I think I finally have a diagnosis?? I have been experiencing aches in my legs for years. The pains are mainly in my ankles and around my knees. I get off of work and cannot wait to get out of my clothes as they feel constricting. If on too long my body starts to feel tingly. I try not to carry a purse or one that is very light. The strap starts to cause a lot of pain and pressure on my shoulders. I have suffered with migraines for years. This past week I was diagnosed with IBS-C. My rheumatologist suggested I look up this site for adfitional support. My regular physician suggested a rheumatologist as he thought it was Fibromyalgia. I don't know much about it. However I do know that some people don't "believe " it. I have 2 coworkers that struggle with it and don't openly speak about it to a lot of people.
Hi Ipnmichy70, and welcome!
Support is definitely something you can get here. Did your rheumatologist specifically name
our community?! Have we become famous?? :
´It sounds as if you're not quite sure of the diagnosis, that either your docs or you yourself suspect it, and need more to hold on to.
Firstly, if it's fibromyalgia it's not possible to "see" anything, no "proof", we can never be quite sure what it is. That makes it important to continue looking for other diagnoses or ideas from all relevant docs. But also to accept it is fibromyalgia, if they don't find enough to explain it.
Secondly, whether it is it or not, all of us have a big collection of symptoms that we need help with. For this
@sunkacola's Big Advice Post
here is a great start. We like to wish we could find one cause and one pill that will solve everything. Chronic illnesses don't work like that tho. And personally, having looked at a lot of research and all my symptoms, triggers and >100 treatments in great detail, I have only found success in treating every symptom individually. Whilst I have had a lot of success (not cure) with sleep, local pains and IBS finding and preventing or alleviating triggers, for fatigue and the overall Ache I've only found keeping to the sweet spots is successful, but I'm still looking if there's an individual answer for me.
In your case your leg pain / ankles / knees, which you could get good gentle physios to look at and help or youtube videos with stretches & exercises, self-applied acupressure, plus a massage gadget and arnica cream or similar topicals.
And praps "allodynia" from your clothes and that or "hyperalgesia" from your purse, which you may be able to influence further by changing something about them. Allodynia means things that soft touch hurts, hyperalgesia that our pain sensations are amplified. If this is the case (I haven't got it) that would argue for your type of fibromyalgia praps being one that is steered by oversensitivity of the brain & spin (= CNS), which researchers are calling "central sensitisation syndrome" (CSS) and some think may be the general cause of fibromyalgia (or just another effect...)
But also IBS-C (lots of supps like magnesium and psyllium that could help the C). Here the best treatment I'd say is an elimination diet and if possible again avoiding meds.
Thirdly, I recommend using the ACR 2016 criteria attached to decrease doubts about the diagnosis, to start looking at relevant treatments very carefully & gently, but to continue looking further for other explanations at the same time, since I very much agree with these you can have other things along with fibromyalgia. You can print these criteria out, fill the checklist in and show that to your docs.
As you can see there, your migraines and IBS are accompanying symptoms that in their severity are used to diagnose fibromyalgia.
These criteria can help you realize a bit more about it and also advocate to your co-workers and everyone. It's easy to get frightened into keeping our mouths shut, but things aren't going to change if not only our pain stays invisible, but also we stay silent.
I'm getting continually more adamant about it, not being afraid to let my fatigue, stiffness & brain fog show, explaining to people exactly what I need to lengthen meetings with them to more than 20-30' (like to lie down) and what the backlash will be if I don't end it then....
Welcome to a place where pretty much everyone understands 
. I searched for fibromyalgia doctors in my area and read reviews to see how people felt about their visit. It might take a little searching but hopefully you will find a good one nearby.
. For me, sharing my experience and reading about others' reminds me that it's okay to not feel good and it's okay to live a different life than the one I am "supposed to be". After this forum helped me settle with the diagnosis, I felt strong enough to really share my struggles with everyone outside the forum.
. Fibro sux but it's much better with great people by your side.
