Unsure of answer

[lisajjm70]

Hi, everyone. I don't have a *diagnosis* yet, but my GP has been ruling out other conditions. Several months ago, I started having new pain. I have osteoarthritis, and I went to the doctor, assuming it was just getting worse. When I told him what I'd been noticing, he frowned and said, "Hmm. I think we should check some other things and see if perhaps you have fibromyalgia." Well, knock me over...that hadn't ONCE occurred me!

Sorry, onto to the answers I'm unsure of:
I have pain in my joints daily, and at times, I have pain that's more muscular and widespread....much like it feels when you have the flu. Does that sound familiar? I haven't been able to find consistent answers as to where people with fibro normally have pain. I do have areas that are tender to touch, but I'm not sure where, specifically, it most often presents with this condition. Is it only in the joints or elsewhere? I'd appreciate any responses or insight.

I'm sorry anyone needs to be here, but I'm glad there is support for those who do.

 

[JayCS]

I have pain in my joints daily, and at times, I have pain that's more muscular and widespread....much like it feels when you have the flu. Does that sound familiar? I haven't been able to find consistent answers as to where people with fibro normally have pain. I do have areas that are tender to touch, but I'm not sure where, specifically, it most often presents with this condition. Is it only in the joints or elsewhere? I'd appreciate any responses or insight.

Hi there, and welcome - these are actually very central questions, good you're on to it already.

The muscular and widespread kind of pain like when you have the flu I call a "severe Ache" and it comes from things like the cold, activity (overdoing it), physical and emotional strain, all of this can on bad days even after a few minutes of something. We're all different, but many with fibro do have this, it is a typical fibro pain. We can control it with pacing, but in my case it's very limiting, as it's not just a pain but that ill flu-like feeling which tells you to stop (once you learn to read the signs).

Additionally we typically have local pains which can be "in" the joints (incl. jaw), everywhere in the back, but also limbs, everywhere. These are also typical. Praps even more so, but I've got mine under control.
Now when you say "in" the joints that's often a misperception. If you have a form of arthritis or other rheumatological conditions it may well be the joint itself, from a swelling or inflammation. But more typical for fibromyalgia is an inflammation of the tendon insertion points around the joints. The difference you can test by moving each joint and pressing to find where exactly it hurts.

There are no certain places where we have tender points, it can be all over, and sometimes they can be gone, for some they seem to "move", although that's another misperception, it's just they come and go and influence one another.

Some of us have stiffness too, which can be perceived as pain to others and ourselves. Typical is sposed to be just in the mornings, I'm one of the people who have it all day as soon as I stay too long in one posture, so I'm always twist-stretching to avoid that.

 

[sunkacola]

Hi, everyone. I don't have a *diagnosis* yet, but my GP has been ruling out other conditions. Several months ago, I started having new pain. I have osteoarthritis, and I went to the doctor, assuming it was just getting worse. When I told him what I'd been noticing, he frowned and said, "Hmm. I think we should check some other things and see if perhaps you have fibromyalgia." Well, knock me over...that hadn't ONCE occurred me!

Sorry, onto to the answers I'm unsure of:
I have pain in my joints daily, and at times, I have pain that's more muscular and widespread....much like it feels when you have the flu. Does that sound familiar? I haven't been able to find consistent answers as to where people with fibro normally have pain. I do have areas that are tender to touch, but I'm not sure where, specifically, it most often presents with this condition. Is it only in the joints or elsewhere? I'd appreciate any responses or insight.

I'm sorry anyone needs to be here, but I'm glad there is support for those who do.

There's no place that is really "typical" of pain for people with fibro. Fibromyalgia patients can literally hurt anywhere in the body, or even what feels like (and may even actually be) everywhere. I have had times when I could go through my entire body from toes to top of head and not find even one area where there was not pain. Fortunately, that is not my every day experience.

For most of us, if we have had an injury in one area, that will be the place that hurts the most and/or most often. For me, for instance, my back hurts pretty much 24/7/365. Other parts of my body are painful almost every day, and they rotate in intensity.

The tender-to-the-touch thing (which is no longer used as a diagnostic tool, having been thoroughly debunked) is also very common but doesn't appear in everyone with fibro. And those tender places can change from day to day.

We are here to support you, and to answer any questions you may have. Be aware that in terms of what helps, no one thing helps everyone with fibromyalgia, and what works for one person may not work for you.
Be also aware that the best thing you can do for yourself is take excellent care of your physical and mental health, and go on an exploratory journey to find out what specific changes you can make in your life to help you manage this effectively. I have written about that:

My advice for managing fibromyalgia (especially for newcomers)

I am not a doctor or anything, just a person who has lived with fibromyalgia for several years now and has done a lot of research and trial and error experimentation. What follows is just basics. There are a lot of variations. You will find your own versions of everything I say, as this is not a...

www.fibromyalgiaforums.org

 

[lisajjm70]

Thank you so much!