im so sorry for all your physically and emotinally suffering.if im not mistaken,we have to have 11 out of 18 tender spots,to get a dx.of fibro.but please keep searching for the perfect dr. for you.he has to be out there.this is the only way that i see where you could get the answers and help you so rightfully deserve and need.love mg.

I seem to recall reading something here lately that said doctors weren't leaning so heavily on the tenderpoints nowadays. I would think if you have some, plus all the other symptoms, they would lean toward fibro. Especially if they can't find anything else. Just MHO, though.

Good luck on getting an answer. I know you must be so frustrated. So are they giving you any meds to help your symptoms?

I read that it takes the average patient 5 yrs to get a diagnosis. But I can see why they are not going there yet with other things showing up on your tests.

There are lots of conditions besides RA that can show inflammation. Did the anti malaria drug help you?

I know it's frustrating but if you have something that is treatable it's worth hanging in there.

I don't believe it should take 5 years for a diagnosis. From the time of my symptoms to the time of my diagnosis was 6 months. I had a ton of tests in that amount of time. That is appalling that the average is 5 years.

I too am having difficulty getting a diagnosis. One doctor did say that she believed I had fibromyalgia and prescribed Cymbata for me after checking for tender points (That day I had 7 but more on that later), and testing me for RA. That test was negative. She said nothing further about it on subsequent visits. When I tried to discuss it with her she actcually denied ever having said that she believed yjis to be the case. When I questioned why she prescribed the Cymbalta she said. "I prescibed that for sepression. I've only been your doctor for a year. It's impossible to diagnose fibromyalgia in that short a time." She had never discussed depression with me. Needless to say she is no longer my physician.
As for tender points, I don't seem to have all of them all of the time but I do have them. I explained to this doctor that the day she examined me was a relatively good day and I had much less than usual. On my worst days getting to the doctor is nearly impossible. Most days fall somewhere in between.

Excuse my typos

also, I would like to know what other conditions should be ruled out before a definitive diabosis can be made.

Thanks everyone for your responses. Fibrolizzy, I only get two 5mg vicodin per day for my pain. I also take hot baths and heating pads. Skinnybinny, the anti malaria drug made me very tired and irritable, I couldn't tolerate it, so my rheumo took me off of them. Painfully, I feel for ya, Im in the same boat with dumb doctors that just don't care to listen or care at all for that matter. When I first had symptoms, I looked them up on the internet and fibromyalgia and MS came up, fibro fit the most for me, but I needed to rule out MS first or any other autoimmune diseases, so I asked my doctor for a brain MRI, she looked at me and said, you don't have MS, but I will humor you lmao...that's the kind of doctors I have been getting, she was shocked when the results were 4 lesions. (((HUGS)))