Firstly thanks & I hope I've not missed anyone who has kindly replied & sorry if I have. DOES FIBROMYALGIA HAVE LOADS OF SYPTOMS OF RA etc

[Whatamug1]

I also have to b on my feet 'pottering' I call it otherwise Im in pain & I stiffen up .... I can walk with pain & use mind over matter but really suffer badly after all the effort & will end up flat on my back in pain & exhausted & wondering if the lack of any quality to life makes any of this worth it.

[Hidden]

Fibromyalgia, RA, Lupus, Enthesitis, Sjogrens have a lot of crossover symptoms that as far as I am aware can make it difficult to give precise diagnoses in some cases; and some people even have multiple diagnoses. Pain is certainly common to them all. What meds are you using?

[Whatamug1 in reply to Hidden]

Well .....pain is pain & having been brought up with "mind over matter" (ex sports) - & colonial family out east & "stiff upper lip" - I probably am my own worst enemy. I have resisted to the point where even a paracetomal or two has been my last option before cutting my wrists!!! Through this site I have managed to cry yesterday ( well more like a leak really ) & today actually talked to my Dr (2nd time since I changed Drs as no one was listening in 3 yrs). He was ok ... verified that ATOS Dr had diagnosed Fibromyalgia & wants me to take citilopram (?) & co- codamol (?) as from tomorrow & then contact again in a months time. I live in hope as from today - & feel that whatever the actual label is ....easing the symptoms is the main priority. I'm also on statins ... found that simvastatin made pain so much worse ...on a combination of atorvastatin & ezetimibe & am ok with it. Was on Amlodipine but ended up bradycardic (?) a few months ago .... so stopped taking it & the slow heartbeat dizziness etc stopped. Told Dr today & he didn't react. I had to do something myself as they failed to give me a date to wire me up as they said they would. I do have osteo A following trauma - childhood injury to my back aswell & dactylitis. I'm living in the hope that those with similar pain may have answers. My future would look so much brighter with less pain & some voluntary work.

[Jill60 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Pb....wonder if you can answer my question...you mention that some conditions can crossover etc.....around 24 years ago, my mouth was constantly dry, and to beat that I always had to have mints to hand and diet come etc.... Teeth got bad, I mentioned this to my Dentist and he mentioned sjorgens to me at the time........fast forward to now, and I cannot get through the day without my mints, because if I didn't have them on me and had a conversation with a person, my mouth would dry up, tongue and would then make back of my throat so dry that I would end up having a coughing fits ?? Have never mentioned this to my GP, due o more important health issues.......what do u think? Have read some bits on the subject, but I'm still questioning it? Any help would be great

Thanks Jill

[Hidden in reply to Jill60]

You really should speak to your GP but you're right. I too am now putting a name to a variety of odd symptoms that I have had since my 20's, clicky jaw, tendency to 'turn' an ankle, rash on chest - all of which I am now told are part of my enthesitis. So go talk to your GP - all these symptoms may just add up to something.

Good Luck

[Whatamug1]

& I forgot & am very rude - thx again for taking your time and energy in replying to my cries of help & not for the first time. Know doubt u have your own .... can I help ? You can tell me to P....O.. if you want - take care.

[Hidden]

Poor you, sounds like you are having a rough time.

OK, so I gather that meds are a last resort for you. This is easy for me to say but the experience of most on this forum will probably be to say that we cannot get by without them and that taking them is not a sign of weakness on our part. It's more acceptance of our condition and the need to have as normal a life as we can with a crippling disease. So, don't beat yourself up over it. For all of our conditions there is no cure and not taking meds would hasten degenerative changes in our joints. But my missus belongs to the 'there's nothing wrong with me. I don't need a tablet' brigade

Next, you may have to spend a lot more time with your GP than you are used to finding the right treatment and dealing with all the routine follow-ups and secondary symptoms that you may experience, such as dactylisis (a common condition in arthropathies).

When you are diagnosed with a life-long condition like ours you have some adjustment to make. We all get PO'd and angry and this is the place to come and have a rant with folks who understand.

With the right meds there's every chance of leading a normal life and doing some voluntary work.

[Whatamug1]

Sorry - didn't mean to sound condescending. If it wasn't for this site I wouldn't have called the Dr today to discover they knew I had FM & will try to help me limit the pain. It's just taken so long to get here as a couple of decades of medical mistakes has left me pretty scared of the medics. I just have to learn to trust again ! It could be very rewarding for me. I now know I'm not alone & that already makes me feel positive - although sad for everyone too ! Ta