Reply to an Answer

all of the above answers I agree with.  RA can lead to, or worsen, OA, once the joints are damaged, it's happened badly to my wrist & hand. FM alone can be disabling.  If your ESR (SED) or CRP is not high, consider asking for one of the new fibromyalgia drugs, they focus more on the nervous system (one new proposed name for fibro is 'myalgic encephalitis' because basically, it's the nervous system that is overstressed.)  It's NOT all in your head, however.  It's in the entire nervous system.  The spinal fluid has more of what's called Substance P, which correlates with a higher pain level in the patient.  This is objective evidence.  People with FM in the past have been on painkillers, and also drugs (sometimes at very low doses that give you better sleep, that allows your body to get STAGE 4 sleep) like cyclobenzaprine (especially good for muscle spasms), amitriptyline (at higher doses it's an antidepressant, but it was first designed for sleep & pain), neurontin (gabapentin). Now there is Lyrica and other meds - check the section on this site about FM... Wishing you well - it's hard to take just one step at a time, but hang in there.