I NEED ADVISE

I'm 26 mother of 3. I have had a whirlwind of issues in the past 4 years with my health. I have not been diagnosed with Fybromyalgia, but, I have been pointed in this direction by a great friend of mine. I have not seen my physician regarding this new discovery, because I have actually hidden most of my symptoms from everyone in my life, unless I think they may have some insight to an answer. I've found that many physicians that I have seen for different symptoms tell me its "in my head" or depression, anxiety, restlessness ect. I have looked to the internet for answers because it seems like I've hit a brick wall. I wake up every morning stiff as a board. Most the time I can't touch my chin to my chest. My shoulders, knees, ankles, and even my fingers seem like I over worked them to the core the day prior when most the time my exercise is at a minimal due to the "achy" feeling constantly. I cannot start my day without 3 extra strength Excedrine. Any other pain reliever does about the same for the pain (bare minimum) but nothing helps with my lack of energy except for the caffeine that's in excedrine. Some days I'm "normal" with minimal pain and "ok" energy, but those days are few and far between. I have had 5 different procedures regarding my reproductive organs. I have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, all though I don't have ANY symptoms of PCOS other than irregular periods, abdominal pain (constant) pelvic pain (constant) and ovaries full of cysts. Next step if my abdominal pain and pelvic pain doesn't stop or become less of a burden to my life, will be a full hysterectomy. I just had a procedure done in November L/S with laser, and it was shown inconclusive. I have severe digestion issues. I was referred to a gastroenterologist last spring (2011). He did a complete colonoscopy, and only showed 2 small stomach ulcers, but no explanation of my chronic diarrhea that has occurred for four years. I am not on any medication for anything at the moment. I have so many little "flicks" which is what I call the strange episodes of my life to which i have no answer. For example, if I lie on my stomach on the floor and rest my chin on my hands to watch t.v., my ears send me into a crazy strange feeling. It's almost like they have a heart beat, but I hear and feel it in my head and deep within my ears. Once I sit up straight, it goes away and I'm fine. I have so many of these strange unexplained issues, that I've just begun to just deal with them. I'm almost desensitized to some of the aches and pains that I have because I've had them for so long without any relief. I'm used to my fingers and toes tingling from time to time, I'm used to feeling like I don't want to touch certain parts of my skin, because a simple touch can put me on the couch for hours. I'm used to the migraines, joint, but not joint pain (if that makes sense). I'm also used to the pain relief of excedrin, and tylenol Pm's. That's what scares me. I have edema so bad right now in my left ankle and up to my knee that i'm not in bed at 4 am. I've had a bad couple of days. Lots of excedrin, 2 or more doses of tylenol Pm's (my dose is 4) in one 8 hr sleepless period due to pain and "skin crawling" feeling, then more excedrin for pain and pep to get me through my day. I'm scared now of kidney issues or liver issues due to my self medicating and possibly over doing it with OTC medications due to high tolerances to the pain reliever over long periods of time. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm scared to be honest with my physician because in our small town, there are tons of people in my age group who are addicted to pain medication (opiates) so I'm worried she will just treat me like another "druggy" faker, when my pain and discomfort is more than real, it's my life. What can I do to get someone to actually take this seriously and find something to help me?

Hi, Beebkiss, and welcome!  I'm so glad you found us and joined in.  Yes, you have many of the symptoms of fibomyalgia.  But, they can be symptoms of othere illnesses too so you really do need to see a doctor so tests can be run to rule out the other illnesses.  If you do have fibo, your tests come back perfect.  Now isn't that just great?  That's when the doctors think it's all in your head, but it's not.  I've had fibro for nearly 25 years and can attest to that.  Fibromyalgia is recognized by the American Medical Association, the American College of Rheumatology, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization...just to name a few.  So, if you have a doctor that says it's all in your head then "exit-stage right" as Snagglepuss would say!

