@sherda Thank you @colleenyoung for tagging me into this conversation!

I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus in 1988, after months of progressive testing. Get the results, then decide the next factor to have testing done. At that time it was a long drawn out process. I have a fairly mild case, in that there was no chemotherapy done, although there are still the flares. In 1998 they thought it was affecting my kidneys, but now I wonder if it was the first showings of what was later determined to be a rare autoimmune kidney disorder. Medicine has come a long ways in diagnostic tools, definitely. But there are still so many unknowns and variables, it amazes me we get to conclusions at all, sometimes!

As @loribmt said, ask questions, keep blank paper with you to jot things down as they come to you [middle of the night is a favorite time for my mind to do that!]. If you are of a mind, start or keep a journal of your emotions and thoughts. Just getting things out will bring a lot of comfort. No need to review it later unless you want to. Knowledge is power, and knowing yourself is a step in the right direction to handling all this.
Ginger