[rachna]

Hey guys,

Not sure if this right place to post this! firstly i hope you are all well.

Sa my rheumy today - not sure what to make of it really, he has aid that i defo have lupus (the last time i saw the registrar he mor or less told me i was making it up?! so that was a relief) n that i should go back onto 2 tabs a day of plaq, also prescribed diclofen and vitamin D. all this was good.

he done all the blood tests again. What kind of confused me was that he said i have fibromyalgia as well as lupus. i didnt think it was possible as i was told i had that first then it was ruled out n was told i had lupus. now to be told i have both??? can you have both, is this possible?

please advice thanks

sorry for confused state of mind!

love always
rachna

 

[Sage Hen]

Hello Rachna,

Yes, it is possible to have both Fibro and lupus at the same time. I do, and I know several others, here on the site, do as well.

I understand, why you feel confused. It is hard to get such news, all at once. Very overwhelming, for you..((Rachna)).

Now, that you have a firm diagnosis, though, the good news is..that you can start taking the right medications to treat both conditions, and take preventative measures, to prevent other problems, from creeping up, in the future.

Please let us know, how you get on, with your treatment plan.

Best Wishes, to you always..
Love,
Sandy

 

[Clare.T]

Hello Rachna!

It's too bad the way some doctors treat people in the same department so I am glad you got confirmation of the lupus from the man himself.

Yes it is certainly possible to have both - I think it's about one third of those with lupus also have fibro. I have read that the pain from fibro can be far worse than lupus and it can be hard to know which is causing which symptom.
Fibro is usually treated with anti depressants such as amitryptilene which help restore a normal sleep pattern, in lower doses than those used for depression. It might be worth asking for treatment if none has been offered.


Clare

 

[Joandublin]

Hi Rachna

Im really glad that your Rheumy has put to rest the doubts instilled by that idiot Registrar you saw last year Honestly, some doctors need a good boot where the sun dont shine :hugbetter:

As to your question, I am also someone with Lupus and Fibro. As Clare says about one third of people will have an overlap of both. In my case I was originally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia using the trigger point test but quite shortly afterwards I was diagnosed with SLE. As a result the fibro diagnosis sort of 'faded' into the background if you know what I mean.

However I have to say that I have more consistent pain from the fibro than I do from the Lupus. Its daily pain for me and it very much corresponds to the trigger points with particular emphasis on the buttocks, lower spine and shoulders. I think you mentioned before that you were on anti depressants? Is that right? Was that for fibro do you know?

Sometimes when you have both conditions its very hard to tell what is causing what but Im getting better at it each day - practice makes perfect as they say!

Continue to keep a record of your symptoms and a pain level record, e.g. where the pain is, how consistent is it, how would you rank it from 1-10, etc. Also is your sleep pattern disturbed? These are important things to note to discuss with your Rheumy in the management of Fibro alongside Lupus.

Best of luck and hope the extra Plaquenil starts to help you soon
Joan:rose:

 

[tbunny1]

Wow - a double winner. I am so sorry, but glad you at least have a diagnosis now. It was a releif for me to find out it was not all in my mind, and have my complaints of pain validated.

I was diagnosed lupus first, and fibro about two years later. I now know that much of what I thought was lupus pain was actually the fibro. My experience has been that if it is a muscle cramp, ache, or tenderness, it is fibro. If the pain is in a joint itself, it is the lupus.

Fibro does not respond to prednisone for me, where the lupus does. Anti inflammatories help me with joint pain, but don't touch the fibro pain. I have had to become much more in tune with my body so that I may treat the causes accordingly.

Lyrica has worked extremely well for my fibro pain, as has gentle water exercise. Lupus responds to prednisone and opioid pain killers.

Some have suggested that some day it may be determined that fibromyalgia is a form of lupus, but much research is still needed in that department.

 

[LolaLola]

Dear Rachna, I have both and a few other things as well. I know the Fibro
is definite because Dr. D'Cruz confirmed it.

I am glad you have your Lupus diagnosis and hope you feel validated but it is a tough time for you coming to terms with it.

Even when we expect the diagnosis it throws us into a tizzy!
x Lola

 

[rachna]

Hi, thanks to you all i do understand now that it is poss to have both lupus and fibro.

Im finding it hard to distinguish between the two tho! my pains tend to be daily on shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees and ankles. The rheumy did mention amitryptilene but as im already on an anti-depressent (citalopram). He said that has similar qualities to amitryptilene and to see how i get on n if i feel like i want o change meds that to mention it to gp.

Feel like im just a puppet for them to experiment with :lol:

Thanks again guys

love always
rachna xxx

 

[Lily]

Hi Rachna,

Citalopram works quite differently to Amitryptyline (sp?) so it's something to consider if your pain persists and it is Fibro. Ami is usually the first drug they try for Fibro, but there are others like Cymbalta (another anti-D but slightly different in the way it acts from Citalopram). Also Lyrica and Neurontin which are different again and alter the neural pain pathways.

Hope you get some relief soon.

love
Lily