Fibromyalgia, Lupus, or Both?

Okay, I just noticed that the link on my last post didn't work. I think Blogger and I aren't getting along right now. Sorry about that.

My new rheumatologist told me that most of my pain was being caused by fibromyalgia. This is not unusual for lupus patients. Actually about 25% of patients with lupus will have fibromyalgia on the side.

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome wherein you have pain in your muscles, joints and bones. It can also cause fatigue and insomnia. With these symptoms, you can see why it can be confused with lupus symptoms. Sometimes fibromyalgia patients may be misdiagnosed with lupus. Another common issue is that lupus patients who have fibromyalgia often don't get treatment for the fibromyalgia. This has been my issue.

Fortunately, I now have a pretty aggressive rheumatologist who has worked to treat the fibromyalgia. She told me to go back to my pain management treatments. She's also started me on a new drug called Lyrica. Since I've been taking Lyrica, I've noticed a tremendous decrease in my symptoms. It has also made me terribly sleepy. I couldn't keep my eyes open when I got home from work last night. I passed out at something like 7:30. This explains why I'm awake at 4:00 a.m. typing my blog.

The lessening of pain symptoms has been nice. I won't say that the pain is completely gone, but it definitely is more manageable.

Take care and have a lupie day.

LupieKat