Could I have Fibromyalgia! ??
Posted , 9 users are following.
I have suffered with aches & pains for years. I have been sent for physio a few times.....a nurse there suggested I might have scheuermann's disease but was never confirmed. I have had a weak bladder for about 30 years (I'm 47) and have recently had a TVT. I have had pain in my feet so bad I felt like my bones were sticking out and I was walking on them! I have had tennis elbow (doctor said) more than a few times and always in same arm. I have had golfers elbow now since January (same arm). I have had acupuncture for this but it didn't help. For the last few months I have had pain in both shoulders...and have thought it was the way I sleep...I have changed my pillow several times and have even got a new bed!! I suffer with restless legs almost every night and have also visited the doctors for this. I was folding the washing today and couldn't hold my arms up any longer after folding only a few towels!! My knuckle of my little finger is so sore to touch it feels like I've slammed the car door shut on it....last week it was my thumb. I'm fed up and sick of hearing myself moan about all my aches and pains !! I was googling my shoulder pain and found this site...could I have Fibromyalgia? ??
1 like, 16 replies
martinarvelo Fluffy-1
Posted
I don't know, but you are a mirror image of me. I was told by a specialist that I have fibromyalgia, but I don't really know whether to believe him. I was also told my problems were all caused because 'You have bad tendons. . . . " Do you have the specific painful points which they seem to use to diagnose this, just above the elbows, kneed etc.??? I think I have pretty well all the same things as you, but alsotendinitis in both ankles, thumb . . so we are a good pair! . . Oh haven't had the TVT.
glenn06752 Fluffy-1
Posted
Hi Fluffy - I'm sorry to hear all that you have going.
Fibromyalgia is usually verified by a good rheumatologist upon exam. Typically 18 triggerp points are involved and after you're evaluated, the doctor will pretty much get a clearer picture of what you have going. There is no blood test that confirms Fibromyalgia.
You might want to visit a Rheumatologist or good Internist that can get a handle on your issues. Although shoulder pain is certainly a sign of Fibromyalgia, it's not the only indicator. There are cognitive issues, IBS, both bladder and bladder, some peopel experience tinnitus and chronic fatigue.
I wish you the best of luck and hope you feel better very soon.
Guest Fluffy-1
Posted
Hey Fluffy,
Everything you're listing (unexplained pain all over that comes and goes, bladder issues, restless legs, weakness, fatigue, sore feet) is consistant with Fibromyalgia. Maybe people with the condition also have some level of depression, anxiety, insomnia, gut problems, chronic stress, and thyroid or insulin problems. Your symptoms alone aren't enough for anyone online to diganose you with FM, but it certainly sounds like it. Combined with a good physical and history, a doctor may choose that diagnosis.
Just a note, the "18 trigger points" diagnosis fell out of favour and was discontinued in 2010, but some older doctors still use it.
You're not crazy, but it can feel that way sometimes! Your pain is real, but it may not have anything to do with the locations of the pain. In FM, the pain is caused by several mechanisms, including increased firing of pain receptors in the joints, muscles, and skin, abnormal filtering of pain signals by the spinal cord nerves, and increased sensitivity of pain-receptive cells in the brain. Fibromyalgia is a nerve condition, nothing to do with muscles as the name suggests. The good news is it can be treated, and your pain can be reduced (often without medications).
The short answer to your question is "yes, you could."
Fluffy-1
Posted
I have been to the doctor so many times with different things I don't want to go anymore I'm sure he thinks I'm a hypochondraic! I just try to get on with it but sometimes...like now...it just gets too much. Last year I visited him with pain in my hip..it felt like it was out of place I hoped it would click back in. That lasted about 2 weeks, I got up 1 day and it was gone and never had that again. I sleep on my front so my feet can hang off bottom of bed in a natural position because if I'm on my back and the duvet pushes my feet into a pointing my toes position that hurts! God it sounds stupid and is probably why I no longer visit the doctor! 😦
Guest Fluffy-1
Posted
"I have been to the doctor so many times with different things I don't want to go anymore I'm sure he thinks I'm a hypochondraic"
This is a VERY common thing for people with FM to expereince. I know how that feels! But you're not a hypochondriac and it's wrong of someone to insinuate that. Don't feel that way. Your pain is real.
"I got up 1 day and it was gone and never had that again"
Yet another very common thing in Fibromyalgia. The pain can disappear as fast as it arrived. It often has no physical basis - it's a problem with the nerves, not the specific body part! You can even get central chest pain (which can be very scary as it seems like it's your heart). Or weird pains internally, headaches, etc. Some pain seems to last forever (like in the feet) and some comes and goes for no good reason. So typical.
"my feet can hang off bottom of bed in a natural position because if I'm on my back and the duvet pushes my feet into a pointing my toes position that hurts"
This is extremely common. In FM, sufferers get abnormal sensations called dysesthesia, or pain from normally non-painful stimuli called allodynia. Sometimes my feet resting against the bedsheets begin to hurt so badly even after a few minutes, I have to turn, or get up. This leads to more fatigue, which exacerbates the pain... FM can involve a lot of vicious cycles. But as you learn about it and understrand it better, you can combat it. Science has made a lot of advances in the past 10 years involving this condition.
