Fibromyalgia Support Group
You're not alone in your pain. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. If you're trying to cope with pain throughout your body, sleep problems, general fatigue, or other common fibromyalgia symptoms, you're in the right place. The community is here for you to talk about therapies and share your challenges.
i have been treated for rheumatoid arthritis for two years. Nothing i tried helped. In February my rheumy retired. On 12/28/15 i had my first appt with another rheumy. She is extremely knowledgable and articulate. She talked with me for an hr and a half. Then did a physical exam. When she checked my pressure points i just about jumped off the table! Noone had ever checked those. She told me she believes i do not have ra. she believes i have fibromyalgia!! She started me on gabapentin. please tell me what works for this pain...... i ache all over and even opiates do little. i spent the first yr in bed. this second yr i am on opiates and working. but barely able to some days. i applied for disability and its two yrs later still waiting on a date w the judge. now with this diagnosis, will i get refused? i work because we will lose house if i dont. any thoughts would be helpful.....M
Mis-dx is not a big surprise. FM can seem like much else and much else mimics Fibro symptoms. (Think of all that can cause a simple *headache*.... stress, caffeine withdrawal, head cold, all the way to *brain tumor*!)....
Gabapentin helps quite a lot of people. We tend to fall into groups by what does/doesn't necessarily help. Some do best on SSRIs, some on Gaba, some on this, and so on. (Others find out the FM is the mis-dx.) But it does take a couple weeks for most meds to really "kick in".
That said, if you've had blood screenings and scans that indicate RA, don't dismiss it, either. YOu can have more than one problem at a time, despite the medical "wisdom" of TV shows. Some develop FM secondary to RA, others have MS and fibro-like symptoms that bring them here, and more, so make sure you're not being re-mis-diagnosed, okay?
I say that because my GP re-checks my markers for a half-dozen things every year, despite 20 years of FM, "just in case" something has or might be missed!
Also, buy the book"Fibromyalgia for Dummies". It's our go-to and an excellent resource for patients, families, doctors even.
Again, welcome!
Leo
If you were diagnoised with RA and your medical records don't prove that you had it by diagnostic tests, then you can't be approved for that impairment during the time frame that you thought you had RA. You must be diagnoised with Medically Determined Impairment with diagnostic test results to back up the diagnosis, if they exist.
For a diagnosis of fibro, your dr must rule out other impairments first. This takes time and tests. I have put a link below that give the criteria for fibro for SSA Disability. It is very difficult to be approved for fibro only, but it ocassionally happens. Do you have an attorney ? If you have severe pain and you are claiming that the pain is so severe that you can't work, are you seeing a pain management dr ?
Evaluation of Fibromyalgia-
https://www.socialsecurity.gov/OP_Home/rulings/di/01/SSR2012-02-di-01.html