I've got the whole constellation of ailments going on too. I developed Sjogren's syndrome January 1997 and fibromyalgia just two months later. I have no idea which illness is causing the neuropathy in my limbs or if it is a separate problem altogether.

I do suspect, though, that my bodywide nerve pain which is constant (though luckily mostly in the background, like white noise) may be the result of fibromyalgia. I have gotten so used to it that I hardly ever notice it unless it gets better, which it has, briefly, in response to medication on three occasions since 2002. Unfortunately, the pain came roaring back after only a few months each time and quit responding to any meds after that.

One reason you might want to see a rheumatologist: to find out if your fibromyalgia is secondary to an autoimmune disease. If so, you may find that if you can manage the autoimmune disease, the fibromyalgia will improve as a result. Sounds weird, but it's like the fibro "feeds" off of other ailments that cause pain.

If you have chronic myofascial pain, it is a disease in which your muscles develop knots in them. These knots are known as trigger points, and when they are pressed, they will send pain signals traveling to other parts of the body, like when a tight neck muscle shoots pain or numbness into your hand. I manage this with massage in which the therapist physically works the knots out of the muscles so that range of motion is restored.

You can also do self-massage to get rid of trigger points. Try "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" by Claire Davies. And to find out more about the relationship of fibromyalgia to chronic myofascial pain, read "Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain" by Devin Starlanyl.

A word on meds. Fibromyalgia in isolation is not generally inflammatory in nature, so stuff like Voltaren might not help a lot. But if you have a concurrent ailment that does cause inflammation (another reason to see a rheumatologist), you'll need to address that.

I take Meloxicam for arthritis cause by Sjogren's. All I can tolerate that really seems to help the fibromyalgia specifically is Baclofen, and I limit its use due to side effects. But there is a huge amount of variation from person to person as to what works for fibromyalgia.

Hope something in here makes sense. Our bodies can be such complicated mazes.

fanfaire