Lupus and Fibromyalgia

Because of the difficulties associated with diagnosing Fibromyalgia, many genuine Fibromyalgia sufferers often get misdiagnosed with Lupus.  It is therefore important that you are able to distinguish the difference between the two conditions.

Lupus Symptoms

1. Painful and or swollen joints.
2. A red rash.
3. Chest pain when breathing deeply
4. Fatigue.
5. Hair loss that cannot be easily explained.
6. Swollen glands.
7. Headaches and dizziness can also be a factor.

As with Fibromyalgia, the symptoms of Lupus can range in extremes from person to person and from situation to situation. 

If you have been diagnosed with Lupus and you have none of the symptoms above, then you need to ask your doctor to consider testing you for Fibromyalgia.  Misdiagnosis for any length of time is a serious situation and one that should be rectified as soon as possible.

Fibromyalgia Tender Points

One of the ways that doctors diagnose Fibromyalgia is by testing the tender points.  There is often a lot of pain associated with this disorder and the tender points are excellent indicators that can rule out other causes.

Your doctor will definitely assess these points for you, but it can be helpful for you to know where they are located so you can keep track of your pain and how certain activities affect how you feel.

So just where are the tender points when Fibromyalgia is suspected?  The base of the skull.  This can create a lot of headache problems.  Down a little further is a pressure point on the top of your shoulder.  This can make arm and shoulder mobility difficult.

 The breastbone is another common pressure point.  This can cause pain while doing simple activities like exercise.  Heavy breathing can cause pain for a Fibromyalgia sufferer.

The hips are also commonly affected.  This can make things like walking seem impossible.  It’s also very hard to sleep when you are having hip pain.

All in all, there are 18 total tender points that doctors will examine.  The doctor will usually diagnose you as having Fibromyalgia if you’re having pain in at least 11 of these areas. 

As always, it is well worth you checking and documenting your pain and if the pain corresponds with any of the stated areas then you must mention this to your doctor.