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ValleysAngel

New member
Joined
May 13, 2014
Messages
5
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
5/2014
Country
UK
State
Wales
Hello everyone

My name is Nicola, I'm 21 years old and live in Wales, UK.

I was officially given the diagnosis of fibromyalgia today after years of joint pain finally cumulated in getting an examination from a rheumy and then an Isotope scan.

Today I got the results from my GP. There were no signs of inflammation on the scan, so no arthritis, but the rheumy's report stated that I was tender in 14 of the 18 trigger points for fibromyalgia and so here I am.

My GP has given me a few weeks supply of amitriptyline and some information on the condition and has told me to have a read and do some research to see if I'm happy using medication or if I'd rather try something else first. I'm hoping to learn helpful hints and tips here and when I've learnt enough pass it on to others too.

Although I'm new to the diagnosis, I've had joint pain since I was 12 (started just in my shoulders/neck) and systemic joint pain for around 2 years now. I also have other health conditions - coeliac disease, asthma, osteopenia, crohns disease, tachycardia and elevated blood calcium so I'm no stranger to tests and medications.
 
Hello Nicola. I'm sorry to hear you're having a tough time. But I want to welcome you to the forum. Here, we all have dealt with FM ourselves or with someone else close to us so know that you are not alone. You can share anything with us, and we are here to help. Welcome :)
 
Hi Nicola.... welcome to the forum! :smile:

I agree that reading and research is a great first step. Actually this forum is a really good place to start... go to some of the older threads and you'll find a ton of information there, plus a lot of thoughts about how others are treating fibro and dealing with the pain in general.
 
I am sorry you have to go through this. You are so young and it sounds as if you have been in pain for quite some time. With some of the other conditions I wonder, have they evaluated for auto immune disorders?
 
Hello ValleysAngel. Welcome to this forum/support group. We will help you as much as we can. Whether it is information you need, or are just having a bad day and want someone to talk to we are here. I have been on this site for less then a month and it has helped me so much. Before I felt alone and extremely depressed. Since I joined I have been feeling alot less alone and my depression has gotten alot better. As mariposa said, read through old posts. They have alot of info in them. I also have the same question as kmpisces, have they ruled out all auto immune issuses?

Welcome to the form, and just know, you are not alone. We are all her for you.
 
ValleysAngel,
Hello and welcome to the forum. I am glad you decided to come here and check out the information on site, plus join the forum to get some answers to any questions you might have. It is true that no blood test can prove you have fibro and there is no real test except for the 18 or so tender areas that doctors press on to see if you hurt.

Regardless of what ails you it is important to learn good coping skills and find ideas on ways to live better with fibro and not hurt so much. Be sure to check out the section on pain and fatigue, alternative methods and of course the general questions. Be sure to read older and new posts so that you can find a lot of hints and opinions from other members.

It is also good to welcome new members in and as you post around the forum making new friends will keep you from feeling lost or lonely in life. Please share your thoughts and coping ways that you personally have used as this will help other members as well. Look forward to reading your posts. :)
 
Hello all, thankyou for your responses.

To answer those asking about other auto-immune conditions, I had a lot of testing done when I was 14 and first diagnosed with coeliac to rule out diabetes and thyroid issues. When I was diagnosed with crohns I had a barrage of tests for all sorts of things, I have ANA tests as part of my routine blood work and my blood sugar and thyroids are checked regularly. Recently I've also had testing for RA and lupus. So far, all of the testing has come back well within normal ranges, I always have high calcium on tests but they've ruled out any underlying problem, its just the way my body is. I know I've had testing for most auto-immune disorders over the years, but being honest I can't remember most of them, I was 12 when I first started testing.

I have been reading around the forum a fair bit, and researching through the internet as well. I've been taking amitriptyline for about 2 weeks now and so far my sleeping pattern has really improved and I'm coping much better with whats happening. The only issue I'm having is trying to separate fibro pains from crohns pains, I think I'm starting to flare up..

I'll also be getting a TENS unit at some point, even if they only work for a short time I think its worth a shot.

Thanks all
 
Hi there! I see you have gotten plenty of replies already, but I just wanted to warn you on the amytriptiline. I gained a lot weight on those pills, be careful, weight gain is a side effect and actually yeah, it did that to me. I managed to lose the weight, but I will never touch one of those pills again! Just wanted to let you know, wish someone had told me that could happen. Best of luck!
 
Hello everyone

My name is Nicola, I'm 21 years old and live in Wales, UK.

I was officially given the diagnosis of fibromyalgia today after years of joint pain finally cumulated in getting an examination from a rheumy and then an Isotope scan.

Today I got the results from my GP. There were no signs of inflammation on the scan, so no arthritis, but the rheumy's report stated that I was tender in 14 of the 18 trigger points for fibromyalgia and so here I am.

My GP has given me a few weeks supply of amitriptyline and some information on the condition and has told me to have a read and do some research to see if I'm happy using medication or if I'd rather try something else first. I'm hoping to learn helpful hints and tips here and when I've learnt enough pass it on to others too.

Although I'm new to the diagnosis, I've had joint pain since I was 12 (started just in my shoulders/neck) and systemic joint pain for around 2 years now. I also have other health conditions - coeliac disease, asthma, osteopenia, crohns disease, tachycardia and elevated blood calcium so I'm no stranger to tests and medications.



sorry for your diagnosis however make sure that you try your best to take your medications accordingly and do your best to stick to your appointments with the doctor
 
Hi ValleysAngel, Welcome to the family! I also had achiness,headaches,sore neck, and no energy as a child. I had allergies so bad that I broke out in giant hives starting when I was 13. I'm thinking I've had Fibro forever too! Lol! I'm looking to be put on med. tomorrow at my Rheumy's appt., So sorry, not much help there I'm afraid. I just started posting, but have learned a lot on here too! It feels good to know that you are not alone, and in one way or another, we all understand. We are all more or less in the same boat, but when we share, we can keep someone else's boat from sinking! And my own pain seems a little more bearable! Welcome again!
 
Trellum - Thanks for the warning, they don't seem to be having that effect on me yet, I have put on a small amount of weight recently but I really needed to, I've been in a crohns flare since June and was getting really underweight. I've been on steroids all that time as well and they always help me gain. My weight is closely monitored by my crohns team so if it did start to get too high we'd know about it early on.

Joshua - thankyou, I've been on and off medications for a long time now and have gotten myself into a good routine, I never miss my doctors appointments. The only time I've ever cancelled is if I've been admitted as an inpatient.

HappyToBeAlive - thanks for the welcome. I'm glad you've found this place helpful so far :)
 
This is a great and friendly community where we can simple share what we feel and look for advice on how to proceed, I haven't find a person who doesn't love being here.
 
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