I'm trying to find out whether I have Fibromyalgia or something else.

Hi Heather. Yeah not fun having that kind of ongoing pain. Well my dear, to be sure, ask your doctor to refer you to a Rheumatologist. He will be able to diagnose you properly. There are pain points on the body that they concentrate on. I was diagnosed in my early 30's and I am now 64. I don't think there really is an age criteria for this condition Heather. But your symptoms definitely sound familiar. If your doctor doesn't want to go further in exploring what is causing you all this pain; I would think seriously about consulting with another. We often have to take our health into our own hands if we are not getting the answers we are searching for. We ourselves, know how we feel and what we are experiencing. Meanwhile my dear, try taking very warm baths with Epsom salts and have a nice long soak. Magnesium supplements may help as well because it works to release muscle tension. Get plenty of rest and Vitamin D is also essential, so sun baths if you can, or otherwise a D supplement. Keep us posted Heather. Be gentle with yourself. Maggie xx 

You definatley want to find a rheumatologist to see to get proper diagnosis. Many general doctors are not educated fully in the illness and can misdiagnos.

HI Heather...anyone you gives you a diganosis that just doesn't sound sane or real...research specialists or doctors who side specialize in Fibromyalgia.

I wrote this in another section...but I copy and paste because I just dont want to retype..but here is what I experienced and learned over the past 7 years.  I thought I was getting MS...thinking maybe this is aging....but read...and see if it applies to you.

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How is your thryroid?  The theory around hypothyroidism and fibromyalgia is that there is a study (Pubmed) where rats  were made hypothyroid which happened to have also doubled their lifespan. My endocrinologist confirmed that hypothyroid people do live longer but have other problems...and it kind of explains why im almost 50 with no gray hairs. I got my first gray about 5 months ago. Its no longer there....most people I know and people in my family have gray hair by the time they are mid 30s. 

So the theory about lifespan...with longer lifespan means that your cells are not turning over as fast..which also means you dont' need to eat much..or smaller portions throughout the day.  So parts of your body's systems moves lower and turns over slower than other systems. I believe that the muscle and joint pain is kind of like when you work out real hard or get banged up in a accident...you sleep one or two nights..and you really feel better and "repaired" after you sleep. Well sleep sucks with Fibro as it is and your body is not repairing so fast..so it may take 3 days of long uninterrupted sleep...just to get a fix.

I seem to manage it all well without drugs.

SLEEP: I make NO EXCEPTIONS on the weekend...while my house may not be as neat or clean as it used to....and I let the dishes pile up...my sleeping in on the weekends are a MANDATORY THING.  I also have a job which starts later and ends later 11-7pm PERFECT.  Because the mornings are the worst..and if your sleep sucks..you can make it up with a power nap from 8am-10am..which happens to be the best hours I get for sleep for some reason.  You can makeup for doing chores on the day you feel well. It works out so much better when you do.

The other thing that helps is PINEAPPLE..its has "bromelain" and enzyme.  Pineapple aka "the Flesh Eating" fruit. It forces your cells to "turnover" and forces your metabolism to generate new cells...you can read about it online.  MUST BE FRESH CUT from the Pineapple. It takes 24-48 hours to feel lighter..like you are not fighting gravity. Less pain.  Also, having a cup of strong coffee... with something to eat alleviates pain..and increases energy feel.

VITAMIND D- at least 5000m a DAY!!! 

I also must take Levothyroxine for the TSH Thyroid issue.

But thats about it for me...as long as you are hypothyroid and have Fibromyalgia...that's the theory..and it seems to apply.

 

HI heather.

it took me 3 years and 6 doctors until finally one did an Ra lab, she then sent me to a rheumatologist who diagnosed me with fibro. I have all of your symptoms listed, including not sleeping, and walking like a rusty tin man. Currently, i am experiencing something new, my arms feel like they are rapidly growing with fat, hurts getting bigger and makes me cry at night. I have tried all rhe medicine's but they only seem to work for a while. I liked the cymbalta the best, but it made me crazy, going to discuss medical marijuana with my dr. Tomorrow. You have to keep going to drs until u find one who will listen. Unless u have a good Ppo that lets u go anywhere, if so go to a rheumatologist, make sure first they treat for fibro, not all do. Good luck, keep in touch

Hi Heather. I was diagnosed with fibro in 2015. Most of my pain was arms, and upper body. I also have pain in hands and the sides of my feet. I never believed this was fibro. I was bitten by a tick 2011. I saw a rheumatologist who tested me for sarcoidosis, the test is called an ACE serum, it was high. I then went through co infections and tested for rickettsia and ehrlichiosis. It was positive. I have been made aware rickettsia tests are not common and are rarely done. Thing is you can get rickettsia typhus from fleas or other pesky things. Doctors can do the tests but may know nothing about the subject. i have been walking around with typhus unknowingly. A fibro diagnosis can, as in my case block other investigations. All I can say is never give up on getting to the heart of the mystery..xxxx

Have you ever heard of thoracic outlet syndrome.  It talks a lot about people born with an extra rib. But mine is from having the actual thoracic surgery. It’s excruciating pain. But within the last week I have started having what feels like growing pains.  It’s awful. It is so hard to walk when I get up. I’m 50 1/2 so I guess it’s part of getting old. 😞