Fibro or Lupus?

by Kyra
(Aurora, IL, USA)

In my 20's I was diagnosed with a mild case of lupus. My SED rate and ANAs have always been abnormal. About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Fibro. I didn't believe it because I thought the doctor really knew what was wrong with me. I am now 50. The symptoms of fibro and lupus overlap. Over the last several years I have fallen at least 15-20 times.

2 concussions, broken arm, stitches… My left foot tends to catch every crack in sidewalk or it turns. I've tried different shoes to no avail. Now I get dizzy and have been using a hiking stick when I walk to get exercise. The heat and sun now makes it hard for me to do any outside work and I'm in charge of the maintenance of the house I live in. The evenings are better for me. I need a lot of sleep. A few weeks ago I was sleeping 12-16 hours a day and still was able to fall asleep when I went to bed. I've recognized a pattern that when I work hard on one day, its a guarantee that the next 3 days I will not be able to do much at all but sleep. For about 2 years now I forget common words and don’t remember words during a conversation. Or I'll say a word like 'car' when I mean to say 'chair'. I don’t remember directions when I'm driving and I have to be very aware of my surroundings because I've blown stop signs not even seeing them.
I have had an MRI of my brain because my psych wanted to rule out MS. I had one insignificant lesion on my frontal lobe.
I am currently unemployed and very concerned about working with these symptoms. Last July I did quit my job after working 61/2 years in a prison as a counselor. I couldn't handle the stress any more.
I am bi-polar and stable now after 3 yrs of hell. I really need some help because my unemployment won’t last forever and I want and need to work.
My doctor also has lupus and told me that if I need to sleep then sleep. I missed multiple days of work due to needing to sleep. I'm now taking a multivitamin
I would be grateful for any suggestions and feedbacks.
Thanks, KP