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Fibromyalgia or Ankolysing Spondylitis

Posted , 4 users are following.

chris19652
chris19652

Hi everyone. I'm new to this group. I am 30 and have suffered back pain and knee pain to an almost debilitating stage and the fatigue can be immense. I've had this since I was 17ish. Quite often out of nowhere my knees will 'pop' or 'crack'. This can be when I'm walking, starting to sit, try to kneel or even stand still! Sometimes the pain is horrendous. I've also noticed my back has become less flexible over time (in fact my whole body). My calves feel heavy and my feet hurt like crazy. I find it hard to sit for very long without my spine hurting. My wife has tried massaging my back, but she hates it because she sees the pain I'm in. I have been to a Chiropractor, but I seemed only to get worse! I have been to the Dr and they seem to only want to look at one thing at a time rather than collectively. However, I do get some violent jolts or shakes which has been diagnosed as Myoclonus. It has been suggested by one Dr that I may have Fibromyalgia, however, I read through the literature and although some of it sounds familiar I'm not so convinced. By chance I then read an article in my localnews paper drumming up awareness of AS. I'd never heard of this before so I googled it and I would say the symptoms described struck a chord with me. I'm yet to discuss this with my Dr. Has anyone else found the same awkwardness in regards to getting to the bottom of what their suffering from? I'm convinced my mother also had it, although it was never confirmed. I can remember how much of a struggle daily life was for her. One Dr even tried telling her she was a bored house wife and that she needed to get out of the house more! Unbelievable. Anyway thanks for reading this, just trying to build up more of a picture of what it is I'm suffering from :-)

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • stevesmith
    stevesmith

    Posted

    Hi Chris I have had aches and pains for years found it very hard to get diagnosis,you begin to doubt your own judgement,if its any help I have set up basic website of four pages about my own circumstances

    http://dish-explained.weebly.com heading is Steve's perspective four pages button for each heading in top left hand corner. Steve

  • chris19652
    chris19652

    Posted

    Hi Steve. Thanks for the message and the link. Link was very informative. Freaky to think that ligaments and tendons turning to bone! I often wonder if the chiropractor could've done more damage than good. Never had an x-ray on my back. Thanks once again. More to think about :-)
  • vjl56
    vjl56

    Posted

    Hiya Chris. I think you should ask your gp for a referral to a rheumatologist so you get the correct diagnosis. Then you may know what sort of treatment would be appropriate. Re massage I've tried to have one each month for a few years now I have fibro and tho painful it does help long term and gets easier. However if you have AS it may be different. You are young and need professional help to minimise damage over the coming years. Good luck and keep posting VJ
  • chris19652
    chris19652

    Posted

    Hi VJ. I was going to a chiropractor for a good little while, simply because I had an incredibly bad back that was also going into spasm. He noticed there was something wrong with my knees by the way that I sat down, (this was at the first appointment as I was answering his questions and I hadn't mentioned any other thing than my back). When he 'started work on me' he noticed my right hip was, as he said, misaligned and worked on that being the cause of my troubles. However, when he started to pay attention to my back ( the 'popping and crunching of everything fitting back into place was an amazing feeling) he seemed really concerned and asked if I'd ever been diagnosed with a condition, one that sounded fairly strange and exotic at the time, but a condition that he said could fuse my vertebrae together. I said no so he carried on. He was a very good chiro, with lots of time for his patients and excellent advice. But, I haven't been back there in a while and the way my back feels right now, or any part of my body, constantly in pain, I cringe to think of anyone feeling/massaging my back, even my wife. This is by no means the fault of the Chiro. However, since being back to see my Dr and relaying the Chiro's findings to her, she seems rather reluctant to take his diagnosis seriously, saying that it's not 'evidence based'. She did though give me a leaflet on Fibromyalgia and said she would refer me to the pain management clinic. I don't know if this is affiliated with Rheumatology? But, I do hope to get an x-ray out of it!

    But the long and short of it is, I shudder to think of anyone touching my back. Lol.

  • vjl56
    vjl56

    Posted

    Hmm your GP sounds like one of those who doesn't like to be told by others! At least you are going to pain clinic which is good, should get X-ray as you say and you could ask them to see a rheumatologist. Hopefully your X-ray will convince them that's a good idea. Sorry you're in so much pain. Someone on another forum mentioned amber ointment for pain relief which perhaps you could very gently apply or ask your wife to if you can't reach. Really it's a rheumy who should diagnose fibro or something else. You could google fibro. There are several points on the body which are v tender if you have this condition and you could check that for yourself. Take care Chris
  • cerenan
    cerenan

    Posted

    Hi Chris, I also have a lot of pain also diagnosis of fibromyalgia, spondylitis ... major changes in the spine ... painful ... put your blood to diagnose infectious disease brucellosis found ... me ... causing major problems with the bones and the carpal ...

    Elisa tests must do ... slow agglutination not show infection ... a lot of luck and health in particular

    Vikina

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