I was shocked today the dr gave me steroids, he said I have Lupus.
It came back in the bloodwork, but he made it clear I do have fibromyalgia.
This is all very confusing I just am getting comfortable with the fibro diagnosis and now to get
this news is just crazy.
How do you know when its lupus acting up vs fibromyalgia?
Lupus seems much more serious to me , although I am not as familiar with it, since it
can target organs in your body. How do dually diagnosed people tell which pains are more serious?
Apparently I have a lot more reading to do- I was just getting the hang of things regarding fibromyalgia and then this diagnosis came out of left field. The only other thing that I had in the past
was a positive RA factor years ago -and they told me not to worry about it.
Our friend Terri Tez), who moderates BF life with Lupus, says there are so many similarities, here is further information. This is why it is good to be under the watchful eye of a Rheumatologist!
I can’t believe they said not to be worried about a positive RA factor … Really ??? I know sometimes they can come back false positive or false negative … Geez
I’m not very familiar with lupus, but I know the treatment is different
Do you have a good rheumy ?
Hopefully the lupus group can help … I’m so sorry a double whammy that’s just not nice
Sending bigs Hugs,
share with us what you learn I’m curious to
It may take time for him to be able to correctly make the diagnosis, fibro is oh so close to autoimmune, then so many autoimmune diseases have nearly the same symptoms. Be sure to keep a running list of symptoms, no matter how insignificant it may seem, it may be what they are looking for! They are very careful before placing a patient on a biologic that lowers the immune system to slow the progression of the disease. A solid diagnosis is a must in their business! There are several of my friends on the Lupus site, whose Rheum has changed the diagnosis of Lupus to Fibro, or Fibro to Lupus.
I know you get tired of the 'hurry up and wait' stuff, but it's just all part of it. After this wait, then it's on to finding the right med, the right dose!
Glad you're here with us, it always makes it easier to deal with! You can vent and blow off steam, have a good cry with us, and we just adore a laugh once in a while! Hey, when people see me out and about, which is RARE, and ask how I am, my reply is, "NUTS, I'm just nuts" and I laugh! Just cannot go into all that other stuff all the time!
I'm one of those diagnoses they can't decide on...first it was fibro, then lupus, now back to fibro. I have a new rheumy that is the "back to fibro" now, but I'm not sure I ever believed it was lupus in the first place. Sooooo hard to understand and figure it all out! I do know that whatever it is, it's tough, but we all find ways to deal...some days better than others. Thankful to have everyone here to listen and help! Hopefully they get closer to a correct dx for you! Best of luck!!!
Hey Island girl! Good to hear from you! Who knows, could be that you have both! Rheum told me after treating me for about a year that it is very possible that the Psoriatic arthritis actually caused the Fibro!
Thanks, I have finally had a chance to reply/post here! I love this group! I originally began with the Lupus group, so now try to participate in both since I'm not sure where I'm at. I do know it could be both and doc isn't choosing one or ruling one out...we're just basically starting over. Which, of course, that is no fun. but that's for another discussion! Thanks for the warm welcome though! I really appreciate it!!!
Sorry you were diagnosed with Lupus too. There is a lot of info to read on the Internet about it. Good luck fighting it. We all seem to have multiple issues to deal with which makes it tough. Take care,
Connie
I have both and my rheumy has me keep a diary to take with me. The lupus site on here is great hope to see you their. I hop back and forth between sites because they are both so good .
I have been diagnosed with Lupus, then psoriatic arthritis, then most recently fibromyalgia. Each time I go to a new speicialist I get a new diagnosis. I am going to Duke Monday for an appt I have been waiting a month for. Hopefully they can narrow it down. They are very closely related and even the treatment is similar.
Sorry to hear of the Lupus diagnosis. Are you seeing a Rheumatologist? It is important as Lupus affects many of the body systems and is a well known and documented disease. Here are two good web sites: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lupus/DS00115 and http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/lupus.html. It would be a good idea to see about the Lupus support site to chat with others as this disease can flare in many different ways. Best of luck to you