Strange Question

Have any of you been told that if you have lupus and develop sjogren's that the lupus is the target for treatment. Also she said that there are no markers for Sjogren's when you have lupus because it's secondary. In my case it's the Sjogren's giving me the most grief and she said it's from the lupus.

Doc also said that you can have no markers and have Sjogren's--some info for those of you struggling with a diagnosis.

Hi USAgurl! That makes sense, that the lupus would be the primary target. I have psoriatic arthritis and sjogren's, and the psoriatic arthritis is the primary target for me as well. That said, I may need a change of meds due to the sjogren's, as I've developed neuropathy.

Being someone who is completely seronegative, I was aware that you can have no markers and still have the disease. A good rheumatologist doesn't rely only on bloodwork.

Thank you Stoney.

I've been so sick lately (bone infection and neuropathy) that I've been perscribed gabapentin (lots) to block the signal to the muscles so they don't spasm. Having a hard time with the rheumatologist saying that the pain is less from lupus and fibromyalga.

Berta

I don't even want to think about the treatment for a bone infection. I'm sorry you've been so sick. So gabapentin (neurontin) and Lyrica both can work really well for nerve pain, as well as fibromyalgia. Apparently gabapentin is used for anxiety as well. Who knew?

I'm a bit confused. The doctor is saying that the pain is not from lupus OR fibromyalgia?

USAgurl said:

Thank you Stoney.

I've been so sick lately (bone infection and neuropathy) that I've been perscribed gabapentin (lots) to block the signal to the muscles so they don't spasm. Having a hard time with the rheumatologist saying that the pain is less from lupus and fibromyalga.

Berta

"Less from Sjogren's and more from Lupus and fibromyalgia. I'm so confused too.

Huh. My doc had said that if overlap starts, it can be hard to tease out which disease is causing pain, etc etc because they are so similar. He and my hematologist both said that even if autoimmunes are layered, the treatment is often the same so it doesn't matter much. LOL. I hope that sheds a little light, rather than add confusion. It made sense to me.

Hi USAgurl! How are you feeling now? Was your recovery smooth from the bone infection?