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Fibro, no arthritis...

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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 6/9/2013 2:37 AM (GMT 0)
I have been diagnosed with Fibro by a few different Drs. I have been told I do not have arthritis, but I have a lot of inflammation in my neck and back. What else could be causing the inflammation? Is there anything I should be asking the Drs to check for?
Posted 6/9/2013 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
Reanna,

Forgive me if you've said already - my brain is very foggy....but what did they mean by inflammation? I mean, how did they determine that it's true inflammation?

Debbie
Posted 6/9/2013 3:33 AM (GMT 0)
I'm not sure... they did a lot of blood work, did Xrays... Just decided that I had inflammation. I take naproxen, prescription 2x a day and am on a tapering course of prednisone for the inflammation. It seems to be helping somewhat, so it's doing something right.. but he doesn't want to start treating the fibro until the inflammation is down?


ETA: The rheumatologist is who said I had the inflammation. I have had lower back issues for 15+ years, and honestly assumed it was arthritis until he said it wasn't.
Posted 6/9/2013 8:06 AM (GMT 0)
Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease of the spine. It can affect the neck since its part of the spine. Also, some doctors will throw out the term inflammatory for any type of pain since its something most people understand. This is one reason that many people connect any pain with the term inflammatory. That's not necessarily true. You can have pain withou inflammation going on.

But since you said it was a rheumy that said this, I'm not sure. Maybe he didn't check you for ankylosing spondylitis since it generally happens in men...at least that's my understanding. I was diagnosed through a thorough medical history , blood work that showed a lot of inflammation, plus a gene that many with AS have.

Sherrine
Posted 6/9/2013 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
My arthritis is connected to the IBDs, and AS tests are still in limbo, after the move. But I know now that some of the pain I was experiencing and then attributing to fibro was actually enteropathic arthritis.
Posted 6/9/2013 11:27 PM (GMT 0)

Sherrine said...
Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease of the spine. It can affect the neck since its part of the spine. Also, some doctors will throw out the term inflammatory for any type of pain since its something most people understand. This is one reason that many people connect any pain with the term inflammatory. That's not necessarily true. You can have pain withou inflammation going on.

But since you said it was a rheumy that said this, I'm not sure. Maybe he didn't check you for ankylosing spondylitis since it generally happens in men...at least that's my understanding. I was diagnosed through a thorough medical history , blood work that showed a lot of inflammation, plus a gene that many with AS have.

Sherrine

Do you think this is something I should ask my Dr about? Or just let it go for now and treat the inflammation and go from there?
Posted 6/10/2013 1:58 PM (GMT 0)
AS, from my understanding, is linked to IBDs such as Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, and Celiac. It isn't really connected to Fibromyalgia. Do you have an IBD? Otherwise, it really isn't too be suspected from fibro...

Glad to hear you have had a daignosis!
Posted 6/10/2013 5:06 PM (GMT 0)
mild ibs
Posted 6/10/2013 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
I was wrong, looking back over my materials. It is linked to a gene, but CAN be present more often with people with an IB disease. Inflammation spreads to the spinal column.
Posted 6/11/2013 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
Ok, I looked over my bloodwork results, and did some googling, and found out why the rheumy says I have inflammation we need to take care of. My "CRP Acute Phase" was at 10.9, and it is supposed to be less than 5. Anything higher points to inflammation.
Posted 6/11/2013 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
Reanna, the tests (blood work)for inflammation I took were called the ESR and the CRP.  I can't tell you what the numbers were but they were high.  I also showed the genetic marker for spondyloarthropathy, which is basically what ankylosing spondylitis is.  It's called the HLA-B27.

It sure wouldn't hurt to ask to be tested for this because this is a progressive disease and you want to keep it under control.  

Sherrine 

Posted 6/11/2013 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
Ok, thanks! I didn't see the ESR test, but the CRP was there and the result was elevated. When I call this evening to check in I will ask some more questions.
Posted 6/11/2013 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
You might ask about getting a light box.  That will help with depression and raising serotonin levels.  Google it and you will see.  We had a mod that used to be here that used one and it helped her a lot.

 

Sherrine

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