First post. Confused

I started having chronic pain a little over 2 years ago. I was suffering for weeks and finally dragged myself to urgent care. Where they gave me a shot of toradol and my pain was finally gone for that day. I had X-ray of my neck and said I had arthritis in my neck and sent me home with tramadol and flexeril. Which provided me with no help. I waited and I couldn't take the pain anymore and set an appt with GP. Who tested a few vitamins and sent me in for a nerve test. That was miserable but it came back normal. So I figured maybe I was just stressed. I went back again. They said it was the arthritis gave me the same medications and sent me on my way. Frustrated and went back saying the pain just will not go away and the medication doesn't help. I got some blood test for and ESR and got sent to a rheumatologist. He looked at my chart, asked me where my pain was and said I had fybromyalgia. Sent me home again with the same medication and a antidepressant. I took it with no relief. I go back and they still refuse to check me anymore. Saying it's fybromyalgia and there isn't anything they can do. I go yet again and told it's the arthritis they found in my neck. Oh. Also diagnosed carpal tunnel because my fingers go numb.

I don't know what to do anymore. I keep getting the same answers. I'm 33. I can barely get out of bed most days. I'm constantly in pain. I can barely bend because my back is so stiff. I have a sharp dull pain throughout my whole body. But eventhough everything hurts I can tolerate the pain in my legs, hips, knees and feet. But the pain in my neck, arms and hands bothers me the most because I suppose I need to use them more. I try my hardest to be moderately active but it just causes me more pain. I been going to chiropractic for the past year but it doesn't help much. My chiropractor can't even pop my back anymore because it's so stiff.

I don't know what's going on. It's depressing me because I can't enjoy life with my children. I don't know what I can say to these doctors to listen to me.

Go back to your GP and see about getting bloodwork done for rheumatoid diseases and then if those come back normal then go to a neurologists for a consultation.

However, please do not let a chiropractor touch you again until you've had more testing as it could do more harm and better to be cautious for now. Just until things like bad disc can get ruled out.

You could always ask about physical therapy with ultra sound treatments and light therapy to see if that can help.

Wanted to say welcome and so very sorry we're meeting under chronic pain circumstances, I hope you can get a low pain day soon. Nice to meet you. This is a great forum with lots of support.

I went to a chiropractor with my neck pain. Thankfully after awhile he said he was not helping me and sent me to a surgeon. After having an MRI it was clear that surgery was needed. I still shudder to think of the permanent damage that could have been done. Please see a different dr and get better testing. Problems in the neck can certainly cause lots of other areas of your body to hurt. You need to find out what's causing your pain. You know that. Now you have been encouraged to do that by some people who truly understand. Best wishes in making that happen very soon!

You are welcome here and we all hope you can find a solution. Possibly because of your age you are not being taken as seriously, although that is no excuse to dismiss your pain.

Insurance is another difficult issue. Is it possible for you to see a neurologist for this pain? Perhaps some of it is related to an injury?

 Best wishes in finding your own solution sooner rather than later.

Post Edited (Abilene) : 7/2/2014 1:28:41 PM (GMT-6)

Many tests for rheumatological disease can come back negative. X-rays, bone scans, and other tests can be used when searching for a diagnosis.

I hope somebody can figure this out for you.

The hospital we have here like that has made a ton of cuts and is barely getting funded. Their trying to shut it down. My insurance which is kaiser is an HMO and everything is done in one facility. I'm allowed to use one hospital and the co pay for me to go in is $250. Plus getting billed.

I'm in so much pain right now. I'm glad my phone has auto correct. My fingers hurt so much. My neck and mid part of my spine hurt so much you can't even touch it. My husband tried to stretch me the other night and I literally cried out in pain so bad it was embarrassing. I feel like I have a fever but I don't.

I lay in bed because I'm in pain. If I lay too long it causes more pain. Yet if I get up and try to fight the pain and do stuff I feel crippled. Also laying in bed causes severe cluster headaches.

