its in your head

ShadowrunnerXD, I hear what you are saying about DR's and other specialists not listening to you or just brushing you off like your pain is nothing and all in your head. He/She doesn't see you walk down the hallway or see you walk in. Yes you know yourself better than that. You DR only knows what you tell him/her when you are in the room. They don't know know anything else. I've fired my Reumy and almost another specialist because he actually hurt me. Now I'm trying to fire my GP. He's a little harder to get rid of.

 

HARA

 

Hi shadow and welcome to our fibro family. I agree with minnie and Hara if the doctor is not helping you its time to find one that does. You might want to set up an appointment with a rheumatologist who believes in fibro. Also check out Sherrines fibro 101 at the top of the page I believe she has a link there to finding good drs. Hope this helps. We have a great group here and we will try to help you with any questions you may have.
Gentle Hugs
Shirley

thank you guys so much.. its hard not to question your own sanity when docs are like this but for me i KNOW ...its not something that just happens. and because im 19 dosnt mean im seeking attention or that i am not intelligent.i mean i woke up this morning so stiff i could hardly walk.i was in a good mood too so how can they possibly say it's depression? i think some one cant do their job right and is covering it up...my son has the nicest peds. doc. who listened when i said i thought he had type 1 diabetes. but there IS a definitive test for it .he did have it! i wish peds docs could work with older patients cause i would so make him my GP lol and thank you for the support its really good to talk to people who understand ^ ^

Hi Shadow and welcome to the forum!!  A year and a half ago I switched GPs because I was mad at the one that I had been seeing for about 15 years.  I didn't have a diagnosis at the time and the new guy that I picked told me that all my pain was caused by depression but did not put me on anti D's.  A few months later I was having a MAJOR anxiety attack and called his office.  Instead of having me come in he called in zoloft and said it would take 3 weeks to work.  That evening I was starting to crawl out of my skin and drank a half pint of vodka (I hadn't had anything to drink for years) and had a few somas left from my other doctor..............you guessed it, I took them too.  Hubby came home and found me on the floor and called 911.  Moral of the story is do not self medicate and make sure you find a doc that understands.  I have since gone back to my original GP and with switching around a few meds I am slowly figuring out what helps.

I have not figured out how to pace myself yet so I'm not much help there.

Hi, shadow!
Ill make this short n sweet cuz I'm tired!!

1. The next person that tells me "it's all in your head" is gonna get punched. Period.
2. A traumatic event (ie: giving birth to a child) can trigger fibromyalgia.

If ur insurance permits, see a rheumatologist. It can imagine it's doubly hard dealing with this and bipolar depression. My best friend of 14 years is bipolar. It's hard on her! Very hard!!

Shadow...you need a new doctor! Bipolar doesn't cause muscle and joint pain and fatigue. Call that rheumatologist and ask to be put on a cancellation list!

Shadow, I know how rough it is for you right now. I think most if not all of us do. A lot of doctors do not "believe" in fibromyalgia, but it's possible to find a good rheumatologist who cares enough about his patients to keep up on research. While looking for a new rheumy, I would ask the receptionist if the doctor treats both lupus and fibro. That might tell you a lot right there. You need a compassionate physician who will treat your symptoms while looking for diagnoses.

Please don't give up because it's not in your head. Doctors also often forget that some people have multiple diseases. I always to to my cardiologist for heart problems, my neurologist for neurological problems, a urologist for urinary tract infections, my interest for annuals and temporary conditions like the flu. It appears that right now you need the help of a Psychologist and a Rheumatologist. And keep looking till you find doctors you really like and trust. And finally, don't lose hope.

Hi shadow, Im sorry about you not getting answers, however it might still be fibro. My husband says that I will move in my sleep. Like lifting my leg up and down or jumping for no reason. I am not aware of it but he is. lol I would still go to the pain therapist to see if he can help you.
Gentle Hugs
Shirley

My husband said that I used to act ""seizure-like" when I was sleeping. My doc refered me to have a sleep test and I have sleep apnea. Since I started using a CPAP machine when I sleep I no longer jerk and stuff when I am sleeping.  Just a thought!

Wow Ivey, that sounds scary similar. almost all of my family members have mood disorders of some type and i have had some sort of pain in my joints for as long as i can remember,it only got bad in the last few years. My little brother has autism and Arnold Kiari malformation . he was obviously a sick little kid so i think compared to him i must of seemed fine. I dont know about you guys but ,i live in maryland and the storm dorothy is already starting to hurt me lol . the thing isnt even out of texas yet from what i hear. I have to work at the horse farm tomarrow so i may be a little slow on answering back.