 

The first thing you need to do is find a doctor that treats fibromyalgia patients.  There are still doctors out there in the Dark Ages.  You need to flat out ask before you ever schedule an appointment.  Many here use a rheumatologist as their fibro doctor.  No matter what type of doctor you choose, ask if they treat fibromyalgia patients.  Otherwise you are just wasting your time and causing yourself more stress and frustration.

 

Most of us have anxiety issues.  This causes stress and stress causes more pain.  We need to recognize anxiety for what it is...fear...and we don't have anything to be afraid of.  Once I realized this, I was able to get rid of most anxiety in my life.  I recognize it when it's raising it's ugly head and kick it to the curb.  This is why I have the scripture in my signature.  This has helped me so much throughout the years.  Also, keeping a positive attitude helps a ton...about as much as any medication I take.  I look at my many blessing and don't dwell on the pain and I do feel better that way.  If you make a list of positive things in your life and negative things, you will find the positive things far outweigh the negative.  Just the little things like the beauty that is all around you can put a smile on your face.  Your children, I'm sure, bring much joy also.  They are truly blessings!

 

If you have stomach ulcers, you need to stop the Excedrin or you could end up in big trouble.  I used ibuprofen for years and this past summer developed bleeding ulcers.  I had to stop the ibuprofen and I really miss it.  It helped me so much.  Both Excedrin and ibuprofen are NSAIDs and these do cause ulcers so anyone with ulcers should not take NSAIDs. 

 

I use malic acid/magnesium supplements and vitamin D3 supplements to help with pain and fatigue.  I also use a natural product called Curamin that is helping me and my gastroenterologist, since I can't take NSAID's anymore, has me taking extremely low doses of Vicodin to take the edge off the pain.  I also use extra strength Tylenol but am mindful of the Tylenol that is in Vicodin.  You do not want to take more than 4,000 mg. of Tylenol in a 24 hour period.  That is considered the maximum "safe" amount but still it's not good to take that much every day.  I reserve this amount for days I'm in a flare.

Other things that help are doing gentle stretching exercises, doing a gentle exercise every day (I walk at least a half an hour a day.  Swimming and yoga are some other good gentle exercises for fibro.)  I also pace myself.  Everything gets done but in a different time frame.  You have three children but they must be young.  But you can have the older ones pick up their toys and even dust for you.  I did this with my children and they were very happy to help "Mommy".  Lastly I have found gentle massages help me a lot.  I get these once a month.  I wish I could afford to get them twice a month but can't.

 

Moist heat helps with the pain.  I feel so much better after a hot shower.  Many members use a Bed Buddy.  You can find these at Walgreen's and other places.  You pop them in the microwave and they give off moist heat for about a half an hour.  This feels wonderful...especially on the neck and shoulders.

 

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the second thread on the forum.  There are links to good information about fibro and you will learn a lot there.  Good starting links are called Symptoms, What Else Could It Be, and A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia.  I think you will see yourself there!  You will also find links about malic acid/magnesium supplements and vitamin D3 supplements and how they work inthe body.  The gentle stretching exercises can also be found in Fibro 101.  There is a wonderful article in Fibro 101 about maintaining a positive attitude.  I refer back to this when I'm having one of "those" days and I am always helped by it.  I hope you like it as much as I do. All the links are good so be sure to read them.  There is a lot of info there.

There is a world of information in the posts, too.  You can see how members handle the various symptoms of fibro and just seeing that others know what you are going through helps so much.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better.  Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you.  Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine 

Hi Beebkiss,

Congratulations on finding this forum! We can't take away the pain, but we can sure help eachother deal with it. I was just amazed when I first started posting, and kept getting answers from people who understood exactly what I was going through. It's been a lifesaver for me.

What you mentioned about lying down a certain way and then feeling pain sounds familiar. But for me it's when I lie on my back - my abdomen gets these sharp pains on the right side. Not always, but most of the time. ???

I hope you find a doctor who cares and who, as Sherrine said, believes in Fibro. That's SO important.

Debbie