It's like a lose lose situation. I see a doctor on Monday. I hope he/she will listen to me or take me serious. My doctor is out of course. I rarely ever get to see her. I just always get sent to a random doctor. If I request her it's typically a 2 month wait.

bakomom, with everything you have described, I am really surprised that they haven't done an MRI on your cervical spine! That is the gold standard on finding out what is going on with your upper spine. It sure sounds like you might have some thing pinching your nerves in your neck, if you have anything impinging on the nerve roots, it can affect the area that that nerve innervates, such has your arm or hand or both! I know when I was having pain in my arms, (just like when you hit your crazy bone in your elbow, and it causes your hands and fingers to hurt and even burn) my doctors the first time messed around with me for a couple of months, one doctor even told me I was malingering and said it was all in my head! Anyway they finally did a myloegram on me, and then a MRI and they finally found out what the problem was! A massive herniated disc in my neck! I was only in my early thirties when this happened, so age has little to do with it! Anyway because of my experiences, it really concerns me when I hear others talk about having pain like this and not getting the proper test done to find out what is actually causing it!

I would definitely stay away from being manipulated by a chiropractor untill I found out exactly what is going on and causing your pain! If you do have a pinched nerve, or a bad disc, a chiropractor could do you allot of damage, so just be cautious! And refrain from straining your self or causing you any undo stress to your upper spine. Better to play it safe, than to be sorry later!

Good luck to you, and I do wish you well!

White Beard

I know you said husband works but is there any way he can go to the Dr appointment with you? Some people naturally dont do well getting their points across and having someone with them who see's things from a different perspective can help when trying to get the points across.

Also today start a pain journal. Just use a notebook and relate your day of pain. When you got up if you did and what kind of pain and where, what you were doing, what you did for the pain, how much if any it helped..

Like a daily calendar and take it with you to that appointment.

Hello & welcome to the forum. I know about Kaiser & how limited you are when it comes to getting treatment. That really makes things tough, but in order to find out what is or is not going on with you, you are going to have to take a stand with your dr. Keep a journal for a couple of weeks, call & get an appt with your GP & take that with you so the dr can see it.

Since the drs all want to say Fibro did they bother to try you on any of the Fibro meds like Lyrica, Cymbalta or Gabapentin to name a few? These are the meds most folks with Fibro take & they generally get some relief.

You are right just laying in bed or on the couch. That will cause more harm than good because a person with CP has to stay up moving around or they end up with more problems than they started with.

If you will look in CP101 at the top here there is a list of teaching hospitals. You may want to look there & see if there is one close to you.

Take care.

I definately have chronic pain. I suffer weeks to months at a time. I enjoy the times I don't have it, which really isn't that often.

I got put on some medication for fybromyalgia but it didn't help. I don't remember what it was called. But I know it was some kind of antidepressant. It was a 5 week treatment that was suppose to "cure" the pain. It was 1 pill for week 1, 2 pills for week 2 and so on to week 5 of 5 pills. I took that with the flexeril and tramadol. It didn't work.

Welcome bakomom

Wow ! Once again you folks on here shared so much good info!

Need to apologize for the jumbled up post - I've read over it several times & tried to get the info in better order.. it is a flaring day for me so the brain fog is going full blast. I do hope it makes sense.. please ask me to clarify anything you do not understand!

Re:chiropractors. I am NOT anti. They can be very helpful sometimes But IMHO really good ones will not touch you if there are any suspect symptoms - that could indicate fractures for an example. Diagnosis is extremely important. No way would one chiro want to touch me at all with my conditions.

First
Please know that you are not the only person who feels like you do.
Do not allow others to convince you that your pain is 'not real'.. not doctors or families or friends.
That is one reason the people on this forum are so special & supportive... we believe because we live it or care about someone who does.

I could have written the same descriptions of pain that you did, almost word for word. I want you to know that you can feel better!!

Took me about 5 years of seeing various, mostly unbelieving, doctors before I was able to get pain meds that were effective for me.. all that time I was in pain & confused & disbelieved. Those dr looked at my injuries only & did not address why I hurt so badly everywhere. It wore me down!! That is what I feel when I read your posts.

(Added:
When interviewing perspective doctors & therapist ASK if they treat individuals with fibro.. no use wasting your time & theirs. You could also call p t offices & asking for a list - can NOT ask for specific reference but might can get a list. )

Took over 2 yr for a doctor (the one who conducted nerve tests & acupuncture) to tell me she had diagnosed me w/? A term I do not remember at the moment : she told me that fibro & myofascial pain are under this umbrella term - that there was no difference. She is wrong .
Hearing the diagnosis was a huge relief.
(& is when I first learned the importance of getting copies of doctors reports !)
Yes I DID ask her how I was suppose to know if she did not tell me ?! No answer. Hopefully she changed her ways but ...

