Q: I have recently been diagnoised with fibromyalgia.My dad has rheumatoid arthritis,are these in any way linked to one another?
That is a good question. I have Fibro and Inflammatory Arthritis and Osteoarthritis. My rheumy told me that people with various types of arthritis often also have Fibro, but I don't know how or if they are actually related. I think you should ask your doctor and then share the info here. Mabye one of the experts here will see your question and share what they know. Best Wishes, V
They are related in that they are both in the family of sautoimmune disorder. With that they share a few of the same symptoms. The good thing about fibro is that it does not cause damage to joints as it is neurological pain! But keep up with your symptoms as a whole. Fibro can sometimes get in the way of diagnosing RA.
Enduring the symptoms of fibro is the worst of the fight with that disorder. I hate the restless leg syndrome and the brain fog (I sometimes wake up confused as all hell and can't concentrate and have trouble finding the right words to talk.. it fun if you like feeling drunk without the alcohol..hehehe)
prescripts for Fibro include exercise, mild painkillers, anti-inflammatories and muscles relaxers. A strong case will warrant a nerve block (also in the anti-seizure class) such as neurontin. I also take cymbalta to help with depression.
RA is an autoimmune disorder and new research shows that fibromyalgia is a disorder of the central nervous system involving how the body processes pain. Because the general term of arthritis refers to conditions involving pain, fibromyalgia has been lumped in with arthritis. Is your dad's RA connected to you having fibro? I don't know. In the past, people might have said so, but as a new research shows that fibro is a central nervous system disorder, perhaps not. On the other hand, my mother has fibro, I have RA and fibro and my sister has fibro and I've seen many other familial relationships like that on this site. From a common sense perspective, there seems to be some evidence that they are connected, but I think the jury is still out in terms of actual scientific evidence.
We have lots of good information on fibromyalgia and how to manage and live well with it on our Chronic Pain site in the fibromyalgia area.
Good luck!
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