I don't know about it showing up in blood work but I have fiberb also, those days when my skin hurts to even look at, my joints seems to hurt more also, when you find out, let us know.

You are correct that Fibro doesn't show up in bloodwork. What I meant was the RA blood tests.

I was with my Rheumy on Tuesday and he said that my fibro was in a flare which exasperated my RA pain. I was full of pain in all my joints and all the fibro points.

Maybe anything "additional" will worsen RA symptoms eg a row with someone, mislaying an important item, having to cook dinner!!! All adds up to stress and Fibromyalgia is both extra stress and pain in itself. Seems logical that therefore what is going on with RA is amplified.

Just got a weekly magazine in today that has a major feature on pain management which I am going to read and if it says anything worthwhile will post the info on here.

I've noticed that if one is flaring, then so is the other. For me, the RA usually kicks up the fibro.

-Tanya

It is interesting to note that for those who have replied, a flare-up in one often is accompanied by a flare-up in the other. Whether or not the Fibromyalgia is in a flare or not, does simply having the condition make the perception of RA (or other) pain feel more intense?

Yes,
No,
Pain meds and muscles relaxers.

I was diagnosed with fibro when I was 12. Last fall at 35 I was diagnosed with RA. I probably had RA when I was a kid, just isolated, not the all over flare that it is now. I also have chronic migraines, often daily for weeks or months at a time.

So to answer your question... I don't know. In my case, I rarely missed work, even with some really killer migraines (keep that garbage can close!). But when this flare started last summer, I worked myself into the ground, swelling and in pain, until my Doctor finally ordered me to take time off. In my case, there's no comparison... my fibro pain is nothing compared to RA. I barely notice it anymore. Even with migraines, you know it's going to go away eventually, so you keep on truckin until it's gone. But that could also be from years of blocking it out, learning to ignore it... it's background static and RA is a set of Bose headphones with Marilyn Manson playing on the highest volume. Hopefully I can learn to deal with RA the same way, but I kind of doubt it. The difference is pretty drastic to me.

Oh yeah - and I second that... pain meds and muscle relaxers!!

I get massaged every other day which has cleared up my fibro enough to allow me to exercise. With exercise my fibro pain lessens (over time - the day after the exercise is ridiculously horrible, but after 2 months of exercise then massage when it gets bad I can now exercise without crying the next day )

For me fibro pain gets bad because I don't move due to the pain. So my muscles lock up and i have all the trigger points along with burning skin etc. It is actually RA making my fibro worse because RA causes me to be more sedentary.

A month ago I found Yoga: The Iyengar Way and finally I have found a way to get rid of the fibro pain in my upper butt / lower back area - I just do the simple sitting exercises in it. Seems silly just to sit for 10 seconds, but I realize with RA and fibro I no longer knew how to sit. Now I'm able to sit properly.

I have now read the article on pain I mentioned in my earlier reply. It is about pain research. People definitely experience pain in different ways and is experienced in the brain. This isnt at all the same as saying pain is "unreal" in any way or we set out to make ourselves suffer deliberately! In fact it is pretty obvious pain is felt with consciousness.

In one paragraph talking about arthritis (both forms) it was acknowledge people could have the same joints affected similarly and feel the pain with different intensity. (Pain discussed in the article was more than just arthritic). I think it referred to fibromylagia at this point too but am writing without the article to make myself think more clearly (was a good three pages long - main feature of magazine).

I read on hoping for solutions. What grashopa has just posted is relevant. Putting aside what it said for the real biggies like phantom pain when people have limbs removed for which there are now specific helping techniques it did suggest some things.

One is massage!! Of course we cant all afford this but maybe could train husbands, partners or swap with friends. They did point out however the training part of professionals who are targeting tendons, joints so obviously a trained person knows more. (I did massage training myself so understand what they were referring to).

Other things which assist are meditation, music and distraction. Mind on something else.

There were pretty coloured pictures of "in pain" brains and show that a lot of areas of the brain are involved when pain is experienced. They were looking for specific sites in the hope of being able to work on these but it is more complex than realised.

They also proved that medications work but of course we all know effectiveness varies. On this topic they had done a pain experiment telling one group of volunteers they were being given pain relief and another not, even when both groups were in fact on the same pain relief. The ones told they were getting relief reported less pain than the group who didnt think they were getting any. They had "fake" nurses pretend to stop the pain relief to the so called relief medicated volunteers and they immediately said the pain was worse...

Oh dear, we have to believe in our drugs too!!! Am going to see if I can find more about these researchers and if I do and can find a link I will post it.

Thanks Camba for the summary. Individuals definitely perceive pain differently and different things can help calm, distract, or reduce pain - such as some of the ways you have mentioned. Massage, acupuncture for some, yoga...
I would like to to hear more about yoga for those in chronic pain.

I recall reading that there are special differences in the pain receptors in the brains of people w/ Fibromyalgia. Does this also heighten perception of other types of pain?

Given you are a couple of pages in you might need to ask a separate question about yoga and chronic pain. Not everyone returns to a topic and it is a bit different from what you started out asking.

A new topic title might catch the eyes of yoga enthusiasts. Not sure about yoga. I used to do it but know I couldnt now. Similarly pilates. This is because of long term weakening of some sort around various joints. For example although I can now walk OK which I couldnt at first with this disease there is notway I can do some of the poses involving foot strength. Similarly I cant kneel for any length of time - some days not at all....