That dr did not treat fibro.. might have believed it but did not understand it.
It took another couple of years before I found a (pain management) dr who specializes in fibro.
That is when my pain life turned around.

Medications work differently for different people - I tried several antidepressants for fibro - did not have any positive effect for me either.
The Lyrica did - when I took the first dose the pain at injury sites lessened just a bit but most of the all-over-my- body pain simply disappeared. A miracle!!
But only for an hour or so because I had severe side effects . Extremely disappointed that I could not take it again.

I personally know several people who get relief from Lyrica + antidepressants + pain med.

Prior to finding my doctor, Like you, I had spent an awful lot of time in bed, in terrible pain, often crying, miserable.

Wanted to NOT take any medications.
Still do not WANT to but I remember that my quality of life was ssooo bad when I did not.
Family discouraged me from taking pain med
But after awhile it dawned on me that they were going on their merry ways
Free from pain. (I am single w/grown kids)
Who did not care if I ate or had clean clothes or a clean house

Noone can feel how we feel hon.
Lesson learned: Do not let anyone make you feel guilty for doing whatever we need to get relief.

At that time I was having physical therapy in that warm therapy pool. I dragged myself outta bed only for those & doctor appointments. Probably saved me from being in much worse shape.

During those earlier years I Endured the efforts of about a half dozen physical therapists who did not help
Before finding one who has not only a background in successful treatment
But also personal experience ie lives with fibro & myofascial pain & arthritis & dd

She was the first one who HELPED - remember that when you are feeling frustrated & do not give up - keep searching for your angel(s) ! !

Re: Carpel tunnel (BTW your mom's symptoms sound like an advanced case TO ME - others please.chime w/your opinions)
For me Surgery on one wrist did NOT alleviate any symptoms - in fact they were much worse for hhmm about a year.
Is it Fibro pain that I now feel? Maybe! But nerve testing indicated carpel tunnel. Still hurts

My Injured knees - injuries visible on xray & MRI yet fibro has those nasty little painful points around the knees that ALSO cause pain. Do not know what/which is causing my pains - do know I am in pain, aggravated by use, never gone. Have declined knee replacement surgery for now, especially when considering what happened with my wrist !

Myofascial pain - despite several doctors trying to convince me it was the same as fibro, it isn't!
Some symptoms overlap but some are unique. My physical therapist is Heaven sent when this kicks up!

Again, I do not know whether that awful 3 days of low back pain last week should be blamed on ddd or fibro or arthritis.
My great therapist helped me understand some of the differences, better,.. I might still be 'dazed & confused' if not for her. She is also the first person to suggest I ask my doctor if I had fibro &/or myofascial pain.

Again, Fibro has similar symptoms - pain & muscle spasms - to those caused by torn rotator cuff, for example,
(& surgery for that did not alleviate any of the symptoms or pain.. now have additional scar tissue / adhesions.. sigh)
See how difficult it can be?!

My pm (pain management) dr works with me for pain relief, I've tried various meds before finding what works for me.
Heating pads, my great therapist, mild exercising in warm pool & pain meds gave me back the ability to feel joy again.
Still feel pain, still have had my life turned upside down, but I can smile once again.

Not being a medical profession I cannot diagnose you. I CAN state that Your symptoms are very similar to mine so seem to indicate fibro &/or myofascial pain &/or arthritis. I've read in this forum that testing can/should eliminate conditions like lupus, MS, if you have synptoms that might indicate that.

Prayers

Finally got my referral to pain clinic so in meantime my tramadol. Modified release is now 200mg twice daily , my gabapenton is now 900mg three times a day with paracrapamol 500mg x 2 4 times a day doctor asking me if I want to try codeine been there it does not work . So now ? Is lol wat next mst and dyhrocodiene does not work in there basic forms I keep asking about butrans or transtec patches but getting no real answers although fentanyl was briefly mentioned

Toradol is basically prescription strength ibuprofen so if the torodol helped you might want to try taking some ibuprofen at say 800 mg, 3x's a day and see how that does with your pain.