Possible new fibro sufferer looking for help and advice

hi. I'm a 44 year old man who's had pain pretty much everywhere on and off since November. My doctor thinks it's fibromyalgia and has referred me to a rheumatologist. It fits my medical history and possibly my family's too. I'm just looking for help and advice about how best to cope with the pain and fatigue.

It all started in early November when I had pain at the base of the spine that spread to the abdomen, hips and thighs and was constant 8/10 pain 24/7 for two weeks. That may have been an infection. Towards the end of that I started getting chest pain, which spread to be sternum / left sided pain, upper back, neck and left arm pain.

That’s since spread and I’ve had pain from the top of my head, a few headaches, neck and jaw pain, chest, upper back, lower back, under armpits, both arms, hands, abdomen, hips, groin, thighs, adductor (inner thighs), right calf, occasionally feet, and pins and needles in my hands and feet.

The pain tends to come when a set of muscles is used – bad chest / upper back pain after carrying shopping home, thigh / hip main after a long walk, hand pain after playing badminton, wrist pain after gardening. My body generally feels painful if pressure's applied, like when my dog sits on me. It's generally best when I wake up and worst in the evening.

Looking into fibro online it wouId bit with my medical history. I had glandular fever badly at 18, had to drop out of university and was bed ridden for a month or two. Have woken up feeling tired pretty much every day since my early 20s. Have always thought I had CFS, but have never bothered getting a diagnoisis. Had my GP look into it 20 years ago, he did blood tests and they all came back fine and he didn’t take it any further. In my last job I ended up taking a 100mg caffeine tablet in the morning, drinking 6-7 cups of coffee a day, and still felt shattered all day and often slept through my lunch hour.

It would also fit in with my family medical history. My dad and sister both have Hashimoto’s and my dad had ME badly in his 40s. He had a year off work and couldn’t get out of bed for several months at first. I just have some anxiety it could be something worse as my mum died of cancer at 50. My doctor doesn't seem to think that's a possibility, just my anxiety. Fibro does seem a far more likely fit for my symptoms.

I was just wondering how people deal with the pain and fatigue and what they recommend. I've found Olbas oil works well on my torso, and am taking magnesium, vitamin B12 and D3, curcumin and ginseng supplements, and trying to bathe in Epsom salts a couple of times a week. Any other suggestions would be more than welcome. Thanks.

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