Hi, kanaazpereira. My name is Cathy Hutcherson. I’m very new to Mayo Clinic Connect. Not sure where to go or how to jump in. Any help is appreciated. I also participate in the Lupus Foundation’s Message Board and occasionally on the My Lupus Team website. I find I have some information to share, but my case is different in many ways from those who share on My Lupus Team. The Lupus Foundation’s has dedicated members who have severe lupus as I do.I’ll share some of my history and where I am now. As you know I had/have Stills Disease. My symptoms from that were pretty much over by the time I reached 16. When I was 17 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder II. I went through many years dealing with depression and mood swings. I went back to in my late 30s. I finished my bachelor’s at 40 and my master’s in Social Work a few years later. I was having fatigue and chorea at that time but the symptoms weren’t strong enough for a diagnosis. In 2013 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease due to the chorea. This was incorrect. My rheumatologist diagnosed me with SLE in December 2014. I was almost 45 at the time. I was only able to work as a social worker for ten months in 2013. My memory problems, confusion, chorea and fatigue made the job impossible. I tried a few other things that didn’t work either, so here I am. I haven’t been able to work in over two years. I have a very supportive husband who works for BJC. BJC owns Barnes-Jewish Hospital, affiliated with Washington University. I’m fortunate to have all of my medical care through them. They have been wonderful.My diagnoses include asthma, Stills Disease, depression, bipolar disorder, GERD, fibromyalgia, sciatica, scoliosis, DDD, SLE and lupus cerebritis. The cerebritis is my main problem. I have been on the oral form of cyclophosphamide since last June for that. Mycophenolate and azathioprine did not work well, so cyclophosphamide was next. It has helped but it took seven months before I could tell a difference. My rheumatologist is weaning me off of it now, with the idea I will be off of it totally by the end of June, making it a one year treatment. Since it has helped I have mixed feelings about that. He has told me he will use prednisone for any lupus problems. Of course it is unknown what will happen with the lupus in general and the cerebritis. The cerebritis has been confirmed by several brain MRIs and a lumbar puncture. I have a brain MRI every six months. I have had neuropsychological testing three times. Most recent was February of this year. They have shown a trend of verbal short term memory decline and brain speed. Another thing that is unusual about me is that I am ANA negative. I have always carried a positive dsDNA and that is what my diagnosis is based on. I have studied lupus and in particular cerebritis. Many people think I have a medical background, and I do have some training and experience as a foundation but the rest I have learned on my own. I joined the Brain group because right now it’s therapeutic for me to talk about my cognitive problems. Almost no one in the lupus group has this and many think they have it because they experience brain fog but this is not brain fog. It is permanent scarring on my brain caused by inflammation due to lupus. My rheumatologist says the best we can hope for is to slow the damage. I find that very scary. You can introduce me to the lupus group/s but I don’t promise to join in the conversation very often. Right now I’m more overwhelmed with the brain part. Thanks for listening.Cathy Hutcherson