Could Use Some Advice...Newbie

Hello...This is my first time posting and I would really love to get some advice. I usually post some on the anxiety forum but have found myself straying over here. I wonder if someone can relate to my story. I'll make it short as possible:

My symptoms started three years ago shortly after my 38th birthday. I started noticing tingling in different parts of my body and had some dizziness. This started a roller coaster of appointments. I saw PCP's, had ER visits, saw a gynecologist (thinking it could be hormonal) then an ENT and a neurologist. Had lots of bloodwork, MRI of brain and neck with contrast to rule out MS. Went the therapy PT to have strength and balance testing (all came out fine). MRI's were fine. I kept getting told the same thing. It's anxiety. I have to admit I googled myself into the pits of hell, convincing myself I had horrible diseases. I developed a shakiness where my muscles vibrated with exertion, muscle twitches, occasional blurred vision, frequency with urination and diarrhea. I lost weight and was on the couch singing my swan song. I admit I exacerbated my situation into anxiety symptoms. I slowly began to change my thoughts and I avoided google like the plague and eventually got back to business. I have continued to have the symptoms except for the last few months I have started having deep muscle aches. They come and go and are all over. My feet are very sensitive and after exertion I seem to pay with aches and fatigue for a day or two. I have also had that foggy feeling in my head. I am a nurse and it really affected my job. I only work three shifts now and I changed from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility for less stress. I have never lost strength or function. I have never had numbness, just tingling. I have also developed a sensitivity to everything. My eyes are more sensitive to light, I smell things in the house nobody else can and I have a tough time with medications. I do have Xanax for anxiety and I take OTC stuff for the muscle aches. Recently I did have a positive ANA but no patterns or anything that would indicate lupus or RA. It was positive for some muscle inflammation. I have read that many of you have had positive ANA's also. I hope to be seeing a rheumatologist soon as I am waiting for the referral. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

Well maybe there was a pattern, my PCP just said it didn't look the way it would look if I had lupus. What I want to know is if my symptoms seem like fibro to any of you who are currently diagnosed? Thanks!

sorry just read that you have already posted on anxiety forum - my apologies :o)

Hi, Poetic, and welcome!  Yes, many of your symptoms you can have with fibromyalgia.  You do want to make sure lupus and Lyme are ruled out.  I see MS has been ruled out.  These illnesses have many of the same symptoms as fibro. 

 

With fibro you have pain in all four quandrants of  your body and you usually have cognitive memory problems that we lovingly call fibro fog. We have tingling, quite a few have plantar faciitis, sensitivity to light and touch, etc.  Many suffer from anxiety with this illness.  We can get so many weird things and then our mind can conjure up the worst possible scenerio.  Yikes!  I suffered with anxiety until I realized it was actually fear and I don't have anything to fear.  Fibro can be a pain but you don't die from it.  So you do sound like you have many of these symptoms.

 

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum.  There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there.  Good starting links for you are called Symptoms, What Else Could It Be, and A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia.  You just might see yourself there.

 

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

 

 

Welcome poetic! We do have something in common. I am a Nurse, but no longer working. I started decreasing my hours and then change places due to the stress from the hospital. I finally had to throw in the towel. I had other medical problems beside fibro for the reason I stop nursing. Your symptoms sure sound like fibro. I had been down that road thinking I had lupus for sure. I couldn't imagine how fibro could cause a page load of crazy symptoms, but they do.

I had spent thousands of dollars in testing, only to get the diagnose of fibro. Once you see the rheumatologist, they will order lots of blood work. I do know that others on the forum have more then one auto immune problem. It's so hard to diagnose sometimes because the symptoms are similiar.

If you do get the fibro diagnoses, it can be treated and managed. For me it took a lifestyle changes to keep it managed well. Things such as limiting your stress, eating healthy, exercising, getting rest, good sleep habits and limit hrs. of working.

If you get the diagnoses make sure you read and educate yourself about fibro. So many things I learned in the books and from here was never told to me. I just thought I was falling apart.

I hope you don't have fibro,,but if you do we will be here for you. I was in poor shape when I found this forum. I now can say I have fairly good control over it. I still have some pity party days, but we have some great people here to remind you to keep your head up.

Post Edited (ak angel) : 11/5/2013 2:33:13 AM (GMT-7)

Yes, it is hard to know...since pain and fatigue can contribute to anxiety and/or depression, or the other way around.

My doctor has told me more than once that yes, I probably do have a touch of depression (gee, can't imagine why - maybe because I can't do 80% of what I used to, and want to) but he believes it's situational, not clinical. So, the small dose of Nortriptyline (an anti-depressant that I take at night for sleep) most likely helps boost my mood, but that's not why I'm taking it.

I get so upset when people in my life who should know better attribute my pain to worrying - "just don't think about it so much!"  I want to yell, "Uh - excuse YOU, I'm not thinking about it, I'm experiencing it - here and now! And it sucks!"

It's so easy for others to judge.  I'd love to trade bodies with them for a few weeks and see if they could "just not think about it" when they're living with what I do...I sincerely doubt it.

I also feel that if it's significantly impacting your life, pain needs to be treated, whatever its cause. If it does originate with anxiety, hopefully once that's under control, the pain will stop and that will be that.

I wish you luck figuring it all out and hope you can start feeling better soon!

Debbie