Help with questions please -

I posted this on the Fibro board too.

I thought I had Lupus but now I think after talking to my Rheum that I have CFS or Fibromyalgia. It'd been in the back of my mind for ages but I wasn't sure because these are supposed to be 'invisible' diseases. None of my doctors ever suggest them as a possible cause of my illness, just say there's nothing else they can do for me.

My questions are:
What are the main differences between CFS and Fibro?
How are CFS and Fibro treated? I do not want to go on Lyrica (why would I want to add brain fog to my already terrible brain fog? nothnx).
What kind of doctor would be best to oversee treatment of these things? I have an appointment with a neurologist in late Oct. and I'm going to push for a sleep study and a neuro-psych exam to see how bad my brain fog really is.

I want to try to overcome this obstacle on my own. I've been complaining of fatigue for YEARS now and then slowly other symptoms started joining the list: migraines, muscle pain and tenderness, weakness, joint pain etc. It's all rather transient, coming and going.

I feel a little bit ashamed that something no doctor can diagnose is possibly bringing me down like this. I was to the point that I was almost hoping it was Lupus because then it'd be something I could identify and would be recognized by the medical community! That's such a silly thing to say but I have been trying to figure out what is wrong with me for ages. I want a doctor to look at me and say "this is what you have, this is how we can fix it." Ya know? I understand that a 'dx' isn't important, so I want to know how to treat my symptoms. But is this all in my head? All of my symptoms?

I can't deal with the brain dysfunction anymore. It is getting in the way of school and me pursuing my dreams and even nondreams such as getting out of bed every day.

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Crohn's (diagnosed in 2006 and currently in remission), severe migraines, Seborrheic Derm., Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (1994), chronic pain, ulcers/GERD and possibly Lupus. Medications: Nexium, Pentasa, Percocet and Vicodin as needed, Flintstone Vitamins (my favorite part!), calcium and magnesium supplements, vitamin D once weekly. I follow a low fiber, low residue diet.

Hi - has anyone suggested you have lyme disease and/or possibley another tick borne infection?

Please email stephanie@turnthecorner.org to get the name of a lyme literate doctor in your state. - You will not regret seeing one of these specialists. They will help you get your life back. They helped me.
You can also email me with any questions lauradghrs@hotmail.com