission. My doctor wanted to diagnose me with Lupus due to the facial rash and arthritis/joint pain, but I came back negative in all the bloodwork, which I think means about 98% sure don't have it. I found that I can treat the joint pain effectively with SSRIs (Fluoxetine, 20 mg is enough to wipe it out after a few weeks). My mother has MCAS and my sister and aunt have UC, so I feel like I'm tripping through a minefield trying to navigate whatever autoimmune issue this is....and I have a PhD in biochemistry.

[aroopchandra]

I haven't looked into N-Glycolylneuraminic acid specifically. For me, all types of meats, including eggs, chicken, and lamb, increased my inflammation levels. From what I understand, correctly diagnosing immune diseases can be quite challenging. My doctor once said it’s more of an art than a science. Because my mother had lupus it was easy in my case. While I’m not against medications, they often come with side effects. For example, immunosuppressants are necessary for high inflammation but can increase the risk of cancer. Even SSRIs have side effects.

When I had pain, I tried both medications and dietary changes, using an engineering mindset to isolate variables. Although I listened to my doctor, I also took matters into my own hands and did my research. My doctor initially doubted that changing my diet would help but did recommend the Mediterranean diet. He still doesn’t believe that food helped since there’s no clinical research backing it, and it’s not something commonly taught in medical schools.

The best part about experimenting with food is that it's easy and inexpensive to test on oneself. In my case, I was fortunate that my joint pains allowed me to observe the effects of my dietary changes within a week or less. Initially, I expected results in a day or two, but I soon realized that I needed to experiment for at least a few weeks to see the full effects. These days, I consume small quantities of eggs every few weeks and haven't noticed any significant increase in inflammation.

[tremon]

I came back negative in all the bloodwork

One of my friends has APLS (antiphospholipid antibody syndrome), which can also occur as a secondary symptom of Lupus. All of her blood tests always come back negative due to the way APLS affects coagulation -- unless the bloodwork is cultured for at least two days. So if you have reason to suspect the test results may be incorrect, ask them to re-do the bloodwork as a long-term culture rather than the normal fast screening.