Could it also be lupus?

I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and regular arthritis.  Could I also have lupus?  The following is a list of symptoms that I am experiencing and also what kind of doctor should I see?  I can not find a rheumatologist that I like and listens to me.  My symptoms are:  consistently elevated SED rate, positive ANA test the first time I was tested but has been negative ever since and it has been 5 years.  Reynauds, both knees need to be replaced, hair loss, water loss in my neck discs, c6&7 narrowing of spinal canal but not touching spinal cord, arthritis in knees, ankles, elbows, neck and TMJ, nausea, blurred vision, pain in hands, feet and legs, mouth & nose sores, extreme fatigue, redness on my face at times, sometimes I get small rashes for no reason, easy bruising, borderline sleep apnea, sore skin, tingling and PTTD in my left ankle/foot.  Sometimes I get pain in my stomach for about 1/2 hour and then it goes away.  I don't think fibromyalgia explains all of this.  Could I also have lupus? What doctors should I be seeing?  My primary is taking over for my rheumatologist right now upon my request because I can not find one I like.  Can you advise me?  Thank you very much.

[jawsUK]

Hi

My sister has Lupus and Fibro together (she is 44 and has had Lupus for about 25 years - Fibro is a more recent development).

I don't know where you are, but she is in England and has found knowledgeable and helpful rheumatologists to be very elusive when it comes to Lupus!  The most helpful person she saw was in Birmingham (as I say, this is the one in England).  There are centres of excellence in Southampton (I have been assessed there), Birmingham and London (and maybe others I don't know of).

Some of your symptoms sound like my sister's and some overlap with my own (I suffer from CFS and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome).

This might sound like an odd question, but are your joints excessively bendy (for example, can you bend your thumb back to the underside of your arm?)  If so, you might consider looking at Hypermobility/Ehlers Danlos.

Is your arthritis the inflammatory type or the osteo type? In Hypermobility, you get the osteoarthritis type, and in Lupus, you get the inflammatory type.

The redness on your face could be the 'butterfly rash' indicative of Lupus.  The main question a rheumatologist would ask you (they asked me this, and I am being closely monitored to check that I am not developing Lupus) is 'do you react to sunlight?'   Do you come out in a rash if you go in the sun?  If so, you may well need to be monitored for Lupus.  Rheumatologists cover Lupus (but not very well in this country - you need to seek out someone with a special interest as it is a highly complex disease - you only have to watch 'House' to gather that!)

Does this help?  Good luck!