Hello everyone...It's been awhile
Back in Dec. - January I joined this group being diagnosed, with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
My doctor (Internal medicine) was giving me Glutathione/ATP injections which are an immune builder and a building block of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) the energy store in every muscle. These shots are the mainstay of treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, auto immune, and fibromyalgia patients.
I was also taking vicodin for the pain and Skelaxin for a muscle relaxer for the tightness and tension. I was very concerned about being on Vicodin because by reading on Healingwell no one else was on the same type of medication I was on so I started asking questions. I had pain in my knees, chest, rib cage, ankles, places that was not common for fibromyalgia and the pain was still present with the vicodin. I was now up to 7.5mg and all the dr. could say is "I needed it for pain management"
February came around and I decided to see a Rheumatology doctor that specializes in Fibro and other types of health issues. First thing he said was "Let's get the word fibro out of your head and start fresh. Fibromyalgia is when you have had all testing and then this is ruled".
I have had no other testing other than a few blood tests from the first doctor guessing this was my problem.
After the first visit I was put on Ultram to help with the pain and within a few days was calling me with a positive testing of Ankylosing Spondylitis! OMGosh! My uncle has this and he is a mess, with a hunch back, curve in the spin, walks with a cane at the age of 47 and looks like he's 80, my friend on face book has this and he was begging for help several weeks ago because his insurance had cut him off from his medication, Remicade and he was dying in pain, now I have this also!
I was also very low with my vitamin D level because the muscle weakness and the bowl problems, which made the 1st doctor again think it was fibro.
It's now April 21st.
Ultram was not working for me along with the other medication could prescribe. The pain is unbearable and had to send me to a pain management. one of the best in Houston. He did put me back on vicodin to give me some relief for now until we can get me on a plan of action. I started physical therapy with shock treatments that feels like a massaging motion taking place on my back and it is heaven! has been talking about putting in a morphine pump as an option to get off pills that won't harm your organs. Yes, there is TNF blockers such as Remicaide, Embrel, and Hermira, I may have the spelling wrong but they have a risk of cancer and I have a high risk of cancer in my family so we are going to stay away from that for now. I'm just 44 yrs old and I have lost both sisters to cancer and they were 54 and 53 and my mother and grandmother to cancer also.
Just wanted to update everyone and if you were diagnosed with fibro, make sure all testing is done. said "sometimes there is another problem and don't stop until all testing is completed before you are told its fibromyalgia.
hugs: Jan
Jan, I just took the names of the doctors out of your post. Not sure if they would want them all over the Internet.
Post Edited By Moderator (Sherrine) : 4/22/2010 8:23:05 AM (GMT-6)