Worried avout symptoms

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Laurac90

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Hi I'm worried about all my symptoms,
burning in ribs and back pain in lower back
pins and needles in legs and arm
headache
Memory fog
chest pain
fatigue
Dizzyness and extream tiredness
burning ears
arm ache
shortness of breath
blurred vision

I think alot of these are symptoms of fibromyalgia, Can anybody help please, I have been examined by several A and E doctors and every test is coming back normal, Help please I think I'm dying x
 
Hi I'm worried about all my symptoms,
burning in ribs and back pain in lower back
pins and needles in legs and arm
headache
Memory fog
chest pain
fatigue
Dizzyness and extream tiredness
burning ears
arm ache
shortness of breath
blurred vision

I think alot of these are symptoms of fibromyalgia, Can anybody help please, I have been examined by several A and E doctors and every test is coming back normal, Help please I think I'm dying x
Hi Laura,

I'm so sorry to hear about everything you're going through! As awful as the things you describe are, every single thing on your list is a possible symptom of fibromyalgia - all probably exacerbated by your current stress levels. If that's the case, then learning how to manage your condition is the place to start. With effective management, you can bring the worst of the symptoms under control.

All of that said, there is a chance that A&E doctors won't have tested for other chronic conditions, because they tend to focus on acute issues. I might be wrong, but it is usually important you see a doctor outside of the emergency system who can rule out other chronic health issues that might be causing your symptoms, like lupus or lyme disease. Best to check and be sure!

If other issues are excluded and fibromyalgia is what you're looking at - or even if you're not quite at that point yet - start doing the things that help with fibromyalgia right away. They will likely help you feel better. This includes things like learning stress management techniques, practicing acceptance, daily pacing, sleep hygiene, and implementing a balanced diet and exercise routine. It might seem trivial, but this stuff really is crucial with fibro. Beyond that, you can explore supplements and potentially medications.

Even though fibromyalgia has no cure, there are lots of things we can do about it. At this point - especially knowing that you've been very stressed - try to be really, really kind to yourself, and consider doing that as a treatment! Worrying and fretting is only going to trigger your symptoms and make you feel worse. You need dig deep on the self compassion and calm to help your body gather all the resources it needs to get a handle on what it's dealing with 🌷

Check out Sunkacola's pinned post at the top of the General discussion section of the forum for some great tips on starting fibro management, and have a poke around some of the other threads to see what everyone else is up to. Good luck.
 
Thank you so Much, If it was anything life threatening then surely A + E would pick it up, as ling as I know its not going to kill me, i can learn to deal with It if it is fibromyalgia, What medication is used for this do you know.

Thanks for all your help x
 
That's the thing - A&E doctors are often trained to look more for things that need immediate or urgent treatment (acute) whereas things that look like fibromyalgia are not urgent, but can become serious without help (chronic simply means long term)

It's really important not to self diagnose fibromyalgia, as other conditions that mimic it can be progressive (gradually get worse) and need treatment. It sucks, but it really matters to go through diagnosis with proper blood tests etc.

Do you know what they looked for at the hospital? Did they do a diverse blood panel and explain the results to you? Have any doctors told you they think it's FM?

I don't want to get you down - there's a good chance you're right - but don't want you to miss something important! Diagnosis of one of the most frustrating stages of fibro, but an important step.
 
Supplements that can help fibro include GABA, coQ10, magnesium, vitamin D, CBD, ALA, boswellia, melatonin, and more! Research is the place to start, and reading here on the forum.

Prescription medications used to treat fibromyalgia include duloxetine (Cymbalta), pregabalin (Lyrica), amitriptyline (Elavil) and milnacipran (Savella). Some people have great luck with these medications, but unfortunately not all. Each one tends to come with various side effects and potential withdrawal symptoms, so if you decide to go down the prescription route I recommend really doing your homework, so you know what to look out for. Forewarned is forearmed!

Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) is an alternative prescription treatment that a lot of people are having luck with. Something to discuss with a doctor!
 
Supplements that can help fibro include ... boswellia
Jemima, I've been seeing you highly recommend boswellia for "puffiness" and more many a time.
Now my acupressurist asked me to get her some "African Frankincense" as that's sposed to be better.
So: Which sort to you use and in which dose?

I'd also been wondering for myself about its anti-inflammatory effect and decreasing stiffness.
So my acupressurist's quick question spawned hours of research on it...

What I've found out in short is that all Boswellia types seem to be helpful. At least a review from 2020 finding it helpful for osteoarthritis has looked at all types in their search, altho they explicitly refer to the Indian type, serrata, as this is the one most common for research and use.

I've seen it mentioned for inflammation, joint and arthritis pain, cancer, infections, autoimmune diseases (draxe), asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel diseases, osteoarthritis, and multiple sclerosis, the oil is antimicrobial, animal studies suggest it's neuroprotective (wikipedia - normally very reserved as far as herbs/alternative medicine go), whilst healthline is maybe a bit too careful in its report of a little bit of scientific evidence that Boswellia is good for arthritis (OA, 2x170mg/d), gut (IBS, colitis; 250mg/d), asthma, gums and cancer, too little evidence for diabetes, stress/anxiety/depression, heart disease, smooth skin, memory, hormones/PMS and fertility. Sfx according to healthline (spread over two of their articles on one page): indigestion, constipation, acid reflux, diarrhea, nausea, skin rashes. (- which is why I probably won't try it, also considering I don't tolerate any anti-inflammatory spices, but am wondering if I might try the oil for skin and gums, altho I already have success with tea tree oil, calendula essence, and could try the myrrh essence that I have again too, e.g. for my persistent tooth inflammation.)

Now as far as the 20+ types go, most from northeast Africa, the most common are Boswellia serrata (Indian Frankincense), B. carteri (formerly carterii; "African" Frankincense) and B. sacra ("Arabian"). (Recent research has shown that carteri and sacra are variants of the same species, but they have different resin chemistry.) You can see where the problem arises talking about "African" Frankincense.... And that's exactly where my acupressurist's question took me: An article in a German pharmacists' gazette mentioned a German researcher finding that "the African" type is 10x as anti-inflammatory as the "normal" type - without detailing or revealing the source (so I wrote a letter to the editor...). Looking around a bit I haven't found the study itself yet, but a report from his university, i.e. reliable, that it wasn't "the usual African" type (carteri), but B. papyrifera, in comparison to the Indian type, B. serrata. It's harder to get papyrifera encapsulated, but I've found a pharmacy (calling itself Weihrauch Apotheke, Frankincense pharmacy) that would do that. Probably a lot cheaper to encapsulate it yourself: The Revisionist Org in a comment writes you'd have to freeze then grind it. He says it is a common type, might help MS, and his take on it is it's no good for him as it disturbs his sensitive stomach - so nothing for me either.)
(btw "The Revisionist Org" interestingly goes into incredible detail about several sorts - incl. medical uses - as he uses them to chew on as gum for brain enhancement.)
 
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Jemima, I've been seeing you highly recommend boswellia for "puffiness" and more many a time.
Now my acupressurist asked me to get her some "African Frankincense" as that's sposed to be better.
So: Which sort to you use and in which dose?

I'd also been wondering for myself about its anti-inflammatory effect and decreasing stiffness.
So my acupressurist's quick question spawned hours of research on it...

What I've found out in short is that all Boswellia types seem to be helpful. At least a review from 2020 finding it helpful for osteoarthritis has looked at all types in their search, altho they explicitly refer to the Indian type, serrata, as this is the one most common for research and use.

