Hi Everyone -
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in June of this year (2017). I have a wonderful Rheumy, but we are still playing detective work on any co-existing conditions. My SED rate is 43 (I'm 31 years old so it should be under 20) and my ANA is positive. CRP was normal. Rheumatoid Factor was normal as well. Essentially, I'm borderline for an autoimmune condition as well.
Has anyone else been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia first and then had a secondary diagnosis down the road?
I take… read more
So, everything I have studied about fibro, it is not about inflammation. A positive sed (ESR) is an indication of other ussues. Like rheumatoid arthritis or polymyalgia. ( @A MyFibroTeam Member, has your doctor talked to you about polymyalgia?) And like I said before, it could mean nothing at all. It is not a test used to diagnose fibromyalgia.
@A MyFibroTeam Member, you are my sister twin. When I look at Q&A questions, I’m ready to write an answer and you say exactly what I was going to say. Cracks me up! Lol.
I hope you get some answers soon. ❤️
xxxx
@A MyFibroTeam Member. we sure think alike. Lol. I was going to say that i believe fibro is an auto immune disease too. We all have elevated inflamation in our bodies. That is part of fibro from what i understand. I think the inflamation is what causes our pain. I bet if we all were tested for inflamation levels, we would all have high levels
I got the diagnosis all at one time, hypothyroid, arthritis, sjogrens, fibro, and sometimes the lupus shows sometimes it doesnt. I lost a sister to lupus and hodgkins disease back in 1971. But medicine has come a long way since then. when i get a bout of bronchitis, like i just did, I get a decreasing prednisone pack. I feel great for a week while i am on it then its like coming down off a high. and the pain seems worse. I will be getting that in a day or 2 since I just finished a pack.
Having a high Sed (ESR) rate does not necessarily mean something is wrong. You could have the exact same test a week later and it could be totally normal. It’s an indication of inflammation but not an absolute test to diagnose anything. Just about everyone will test high on this test at some point. It could mean nothing, or it could mean you will just need to check it again at a later time.
Same with the ANA. Although it can be an indication for lupus, a lot of people can also test positive for this test with no lupus diagnoses.
I know this is very frustrating because this really isn’t the answer you were looking for. But I wanted to ease your mind a bit.
I would suspect that your doctor will want to retest you at some point and add a few other tests at that time.
I believe fibromyalgia is an autoimmune. And if you have one autoimmune, another could be already there, or hovering around the corner.
I have hypothyroid and Raynaud's.
The order in which I was diagnosed was Raynaud’s, hypothyroid, and then fibro.
Good luck! Please let us know how things go.
xxxx
@A MyFibroTeam Member. Lol. It is probably from years of dealing with fibro and learning as much as we can about it. I always tell people that i could be a nurse or doctor or pharmacist after all i have learned from my own health. My friends and fanmily call dr lisa when they need medical advice.. It sucks that i had to learn it the hard way. So anyway, i guess we are medical twins. Lol. Have a great night everyone.