help please ..

[zozo7]

hello advice please ... does anyone know the difference between rhem .arthritis and fibromyalgia ? living with rhem. arthritis since I was 33 im now 48 ,but somethings changed my shoulders hurt and creak ,restless at night hurts to turn over , feet hurt, flare after flare list goes on ,I said it to my rhem.doctor but he didn't want to know .ive just had enough of going round in circles and the pain ive also been diagnosed with lymphedema too. they changed my injections from benpali to to tocilizumab .been on this for 10wks now but I wouldn't say its helping me ,also on painpatches but very much in pain still .thankyou

[Amy65]

I was on tocilmumab didn't help me at all .now on pain patches take the edge of the pain amy

[Hidden]

I have bother with pain and trying to turn is agony at times for me its a combination of my three condition s,osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, dercums which causes same the fluid ,I feel my hip &leg weighs so much its like trying to lift concrete slab and its crying pain,not nice at all.

[Claire133]

Hi Zozo

I'm really sorry to hear your suffering and I very much empathise with you! I have the same symptoms of being in agony at night when I move and try to turn over, mine is shoulders, spine and rib cage and I have absolute agonizing pain in my feet and ankles with swollen legs. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis as well as Fibromyalgia, and my feet have bilateral plantar fasciitis. I'm just wondering whether it might be worth you researching AS and Plantar Faciitis, printing off the symptoms pages, then taking it to your doctor and asking for referral to Rheumatology for investigation in case you have either, or one of these conditions too?

Also, your symptoms might be that your Rheumatoid Arthritis has flared and your joints/synovial sacks in your joints in your shoulders and feet are being attacked, you definitely should be seen again by the Rheumatologist for diagnostic scans as your RA medication might not be working.

Lastly, the difference between the 2 diseases that you mention:- Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto immune disorder (like AS) which attacks your joints and causes irreparable damage which can be seen on scans. Fibromyalgia is what I believe to be neurological in nature, the disorder doesn't attack and damage joints, it cannot be seen on scans, and it is a hypersensitivity to pain where your brain receives signals through your nerves, of extreme hypersensitive pain, that is stronger in sensitivity, than it neurotypically should be. Hope that helps a bit. The only way to determine for sure, which one is causing the shoulder and feet pain, is to be referred by a Rheumatologist for scans, they should do ultrasound on the ligaments on your feet, and an isotope injection CT scan on your whole body. Good luck with everything x

[zozo7 in reply to Claire133]

thankyou so much for replying sorry to hear ur suffering so much as well ,isn't it awful no one really understands the pain we all go through ,you gave some good points so I will do my research as as far as my specialist he just doesn't seem that helpful and not seeing him till dec even thou im on new injections and I really don't think there helping me ,all he says is your imflamation levels are ok ...arghhh

[Hidden]

I believe Rheumatoid Arthritis is an immune system disorder. Osteoarthritis is wearing away of the cartilage and joints, cause unknown. And fibro is widespread pain and fatigue, disturbed sleep and often other problems like IBS but cause unknown.

It’s possible to have more than one condition , unfortunately and it’s a case of finding what works for you. Understanding doctors seem to be as rare as hens teeth I fear.

[zozo7 in reply to Hidden]

thanks for your response ,yes the doctors say its very hard to diagnose fibro and its quite similar to rheum .arthritis so im none the wiser

[Hidden in reply to zozo7]

All I can suggest is keeping a pain diary so you will see if there are any patterns to your pain ( I found sugar is a trigger) Note where you gave pain and give each a rating, say 1-5) If you have Any repetitely psinful areas, especially if there's swelling, should be Xrayed.

Arthritis should show in a blood test, might be worth asking the dr about that.

Find out what helps you ---- heat, hydrotherapy, Epsom salts, turmeric etc.. Look at Dr Myhill's site. I've been using her regime for 2-3 months now and it's really helped. Still felt flare days ( yesterday was one) but they're fewer than they were.

[Dinkie]

I put my shoulder problems down to fibro and it took months for me to seek medical advice. After x-rays it was discovered it was calcific tendonitis. Jolly painful it is too. Couldn't "sleep" not that I do much of that anyway! but any pressure was too much so ended up sitting up or laying down on the opposite side for as long as I could. Try epsom salt baths and get your vit D level checked if you haven't already. I have a heated shoulder pad (like a cape) that helps to some degree. We fibro folk tend to put all problems down to the dreaded fibro but it isn't always the case. Hope you get some relief soon.

[zozo7 in reply to Dinkie]

I love Epsom salt baths ,yes I read about vit d very interesting im due my blood test soon so il see ,thankyou

[leeniebeanie726]

Rheumatoid arthritis is pain , and deformities in your joints. Fibromyalgia is pain throughout your entire body. At times I have severe muscle spasms from fibromyalgia. Found the only thing that calms my fibromyalgia down , is CBD oil