I guess I should explain how I was diagnosed...and in truth do not know much about Fibromyralgia or know that I believe I have it.....I think the first Rheumatoid doc I saw was looking to diagnose me with something and get rid of me so he decided on Fibro....

I have severe spinal problems..I have a fusion at C4-5, 5-6 and 6-7. I had the cervical fusion in August of 2005. I am already showing signs of degeneration at C2 and C3 and T1-T4...I also have spinal problems in the lumbar and have a fusion of L1 to S1. I had this fusion in April 2006. I am recovering from this surgery now...

I am still having much of the same presurgery pain that I had before the lumbar fusion...I started to cry to my pain management doc one day in the office about how much pain I was having in the morning. I told him if I just do not move I do not have pain, but unfortunatley, I have to move so I am in agony. He decided to send me for blood tests...My hair was falling out at the time too...and my shoulders hurt so badly I could not raise my arm to do my hair or makeup...The blood test came back positive for RA, but it was a low positive.

I saw the head of RA doc ...He did the exam looking for RA...poked me all over the place and as I said ouch to them...He said I had Fibro...Well I also have OA in all those same places...so how do you decide one from the other? I decided he just wanted to get rid of me...and did not really look at my films...I wanted someone to help me with my OA that seems to be creeping into every joint....so I made an appt with a woman RA doc...Well it was still within the hospital system...I did not realize that she would just read his notes and go on his findings....so she is having me come back just to placate me, but in truth she thinks I am looking for a diagnosis of RA, when I really wanted someone to help with the OA...but she was so disagreeable ...I would not want her to help with anything...She was not anyone I would drive three hours to see again...She was supposedly a top doc in the Philadelphia area...but she would not get my vote....for certain...

So I thought I should read about Fibro...Oh and I thought she went on the other docs notes because she did not do the poking he did, but she did just about ruin my fusion for certain by raising my leg way up in the air..I think she wanted to hear me scream in agony...After she lifted the leg she twisted it and then the hip pain kicked in, but I have a four inch screw into that hip..so she should have looked at my films before she started ripping my legs around like that....I should have kicked her.....I have not been able to walk upright since the visit with her...She was such a witch...What is it with RA docs..? Are they all just a little touched in the head or what? I have yet to meet with a nice one and I have had appts with three...