I've had rheumatoid arthritis for about 25 years, and I was diagnosed with fibro about 3 years ago although I'm sure I had it much longer. It can be hard to sort the symptoms from the RA symptoms. My rheumatologist is board certified in pain management, rheumatology, and internal medicine, which makes me very lucky. He is passionate and very current in his areas of practice.
I didn't want a fibro diagnosis. It is still thought of as a whiner's diagnosis in much of the medical and nursing community. When I began perimenopause, I became anemic. I was anemic for several years, and finally it got to the point where I was going to need a transfusion. This is when the fibro got really bad. If you research, anemia is one of the things that can trigger fibro. That along with the RA made me a prime candidate. I had to quadruple my pain meds for about a year. The fibro was far worse than the RA, even though the RA is deforming my joints.
I still have both, but the fibro has lessened over all. Warm water exercise helps a lot of people. You can find a cheap program through the Arthritis Foundation website http://www.arthritis.org/. Other mild exercise activities such as walking and gardening can help as well, IF you remember to pace yourself. I find if I do anything longer than an hour I pay for it for days. So I garden or walk for an hour and stop whether I feel okay then or not.
Fibro is as frustrating as RA, but at least with RA people know it is real. Hopefully we'll get there soon with fibro. I am now in a running program for the first time in my life thanks to a great doctor, my own research, and the Couch to 5K training program http://www.c25k.com/. Exercise really does help, but you have to tailor it to your body's needs.
We have fibro and RA groups here on EmpowHER as well. If you would like to share your story or find support, please check them out.
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I've had rheumatoid arthritis for about 25 years, and I was diagnosed with fibro about 3 years ago although I'm sure I had it much longer. It can be hard to sort the symptoms from the RA symptoms. My rheumatologist is board certified in pain management, rheumatology, and internal medicine, which makes me very lucky. He is passionate and very current in his areas of practice.
I didn't want a fibro diagnosis. It is still thought of as a whiner's diagnosis in much of the medical and nursing community. When I began perimenopause, I became anemic. I was anemic for several years, and finally it got to the point where I was going to need a transfusion. This is when the fibro got really bad. If you research, anemia is one of the things that can trigger fibro. That along with the RA made me a prime candidate. I had to quadruple my pain meds for about a year. The fibro was far worse than the RA, even though the RA is deforming my joints.
I still have both, but the fibro has lessened over all. Warm water exercise helps a lot of people. You can find a cheap program through the Arthritis Foundation website http://www.arthritis.org/. Other mild exercise activities such as walking and gardening can help as well, IF you remember to pace yourself. I find if I do anything longer than an hour I pay for it for days. So I garden or walk for an hour and stop whether I feel okay then or not.
Fibro is as frustrating as RA, but at least with RA people know it is real. Hopefully we'll get there soon with fibro. I am now in a running program for the first time in my life thanks to a great doctor, my own research, and the Couch to 5K training program http://www.c25k.com/. Exercise really does help, but you have to tailor it to your body's needs.
We have fibro and RA groups here on EmpowHER as well. If you would like to share your story or find support, please check them out.
September 21, 2010 - 7:09amThis Comment
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