I've seen it mentioned for inflammation, joint and arthritis pain, cancer, infections, autoimmune diseases (draxe), asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel diseases, osteoarthritis, and multiple sclerosis, the oil is antimicrobial, animal studies suggest it's neuroprotective (wikipedia - normally very reserved as far as herbs/alternative medicine go), whilst healthline is maybe a bit too careful in its report of a little bit of scientific evidence that Boswellia is good for arthritis (OA, 2x170mg/d), gut (IBS, colitis; 250mg/d), asthma, gums and cancer, too little evidence for diabetes, stress/anxiety/depression, heart disease, smooth skin, memory, hormones/PMS and fertility. Sfx according to healthline (spread over two of their articles on one page): indigestion, constipation, acid reflux, diarrhea, nausea, skin rashes. (- which is why I probably won't try it, also considering I don't tolerate any anti-inflammatory spices, but am wondering if I might try the oil for skin and gums, altho I already have success with tea tree oil, calendula essence, and could try the myrrh essence that I have again too, e.g. for my persistent tooth inflammation.)

Now as far as the 20+ types go, most from northeast Africa, the most common are Boswellia serrata (Indian Frankincense), B. carteri (formerly carterii; "African" Frankincense) and B. sacra ("Arabian"). (Recent research has shown that carteri and sacra are variants of the same species, but they have different resin chemistry.) You can see where the problem arises talking about "African" Frankincense.... And that's exactly where my acupressurist's question took me: An article in a German pharmacists' gazette mentioned a German researcher finding that "the African" type is 10x as anti-inflammatory as the "normal" type - without detailing or revealing the source (so I wrote a letter to the editor...). Looking around a bit I haven't found the study itself yet, but a report from his university, i.e. reliable, that it wasn't "the usual African" type (carteri), but B. papyrifera, in comparison to the Indian type, B. serrata. It's harder to get papyrifera encapsulated, but I've found a pharmacy (calling itself Weihrauch Apotheke, Frankincense pharmacy) that would do that. Probably a lot cheaper to encapsulate it yourself: The Revisionist Org in a comment writes you'd have to freeze then grind it. He says it is a common type, might help MS, and his take on it is it's no good for him as it disturbs his sensitive stomach - so nothing for me either.)
(btw "The Revisionist Org" interestingly goes into incredible detail about several sorts - incl. medical uses - as he uses them to chew on as gum for brain enhancement.)
That's so interesting! I noticed that there are different types of boswellia, but tried to balance my budget with reviews and what I'd gathered about strength when I tried it. It hasn't caused me any side effects at all - the only thing it seems to do is make me less as if my body is mad at me.

I'm taking 800mg boswellia serrata daily, and I've spotted - having run out of it a couple of times - that it only takes about 48 hours for the benefits to wear off. For me, that means the return of mild edema (swelling/puffiness) and a sensation that I can only describe as a feeling of body-wide inflammation. My inflammatory markers have always come up "within normal range" in tests (as much good as that does :rolleyes:) but I've always had this inflamed feeling throughout - like my organs are angry. Boswellia is the first thing I've found that helps that. As for whether it also gradually helped with pain and other symptoms, I'm sadly not able to say. It's not something I noticed right away, and I've changed so much over the time that I've been taking it that it's hard to pinpoint what moved the needle in all areas.

I imagine that an oil could be really handy for topical application, so I'd be curious to hear how you get on if you try that. @Auriel also mentioned a muscle rub with boswellia in it the other day - the plot thickens!

(so I wrote a letter to the editor...)
Did I mention that you're my hero... 🤩
 
I didnt know boswellia was frankincense! I thought it was some hind of herb? I be thinking I’m magical next time I put it on now knowing that, oh I love learning new things 🥰🥰🤗😁😁😁
 
I didnt know boswellia was frankincense! I thought it was some hind of herb? I be thinking I’m magical next time I put it on now knowing that, oh I love learning new things 🥰🥰🤗😁😁😁
It's made from the resin of a tree! Such a beautiful fragrance, although you don't get any of that with the supplement. Auriel, you are always magical! 🧚‍♀️
 
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