Possible Fibromyalgia...What do you think?

[smalltowngirl]

I'm 28, live in a small town in Arkansas, and I have been experiencing wide spread pain for at least 2 months now. I can't sleep because I'm hurting and I'm tired because I can't sleep. I have had some family members and friends with fibromyalgia say I could possibly have it. I went to the doctor a month ago and they just now called me back (I saw a nurse practitioner because the doctor moved). They tested me for everything they could think of (mono, leukemia, thyroid, etc.) and the tests came back clear. I have made an appointment with a new doctor in hopes that he'll believe me that I'm hurting and give me something to help (my nurse practitioner wouldn't even suggest anything to help me sleep). I go on Wednesday (July 9)...I made an appointment with a doctor that is known for being fibro-friendly, but I can't get in to see him until October 6 (I'm supposed to be getting married October 10th, and I'd like to get some sleep before then...and feel like working on wedding stuff).

When my nurse practitioner asked me what was going on, all I could say was "I hurt all over and I know this isn't normal. I can't sleep but I'm exhausted. I'm upset a lot because of being so tired and hurting. It feels like the worst flu ever without the stomach problems." Last week I couldn't even stand for my fiancé to touch me...and he was being sweet and trying to rub my back to help me feel better. I've had joint pain for the past 14 years now (mainly hips and knees, but sometimes in my hands too) so at first I thought it was possibly arthritis....however, this is more in my body than in my joints. Anyway, any tips or suggestions would be wonderful.

 

[1sweed]

Hello and welcome to the forum. While many people prop pillows under ever part of the body that hurts, I would suggest that you look into getting a cotton fiber bed pad that is 3-4 inches thick. This is not a regular mattress cover, but a pad that is separate and provides extra padding to those areas of your body in need of protection. I have used one for over 10 years and the cotton ones filled with cotton fiber batting make you feel like your sleeping on a cloud. They come in all bed sizes and come as cotton fiber or feather filled, or foam. The cost is up to hundred dollars depending on where it is bought.

Also if you have a tub bathe in warm (not hot) water and put a cup of epson salts in the tub. Try to relax more by watching funny movies and keep lower body parts warm, by throwing a light-weight blanket over your thighs and lower legs and feet while sleeping. Consider using heat cremes.

I am sure other members will add tips as well.

 

[smalltowngirl]

Thanks for the tips. I took a warm Epsom salt bath the other night and it helped some. I plan to do that more often. I'm normally cold, so I keep covered most of the time already.

How hard was it for you guys to get diagnosed? What kinds of medicines are you on? Were any of you diagnosed by a general practitioner, or do you have to go to a specialist for this?

I have all kinds of questions. I nearly cried when my nurse practitioner called yesterday to tell me my blood tests were normal and said "it's probably just a virus, give it a while to pass." I let her know if it was a virus, it wasn't passing because it's hung around for a couple months now. She just acted like I was making it all up...like I'm searching for pain pills, even though my charts show where I've told doctors before that I don't even want to take medicine I need and do my best to deal with stuff without taking medicine. It's just frustrating.

 

[Trellum]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum and congrats on getting married soon! I hope you guys have a very fruitful and happy marriage! To tell you the truth I think you are on the right path and shouldn't feel bad or have any doubts about it, it's important you are taking responsibility for your own health. Hopefully this doctor you will be seeing will be able to offer you some answers, because there is nothing worse than being in the dark with a lot ''ifs'' lurking in your head.

 

[links56]

Have you been checked for Lyme disease? I read that the tests they use are only accurate about 50 percent of the time.Not everyone gets the rash from a tick bite either. I think I read the more accurate test is the western blot test. Just something you might want to rule out because it's treatable. Finding a willing doctor is key though. Good luck keep us updated.

 

[smalltowngirl]

I went to the new doctor last Wednesday where they drew more blood and tested for anything and everything they could think of. I was told I have inflammation somewhere in my body, they gave me 2 steroid shots, prescribed a steroid pack and a month of Soma muscle relaxers (to help me sleep). I got a call the next day (Thursday) saying my vitamin d was a little low and they prescribed some vitamin d. They called again on Friday to see how I was doing and when I explained that I was still hurting, the nurse said "well, in my personal opinion it's just from having really low vitamin d." I told her she needed to look at the chart again because my vitamin d wasn't much lower than normal. What frustrated me was the doctor had mentioned on Wednesday that he'd like to refer me to a rheumatologist...when I talked to the nurse on Thursday she said she didn't see a reason to refer me to anyone. She then told me that I needed to continue with what the doctor prescribed and I could check out a chiropractor if I wanted to.

I go to the chiropractor tomorrow. I've heard of people being diagnosed with fibromyalgia by the chiropractor. Do you guys know about this? If a chiropractor diagnoses you, will a general doctor help treat you?

 

[Determined2014]

The symptoms are of fibromyalgia,but the way out is to have yourself tested by a good doctor, instead of depending on symptoms, that way you are sure and know the way foward.

