Symptoms of Possible Autoimmune Disorder Including Family History

I have been having recurring problems since I was 17 and I am now 31. I am looking for some possible information (confirmation) as to what may be going on. I have been to a few doctors having different, but all negative experiences. The symptoms seem to flare up every 6 months or year. In between flare ups sometimes I feel more energetic with less intense symptoms that come and go. I am able to mostly ignore them, but I still do not feel, what I believe should be, normal.

This started when I was 16 years old. The first symptom I recall is my hands peeling raw. It started as it always does with small red spots popping up on my palms and fingers. They are not raised but seem to be beneath the skin. They burn and sting with pins and needles when this happens. A few days later my hands start to peel and flake. The rash continues for another week or 2 before subsiding. By this point my hands are so raw and sensitive that anything with a slightly sharp edge can cut me. At the time I was on Accutane to clear up my acne. After a week of my hands splitting I seen the dermatologist and was told to stop taking the medicine. He gave me anti-fungal cream and I went on my way. This is always one of the first symptoms I notice

At the time of the first incident I was working at a grocery store that was under construction. I remember feeling weak and feeling as if my head were in the clouds nearly constantly for a few weeks. I wondered if it was something to do with the construction and something in the air. I now understand that it was just part of all of this. During these flareups I spend most of my free time in bed. I am drained of energy after making it through a day of work. Pulling myself out of bed in the morning is a hassle as I feel like I have cold oil in my joints, especially my hands, fingers, knees and feet. I also sometimes experience nights sweats during these periods to the point where a towel is necessary. Sleep can very difficult to come by. If I cut myself it takes twice as long to heal as it otherwise seems to. I get ulcers in my mouth (and even nose recently) nearly every time and they can sometimes take a a couple weeks to heal. There have been several instances where I would wake up every morning and throw up whatever I had eaten last the previous day. My whole digestive system seems to get our of whack. My stool is never solid or constant. I wear contact lenses and also tend to end up with, at least, irritated eyes, and sometimes ulcers and infection in my eyes.

As I said I have been to doctors several times and it has never gotten me very far. When I was 19 I had blood work and scans done only to be told the only thing found was a minor bladder infection. (This has since happened again with a different doctor). I once had a doctor tell me the only possible explanation for the palm rash was syphilis. He lectured me, gave me antibiotics and sent me on my way. A couple weeks later the test came back negative and we were able to find no other explanation.

I suspect, for the reasons I am about to explain, is that I have some kind of autoimmune disorder. The first clue is that my grandmother passed away from scleroderma before I was born. We have since found out 2 of her children (my mothers siblings) both have autoimmune problems. Rheumatoid arthritis for both of them as well as other problems. And as it turns out one of them was diagnosed with Lupus a couple months back, which is what I suspect I may have. Another thing that points towards autoimmune problems is this all starting while I was taking Accutane, which I found out a few years ago is known to bring about these problems.

My initial suspicions began after making a post on Facebook about some of these symptoms. One of my mothers friends messaged me after seeing it asking if I was cold all of the time. This instantly perked my ears as I am CONSTANTLY cold. I am given a hard time regularly because I will wear a sweater during summer. When I explained this to her she told me she thought I had lupus as these were many of the same symptoms she experiences. This sparked me to look into it and that is when all of the puzzle pieces came together.

I am just looking for some confirmation or maybe to be pointed in the correct direction, should I possibly be wrong. Thank you in advance.

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