A pain in the neck

That should say 'coping' but I cannot find a way to edit my posts

Is the pain fibromyalgia? That's what several of us seem to suffer from and is in that area. I've got it right now (always worse in the evening) and when it becomes too unbearable, I just have to go to bed.

Katie

yeah thats where main mainly is too

Michelle

I don't know, I don't know what it is. The doctor didn't seem particularly bothered, just gave me Ibuprofen. I thought it was arthritis but the chiropractor said not. The vertebra in my neck were misaligned and he's worked on those, but this seems to be a muscular thing and it is worse when I am feeling particularly crap, like now.

Do you think it might be Fibro whatsit? Tell me more about it please?

Hi,

Didn't know much about it myself but got this info off the web, hope it helps:

[color=darkblue:7d1cef7a06]In fibromyalgia the tendons and ligaments, or fibrous tissues (fibro-), and the muscles (-my-) are affected by pain (-algia) and tenderness. It may feel as though the pain affects the whole body.

There are usually tender points in certain areas of the body. These tender points help the doctor to make the diagnosis. If enough pressure is applied to these points most people will find it uncomfortable, but in fibromyalgia many of these points can be extremely tender even when they are pressed quite gently. Tenderness at individual sites sometimes occurs and this can give rise to localized conditions such as tennis elbow. In fibromyalgia, however, there is tenderness at a number of points.

Unlike CFS the only symptoms required for diagnosis are those relating to pain however, there is much more to the illness and significant overlap with CFS. Symptoms vary greatly in severity with factors such as stress, physical activity and time of day playing a part amongst others.

Pain IS the main symptom however, specifically, pain and tenderness in certain areas of the body when pressure is applied to them. These are what are termed 'tender points'.

Areas where pain my be present include:

* Back of the head

* Elbows

* Hips

* Knees

* Neck

* Upper Back

* Upper Chest

The pain is often worse in the morning, improves throughout the day, and worsens at night. It can be experienced as aching, throbbing, burning or migratory (moving around the body). It is common for patients to also experience muscle tightness, soreness and spasms. [/color:7d1cef7a06]

Michelle

Hi girls

I would put my money on your pain being fibromyalgia Alicia, which as you can see from the above info.is very closely linked to ME.

Quote from my ME book:

"Muscle tenderness is common, and fingertip feeling of the thigh or upper back muscles often finds points of great tenderness. They are called trigger points, and are also typical of the related condition - fibromylagia."

My upper back and neck pain was diagnosed by the ME specialist I saw privately as fibromyalgia - and this is what I take the antidepressant, Dosulepin for . Some antidepressants are used these days as painkillers rather than what they are originally intended for. It has certainly made my pain bearable (just) during the day but the evenings are not good - by then I also have pains in my upper arms and tingling in my fingers.

I have previously tried every other analgesics and nothing touches it. A gentle back massage really helps.

Katie

Well I really don't know. Some of those things I identify with but not others.

Might go and have a chat with GP when he gets back from his holiday. Pleanty of others in the practice but I know he is sympathetic to ME and me