 

[racenutalways]

I feel your pain. No doctors helped me. No presciption drugs helped me. I've been tested, poked and prodded for over 20 years with no clear answer. It was only after doing a complete elimination of all foods did I realize I had food intolerances, wheat made my pains worse, not as bad as MSG or aspartame however, so I eliminated gluten, you'd be surprised where you find gluten. Still felt tired, weak, allergies and asthma problems, I eliminated all dairy, woot-woot, I can breathe. I added fruits and veggies, my asthma got worse, darn, eliminate them, felt good for about 2 weeks and then I noticed other symptoms were still present, tinnitus, broken sleep pattern, irritability and many more. So I kept googling and found that fibro, chronic fatigue syndrome were linked to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. You may want to look into that. If you're eating anything that comes with a label, you are eating foods and additives that exacerbates your symptoms. If you are taking presciption medicine, chances are they aren't agreeing with you. For example, Claritin would make me suicidal, so I switched to liquid Benadryl, that made my tinnitus soar to extremes. Cymbalta, Celexa made many symptoms worse also

 

[AlexF15]

I feel your pain, I've been there done that. People poke me with needles trying to figure out, terrible time. It wasn't until last year they actually figured out I had it. I also live in a small town in Arkansas. Awkward.

 

[Booklover]

I may have missed something, but I'm not sure why the nurse is able to overrule the doctor's recommendation to a rheumatologist?

I was diagnosed a few months ago by a rheumatologist. I also have hypothyroidism. All of my bloodwork is great, but my PC physician referred me because I showed slight inflammation and I have extremely dry eyes and a constant dry mouth, not linked to my hypothyroidism. Long story short, given all of my other results, he said the very slight inflammation could be considered normal. But then he asked about all of the other information I supplied on the questionnaire, and, voila, all of the things my PC doctor kind of brushed off (which made me feel a little crazy) suddenly had a label.

Personally, I would push to see a rheumatologist. I've learned I should have been more pushy about the things my PC doctor wasn't addressing.

 

[GemmaRowlands]

It is certainly possible that you have the condition, as some of your symptoms do seem to fit with those typical of it. However, I do think that it is important that you're able to rule everything else out before you are given a diagnosis, and there is always the chance that you have several conditions at once. There is always the danger of other, potentially more serious, conditions being masked by fibromyalgia, and it will be the job of your doctor to run tests to make sure that this does not happen. It is often a long road, but hopefully you will find that you can start to get the help and the treatment that you need if you get your diagnosis.

 

[jenny]

I'm 28, live in a small town in Arkansas, and I have been experiencing wide spread pain for at least 2 months now. I can't sleep because I'm hurting and I'm tired because I can't sleep. I have had some family members and friends with fibromyalgia say I could possibly have it. I went to the doctor a month ago and they just now called me back (I saw a nurse practitioner because the doctor moved). They tested me for everything they could think of (mono, leukemia, thyroid, etc.) and the tests came back clear. I have made an appointment with a new doctor in hopes that he'll believe me that I'm hurting and give me something to help (my nurse practitioner wouldn't even suggest anything to help me sleep). I go on Wednesday (July 9)...I made an appointment with a doctor that is known for being fibro-friendly, but I can't get in to see him until October 6 (I'm supposed to be getting married October 10th, and I'd like to get some sleep before then...and feel like working on wedding stuff).

When my nurse practitioner asked me what was going on, all I could say was "I hurt all over and I know this isn't normal. I can't sleep but I'm exhausted. I'm upset a lot because of being so tired and hurting. It feels like the worst flu ever without the stomach problems." Last week I couldn't even stand for my fiancé to touch me...and he was being sweet and trying to rub my back to help me feel better. I've had joint pain for the past 14 years now (mainly hips and knees, but sometimes in my hands too) so at first I thought it was possibly arthritis....however, this is more in my body than in my joints. Anyway, any tips or suggestions would be wonderful.

Candida overgrowth dear. Research on it.
Candida diet might help & anti fungal supplements
Hope this helps!

Goodluck

 

[Gelsemium]

That seems to be something really nasty smalltown, I am sorry to hear it. What do you mean by "Candida diet might help & anti fungal supplements" jenny? You seem to have experience on this.

 

[nascarmike]

Thanks for the tips. I took a warm Epsom salt bath the other night and it helped some. I plan to do that more often. I'm normally cold, so I keep covered most of the time already.

How hard was it for you guys to get diagnosed? What kinds of medicines are you on? Were any of you diagnosed by a general practitioner, or do you have to go to a specialist for this?

I have all kinds of questions. I nearly cried when my nurse practitioner called yesterday to tell me my blood tests were normal and said "it's probably just a virus, give it a while to pass." I let her know if it was a virus, it wasn't passing because it's hung around for a couple months now. She just acted like I was making it all up...like I'm searching for pain pills, even though my charts show where I've told doctors before that I don't even want to take medicine I need and do my best to deal with stuff without taking medicine. It's just frustrating.

We have a tempur-pedic and that does help some, also warm bath right before bed helps. Sounds exactly like I have described things to people at times. Best bet is to research this online. Be polite but to the point with your dr. if you need to. Good luck, Mike.

 

[Peninha]

It's not the first time I read that doctors have a hard time diagnosing it, in that case nothing like asking direct questions, to see how much in fact do they know.