We have been "trained" sine birth that drs. are like a level below God. They are not they are human but because of this 'God" illusion instilled in us at birth we let them determine how we feel about ourselves. i was at a dr a long time ago (when i smoked) he had a fit about smoking (not surprising) but he was upset because he had quit so many years ago and he still wanted one. We can't let our self respect depend on the mood of another human being. the more I read about fibro the more I see the similarities between this and lyme disease, in fact, I am now trying to figure out the differences aside from maybe the rash (s). Do u all have trouble with words coming out wrong or not being able to make a payment at at store because the coins look foreign to you? the similarities between this lyme and ms are amazing. I ruled out ms because of the rashes and in my pregnancy I was very symptomatic (I have read MS go into remission during pregnancy.) When I had my neuropsych test done the man (psychiatrist) was a d_c_. He may have done this on purpose I don't know but he didn't make me cry but he did his darndest. On my report aside from serious cognitive disabilities, blah blah he says but showed more emotional control than most people. Now go figure. Maybe he said more control than most lyme disease patients, whats up with this wonderful dr? Goodness then there is the psychiatrist I still go to once every 3 mos for a med check and he has told me don't let them tell u have something like chronic fatigue. I figure doctors are people God made them we are all God's children, therefore we all love each other and Drs can do many wonderful things but never should there word be taken as God's. Kinda like the wizard in wizard of oz. I am so sorry if this is nonsensical but I have had an incredible horrible day, like someone on this board my neck shoulder and back were intolerable when i woke up then my legs so here i sit, I so wanted to exchange some jeans for my son and it looks like unless a miracle occurs i'm not leavin this recliner. I never knew fibro people had trouble getting moving in the morning I have learned something. I hope u can get to feelin better Shadow your so young to go through this. I too have learned so much from this board and god help me it is a comfort to know i am not alone but I am soooo sorrry u all are sick it just plain sucks.

The more I read the posts, the more I believe doctors are just putting up with us until they can get home and drink! I began suffering from depression and anxiety after my 12 y.o. was born, followed by fatigue, weight gain and very painful ovarian cysts. After having my 7 y.o son the migraines, extreme fatigue, additional weight gain and anxiety was constant. Finally, my bloodwork showed hypothyroidism (answered the eating nothing & gaining 10lbs in a month); however the migraines & anxiety became interuptive causing multiple visits to the ER for pain relief, a neurologist would couldn't figure out how to stop them (I tried every med known) and still have them! I moved to CT in 2007, since then, I was told by the first GP, I needed counseling to help with the depression/fatigue and migraines. I changed doctors to one I thought understood...at least for 6 months he did! I began experiencing joint pain, nausea, and various other stomach troubles. All my symptoms were dismissed. At a ER visit, for high temp, severe dehydration and migaines, my bloodwork indicated Lyme Disease. My GP didn't seem to care, all he cared about was the bloodwork also showed iron defiency. So the next 9 months, I took Iron supplements and constant blood tests to bring up my iron level (which never happened, according to him). Although, my joint pain, fatigue, anxiety and insomnia was getting worse, he never wanted to address it. His treatment was take anti-depressents, pain killers & sedatives. My Lyme disease was never checked on and finally it was difficult to get an appt. I stopped going to him, and started with another GP. Shortly after I was referred to a RA for testing and PT for my neck pain. I injured my back in December 2009. I was unable to walk, hospitalized and suffered PT for two months before injections were tried. The first injection was amazing..I could finally walk! After the series of 3 injections were completed, I started having severe hand pain, additional muscle spasms, swelling feet, difficulty walking down/up stairs, muscle weakness, tendonitis (both hands overnight) and difficulty concentrating. From Jan - May, I was given handfuls of pain meds to try to control the pain from the muscle spasms (hoping the injections were going to work), then referred to 3-4 specialists whose treatment was to hand out pain meds. I took the meds but nothing helped. I made monthly visits to the ER for muscle spasms (again leading to additional pain meds) and begged the GP and RA for something to stop the pain! The RA said that he could prescribe Lyrica, but it would take time, instead he gave me steroids & sleeping pills. My GP finally said that between the specialists & the ER docs, I was being given too many pain meds to control the pain. And said that I needed counseling and a different approach and prescribed Savella & a muscle relaxer. Within two weeks, I was back at the ER in extreme pain and GP had no answers. The RA finally diagnosed fibro (as he couldn't find anything in the bloodwork) then told me the Cymbalta needed time to work. For three weeks, I called the GP & RA offices twice a week begging for them to do something! The pain was unbareable, so he referred me to a pain clinic as he stated "he didn't treat fibro", but the pain clinic doc told me that I needed a neurologist and a phychiastrist, as they did not treat fibro. Finally at my breaking point, I changed docs and walked into their office very depressed and read to crash my car into the nearest tree! It is weren't for my two beautiful children, I know that I wouldn't be alive. The pain is too much to handle. It has not been relieved by any meds. The doctor told me the problem with pain meds is that they take 1 hour to begin working, then peak at 2 hours, followed by a sudden decrease by hour 3. So you are only out of pain for about 1 1/2 hours out of the 4 hours, which is why they don't work. He decided that I should be on an extended pain med that worked for at least 12 hours. It has helped, but since it took 6+ doctors (& 5 months) to find one that listened and developed a plan for my pain, I have now been labeled a drug seeker. Therefore, ER docs won't treat me unless they get my bloodwork levels to ensure I am not "jonesing" for my next "fix".
It is unbelieveable that we get put through the ringer just to get some answers. I am now being referred to yet another RA as the pain is not getting better, even though I have been on Savella & Cymbalta, as well as muscle relaxers for months. I just want answers and to be able to take a walk with the kids. Enjoy a nice fall day or take a ride on a sled without being in pain for a month. I am tired of being so tired from going food shopping, laundry and getting ready (showered & dressed), that I have to take a 3 hour nap by 3pm. I am tired of insomnia and losing my mind at not remembering a dawn thing!

Thanks for taking the time to read my rambling....sometimes it helps to get it out!