I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)last Octover 2020 and fibromyalgia (FMS) in February of this year 2022. Which are chronic pain conditions that commonly go together.
Though RA is an autoimmune disease (in which your immune system attacks your joints) and FMS is primarily thought of as a neurological condition (in which pain signals are amplified), they have many of the same symptoms and are believed to have shared underpinnings as well.
In my case, it appears that with a wide array of chronic-pain conditions develop FMS at a high rate. Some scientists believe that’s because chronic pain, from RA or other sources, can cause changes in the way the nervous system perceives and processes pain, and that process can trigger FMS.
Primary symptoms of both RA and Fibromyalgia, include
- fatigue, cognitive
- dysfunction, sleep problems,
which can make diagnosis difficult.
When you have both, the process becomes even more difficult.
But following through is still important—you won’t get the treatment you need to manage your illness(es) and remain as functional as possible unless you know what they are.
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