Fluffy-1 Guest
Posted
Omg!! I have never said that to anyone b4 about why I sleep halfway down the bed. My B/F & friends think it's hilarious so I've never said the real reason! I will have to do more research on this and the things you have mentioned. Thank you
ChelseaLouise33 Fluffy-1
Posted
Guest ChelseaLouise33
Posted
That vibrating feeling sounds like a FM symptom too. It's related to muscle twitching (fasciculations) but tends to be smaller and repetitive, where fasciculations are usually bigger and more spread out. I've had that vibrating before, in various spots.... it raises my anxiety level and makes it tough to sleep. I deal with it by reminding myself that it's not harmful, just annoying, and that it's not necessarily a sign of anything nasty. Can just be FM and/or stress.
ChelseaLouise33 Guest
Posted
Thanks for your reply I suffer with health anxiety so any new symtpom makes me worse. I am seeing the doctor tomorrow as cant go on with the aches and pains. I iwll also tell him about the fuzzy feeling its just so hard trying to explain it to someone who doesn't have it nor do they understand its a very odd feeling.
Guest ChelseaLouise33
Posted
Hey Chelsea,
I totally understand what you mean. It's good you're seeing your doctor. Consider going with a short and clear written list of your current concerns for them to glance over. They often have little time with each patient, and we often forget exactly what to say.
"its just so hard trying to explain it"
You can even say that. I've heard so many people with FM say exactly that, and a good doctor probably has, too. Just because you have trouble wording it doesn't mean it's not real, and not a concern. Keep reminding yourself that anxiety is one very definite cause of your symptoms, and it doesn't have to be anything else. Try to stay positive and remember that vibrating and twitching can't harm you, other than by being annoying. It sucks when your body isn't doing what you want it to do. I've had those symptoms for 7 months now. Still no actual diagnosis, but a couple of my doctors are leaning toward FM because they haven't found anything else yet to blame it on.
A few times, when I was quite sick a few months ago, my whole body was vibrating quite noticeably.... I kept asking the person I was with "do you feel that? is the whole building buzzing?" But it was just me.
ChelseaLouise33 Guest
Posted
marjean37828 Fluffy-1
Posted
tiff74 Fluffy-1
Posted
Hi it's hard to get tested for fibromyalgia an understanding dr to listen 👂 would be a starting point. Your symptoms do wade on the fibro side asked to be referred to a rheumatologist for answers . Try and see a younger dr at your surgery as this has only been classed as a illness the ten years so a lot of older even though good are not as knowledgeable when it comes to fibro good look and I hope you have a semi painless day x
vicky2259 Fluffy-1
Posted
Fluffy - 1, I am ten years older than you and have had several of your symptoms for years.The diagnosis included cognitive malfunction. I was considering giving up my work as a tutor. Luckily, I went to see a consultant rheumatologist about two years ago, who teaches other rheumatologists. He put me on Pregabalin for a year and that helped a lot. After a year of seeing him, I was not happy as my legs started swelling up and the Pregabalin had to be stopped. He sent me to a senior physiotherapist. The first time I saw her, she texplained that my body was in an inflamed state and that i should take Ibuprofen every day, three times a day for five days. This made my thinking better - my brain must have been affected. I had asked the consultant to put me on a course of MLD (Manual Lymphatic Drainage) as my legs had swollen up so much. This was the best thing I could have done. I was assessed and given a three-month course of seeing a qualified physio twice a week for MLD. The one-hour sessions meant that someone was giving my body the attention it so desperately needed. It turned out that I had had a trapped nerve at the top of my spine for years. Kinesiology tape was applied and this did not help the first time. The next time it was reapplied and I kept it on for a week. Ever since then, I haven't looked back. The three-month course is over and at £60 - £80 a session, it really is beyond my budget but I go swimming regularly twice a week, see a very good chiropractor every month and take Ibuprofen regularly whenever I need it. This has worked for me but I know that if I don't swim due to a bug, I get far worse and start to seize up again. I am not on any regular medication from the doctor but I swear by ArthroTrace by Hildreth and Cocker Ltd as the huge pills with glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin did nothing much for me. Hope some of this helps. I wish you all the best.
sukes Fluffy-1
Posted
Hello Fluffy,
the way you describe your aches and pains, you could be describing me!!
I have RA and Osteo, also Spondylitis and Angina and have also been diagnosed with Fibro.
I have had pain in my feet so bad I felt like my bones were sticking out and I was walking on them! - That was exactly how I described mine to a Podiatrist. She felt sure that I had Mortons Neuroma's and wrote to my GP who referred me to the hospital and sure enough she was right. I had both feet operated on and at the moment things are a lot easier, although they can apparently grow back. I'm not saying that this could be your problem and of course you may already know about this, but if not perhaps you might want to google Mortons Neuroma's and then talk to your GP about it.
As for having Fibro, I really think you could have.