Due to my Mad-Cow... | Arthritis Information

I know I have asked before but can someone explain to me the differences between Fibro and RA (my Mad-Cow is raging again). From what I have read they sound almost identical.

Do they have the same painful symptoms? Does Fibro effect the joints? And if so, are they different joints than what RA effects? Do they use the same meds to treat both?

Any help on the subject would be most appreciated.

< =text/>_popupControl(); For me, my fibro is a different type of ache than the RA. It is kinda hard to describe. It is just different. It affects the muscles in my shoulders and neck more than anything. My fibro does not affect my joints...it is more a muscle ache for me. Flexeril (or a different brand of muscle relaxer) and ibuprofen are commonly prescribed for fibro. I have do not konw but have not heard of RA drugs being prescribed for it. I really feel the only thing that is the same with fibro and RA is they both make ya ache. There are "trigger points" on your body that your rhemuy will check and ask if they hurt when your rheumy touches them. Here is a link for fibro info and a support forum. http://www.immunesupport.com/

Both RA and fibro are immune diseases.

well Blessed. At least you get to have your own cow, that's kinda cool. They're so pretty. Hope she calms down soon. Can't stay mad forever, afterall.

Blessed~ I have Fibro but not RA. The pains are more in the muscles than the joints and there is no damage to the joints. I have swelling and spasms when I'm flaring, mostly in my back and neck. Muscle relaxers, pain meds, physical therapy, moist heat, and massage all help. I've never heard of anyone taking DMARDS or Biologics for Fibro. I have osteo in my fingers, bursitis in my shoulders so it all ties in to the pain

Hope this helps It's so hard to tell what's what!! When my Rd checked me in the beginning I had none of the "trigger points" Gramma spoke of. Just trying to rule out everything. And from what ya'll are saying I don't think I have Fibro.

Thanks guys for the info. Ya know Blessed, they SAY that about the finger joints....but between all the people on this board who have hand involvement....I think "they" are really wrong. LOL I get the RA all the way out to the ends of my fingers too. You're far from alone on that one!I'm so glad you replied. I've been really concerned about this and was unsure of all that I have read. So much info out there...how do you know what to believe? It's hard! It really is. What I consider a lot of the time, is when the answer was produced - for example, the idea that the end joints of your fingers aren't affected by RA, just OA. That thought dates back QUITE a ways. It's really just an old way of thinking. The medical community learns and grows with leaps and bounds so it's no wonder we can be so confused sometimes!Thanks a bunch Katie!! Well when did they decide that fibro was an immune desease? When i was dx fibro was of unknown cause and origin. They said could not hurt you no joint or muscle damage or enternal organ damage. Have they changed there minds? I wonder. Well i do not swell with fibro. I get insomnia bad before a fibro attack. RA is straight fatique. You can get nots in your muscles and tendons. Joint pain from tight tendon pulling. Hard to sleep. Cause of the knawing pain and sleep is the best cure for fibro deep good sleep they say. Or used to say. I have a pain in the bone you sit on. That foot thing you have had reminds me of a fibro thing i get that is annoying. I of course have not seen your foot and am not a doctor. But it sounds a bit familar. And my fibro may be in my foot one hour and in my arm or shoulder the next hour. Or it may stay in one place a week or a more. Very unpredictable. I here RA is unpredictable also. But they are not the same thing. Guess i better read that link. Alot to keep up with.

Blessed, when I asked the RD about the muscle spasms that moved around my body, he thought that might be fibro in addition to his other diagnosis. But, once the RD drugs kicked in, the spasms stopped completely except for an occasional flare in the left elbow. And I never had the trigger points so I don't think it was fibro at all. There's so much they still don't know about all these diseases. Heck, how long did it take before the medical community even admited that fibro was a real disease and not just something in the patient's head?