Muscle Fatigue

I've been suffering about 4 years now. Like you guys say good days and bad days. Definitely feel weaker when it's really hot - although only just know realized. I also have a couple of other conditions apart from just the muscle aches post exercise. I find my eyes feel tired like one poster said, but one of my main complaints is stomach tenderness in the lower abdomen near the bladder (it's def not my bladder). Sometimes it gets really uncomfortable - it also affects the area of the stomach near the appendix and my actual stomach. It's not really a pain just an uncomfortableness. I also suffer from TMJ although that may be unrelated, and also a mucus feeling in the back of my throat although this comes and goes. Does anyone else suffer these side symptoms? Am starting to think they may be down to different types of muscle aches also...but is the stomach and intestine a muscle like those in my arms and legs?!
Of my muscle aches the one constant is my aching calves - guess this is because of my job which involves a fair bit of walking around.

I've literally seen every type of doc over the past few years and nothing has come up apart from low vitamin D. I've pretty much now accepted my plight - and can live a fairly normal life - I'm prob about 80% functional most days. However when I have the lows (typically hot days) I can feel like 50%.

It's def not a true fatigue like CFS as I not feel tired really - not a sloppy tired - just an achy kind of tired that males me not want to do anything. As such my wife thinks I'm lazy and as there's no visible symptoms she thinks I'm fine and it's all in my head - not what you want to hear!!

One final little symptom I just forgot about is that when I'm on the toilet for more than a few minutes my feet starts to get pins and needles - does this suggest a lack of blood supply to the muscles and could this be why we all have muscle fatigue??

Anyway let me know if you suffer from any of the same symptoms and or sub symptoms - would be nice to know I'm not alone in this... Also if you have any good suggestions for improving muscle endurance - like whey protein or magnesium supplements (which I'll def try) please let me know

Cheers

Dave

Hello Dave,
Before I started having fms symptoms I started having Gi problems.
Bloating
Pain in different g locations of my abdomen
pressure
My abdomen is always hard as a rock.
Saw a gi specialist, ran a bunch of tests. All normal.
I just have some kind of tension in my small bowels he thinks but doesnt know why but its nothing serious just uncomfortable. These symptoms vary in intensity and location.
Ive just learned to live with it.

As far as pins in needles in the legs and feet? Oh yeah, all the time. It happens while sitting on the toilet especially but also while sitting in a chair or riding in the car. Even while standing at times.
I was checked for a circulation problem and was no problems.
It feels like my feet are falling asleep and feels numb.
Maybe its a nerve thing.

Get everything checked out by your MD. If everythings ok then it becomes an acceptance thing and we learn how to cope with it mentally.
I never thought I could get used to this buts its just a part of life now.
Uncomfortable but not dangerous. I have learned to enjoy life again.

I hope all goes well for you.
definitely get you abdomen checked out.

take care.

The best way to describe my fibro pain is to tell people that it always feels like I excercised too much. It even hurts to raise my harms over my head; like they are attached to weights. Having my blood pressure taken is excruciating. Doing exercise like swimming leaves me very tired, but I do it because I need to.
HEART

Hi, here's my experience with the muscles that won't work (and the neurologist lol):

I had to change neurologists because the first one started looking at me like I was very old meat loaf. I had sudden onset, right side weakness; would you believe it took the ER an hour and a half to admit me? Like I need to fall on the floor before they take me seriously. I thought strokes were dangerous. Then, 2 weeks for the neurologist. The first neurologist decided I had vascular spasms in my brain, basically, quivering arteries. This vasospasm leads to loss of the ability of the artery to carry out its normal function. As a result, the part of the brain formerly supplied by that artery effectively starves and may die ("infarction" or "stroke"). That would explain why I feel like I have stroke symptoms but have no stroke (right side weakness, numbness, and tingling). At least not one that shows up on the MRI. The neurologist didn't tell me any of this except "you have vascular spasms," and the vessels are quivering. I had to look it up.

I take topamax for the numbness and needle prickles sensation in my hands and feet, but it mostly just takes away the needle prickles. Topamax widens the blood vessels in the brain and increases serotonin levels, so they say. It has been found to be increasingly effective for migraine sufferers. Among other fun side affects like memory loss, aphasia (weird words coming out in place of what you meant to say or write), word finding problems, etc, it sounds like my regular fibro.

Stirring pancake batter hurts? That sounds dumb, but it does. I have a few things that are must-haves at family functions, now I have the kids hold up the mixer and I pour stuff in. Thankfully they find this amusing even though they are teenagers. My husband also does this and is excited because he gets to eat it!

The new neurologist is interested and did the fancy MRIs, he makes me do balance tests, walking, touch my nose, push arms down, etc., but he can't find anything. He's happy I have 1 migraine every 2 months instead of once a month. Oh, the tree pollen made me do 2 migraines in a week. I didn't have any migraines before this. He says, "just walk more." I really want to bonk him on the head. This is why I wish we had the body transfer thing so he knows how this feels. He just saw how I walked, which is the main problem, and he's supposed to fix the half dead right side. Oh, well. I'm starting to think going to medical school for that long turns you into more of a book than a person.

Post Edited (Xilamom) : 5/13/2014 10:35:43 PM (GMT-6)

My muscle weakness got so much worse this winter and my doc tested my vit d levels and it was really low....so i am building that back up...if i sit in the sun at least 30 minutes a day i feel a difference. I take ribose and cannot get along without it

I love how we all can remember specific information, but when we try to find it again, it becomes "some article we read somewhere at some point." Most other forums, people think it's odd that we couldn't find it and post a link; here, we just nod and say, yeah, we get it.

The vit d thing along with the fibro is just crazy... Have never had this much fatigue or weakness...and i comes and goes strangely..yesterday was better...today way too weak...blah : )

Dave, you will find a lot of diet info on our Diet and Food Discussion thread. I just bumped it up for a couple of new people. You are new, too, so welcome! We keep all food posts on that thread. It keeps the info all in one place and we don't become a food forum. It works really well this way.

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are good links about fibro and you will learn a lot there. You will find links that you can print out and show your wife so she will see it's not all in your heat. I suggest the links called A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia and Doctors Respond to Nee York Times Article. Who knows? She just might "get it" after reading those.

Sherrine

I know this was a few years ago but what you were saying is exactly what I've been worried about and how I found this post. My muscles are a big concern with my fibro especially recently. Please reply if you would like to talk more about it. I'd like to know how things are going now since it's been a few years. Thanks. Gentle hugs.

Hi, Fibrosick, and welcome! I almost missed you. It would be good to start an introductory thread so our members will know you have arrived.

I know I mentioned in this thread magnesium malate to help with muscle pain and fatigue but if you are having muscle fatigue or fatigue all over, could you possibly not be getting enough carbohydrates? Carbohydrates are what give you energy. So many people are practically eliminating them and that's not healthy. Everything in moderation. I'm diabetic and do have to watch carbs but I still eat them in moderation. If I don't, I am tired and lethargic. Just a thought.....

If it's pain you are dealing with, you might try vitamin D3 along with the magnesium malate. Vitamin D deficiency is fairly common...even in people who don't have fibro.

Also, I feel much better, have less pain and more energy if I go for a walk. It's really is amazing. It lifts my spirit also. I had to start out slowly at first but now I can walk quite a while and I do walk a half an hour daily. It's a good form of gentle exercise for fibro. Swimming and yoga are good too.

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are links allabout fibro and you will learn a lot 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