Joanna, please don't jump to conclusions about a diagnosis. Your doctor is following a very responsible protocol of blood work and x- rays and although you are in discomfort, it's really not a long time to wait. Typically, lupus is diagnosed on the basis of much, much more than joint and muscle pain. And don't self-medicate beyond aspirin or acetaminophen. Self-medication causes more problems than it fixes.
I can tell you a few 'facts' that I know from personal experience and from research: If you have fibro, you will feel infinitely better if you can exercise. If you have lupus or a similar autoimmune disease you may have a hard time maintaining exercise. (I have both, lucky me.) Fibro is treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammants, muscle relaxers and sometimes lower level prescription pain medications. Steroids and other immune system suppressants will not help fibro but will keep lupus and other autoimmune diseases in check. (I know that fibro is an autoimmune disease, but it it not in the same category as the ones that try to kill you. It can cause terrible disability, but it generally doesn't kill a person.) There are many, many causes of joint pain and muscle pain. Give your doctor time to do a thorough work-up and don't make assumptions.
If you want to know how I was diagnosed, first with lupus and then with Sjogren's Syndrome, I will give you a quick breakdown. (at this point, anybody who isn't Joanna probably will want to go look at Polly's gorgeous quilt photos and not read any more here.)
By the time I was 23, I realized that my face broke into big horrible sores anytime I was out in the sun. These were not your normal 'zits' and sometimes they would go on for more than a month. I began having serious lung infections every winter, sometimes twice or more. I attributed this to living in the dirty air of Phoenix. Within a couple years, I was having a hard time with outdoor activities. Hiking and backpacking became agonizing. I would run up a fever within the first half day and then be in big pain and very, very sick for days after returning from a trip. About the same time my life-long bladder problems became more pronounced. Much pain. Then I had my first son. I was sick almost all the time after he was born, which I attributed to the difficult birth and big blood loss I suffered and the exhaustion of a baby who never slept. More lung infections, sinus infections, bladder problems. Baby number two. Same general thing with added misery of joint pain from time to time. Chalked it up to heavy baby. Woke up one morning and my vision was tilting and running all over the place. I couldn't stand up without help for almost a week. Dr. couldn't figure out why. When oldest son was 6, woke up one morning urinating blood. Terrified doctor sent me to a urologist who diagnosed interstitial cystitis. Explained a lot for my entire life. Lung infections started happening in summer, as did ear infections. Lost two teeth to horrible pain that dentist couldn't fix. One winter had ruptured ear drum. Pneumonia twice that winter. This was the general state of things for years. I got sick every vacation on the first day and spent the whole vacation moaning with a high fever and hurting. Then we moved to our current location. I did pretty well until we'd been here three years and then started to have big problems -- exhaustion (sleeping 18 or more hours a day, fell asleep sitting at supper table), fevers, bladder, and a new problem -- confusion. Over six months I lost all my contracts (I wrote for a living) and became completely unable to work. My doctor moved away and I had to see a new doctor. I told him my problems, he took blood, prescribed anti- depressants and told me to come back in a month. Fast forward two months and I was diagnosed "out of the blue" with lupus. Biopsies later confirmed that I also have Sjogren's Syndrome, which is the disease process that has attacked the nerves in my face and head.
Ok, you see what happened was I was really sick for years and nobody put it together until I saw a doctor whose grandmother died of lupus. He was very aware of the disease and autoimmune diseases in general.
Generalized joint pain and muscle pain can be many, many things. Most of those things will not make your life a living hell. So be hopeful. If your health is generally good then there is no reason to assume you have lupus. I can tell you now that lupus does not allow a woman's body to have babies easily. The fact that you still have functioning kidneys and no fertility issues (think repeated miscarriages) means you are not likely to have lupus. I will pray you don't. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy and certainly don't want a friend to have it.
Hugs and hopes for good health, Sunny