My Fibromyalgia seems to be getting worse.....could it be Lupus?

Question

I have had Fibromyalgia for 3 years now. i recently have had a lot more muscle pain especially lower back or kidney pain. Urine tested okay. No infection. I have also developed a butterfly rash on my face. Could the Fibromyalgia be mimicing Lupus? Other signs I should watch for?

Answer 1

Lupus CANNOT be diagnosed by a siimple blood test. The ongoing work of the National Lupus Registry project is trying to identify biomarkers specific to lupus. If there was a simple test, this research would not be going on.

I know three people who have both lupus and fibro. Both are autoimmune and you can have them in overlap.

The butterfly rash is a pretty good indicator, unless you have rosacea.

Watch for joint pain, frequent fevers, and profound fatigue. Lupus manifests itself differently in different people.

If you have lupus nephritis you will have protein in your urine. There are usually no physical symptoms like pain until the disease is pretty serious. Then you might find pink and/or foamy urine and equal swelling in your legs and ankles, or a rise in blood pressure.

Keep a journal of your symptoms and have a good talk with your doctor. Doctors are not usually pleased when we have decided on our diagnosis before we get in there. Just explain the symptoms-duration, frequency, severity, body part, what makes it better and what makes it worse. If you have doctor that brushes you off, ask for a 15 minutes of his/her full attention. Be well organized and present your symtpoms clearly.

Best wishes.

Answer 2

Lupus can be diagnosed with a simple blood test. I assume your Doc did the autoimmune screening, before diagnosing Fibro. Might be a good idea to phone him and ask for the blood test results. If he did not do them, then ask him to do it. Happy 2008

Answer 3

Only your doctor can tell you the answer