i think i have fibromyalgia

Hello,

I'm new here looking for some support. I'm a 25 year old male and have been experiencing some problems over the past 6-8 months.

My symptoms include:

-daily joint and muscle pain.. All over but mainly in knees, neck, shoulders and hands, worse upon wakening.
-stiff and pain if in one position for awhile
- anxiety and minor depression
-cold intolerance
- extreme daily fatigue..no energy to do anything.
-acid reflux or indigestion at least 3x a week
-random jaw pain

That's all I can think of now. I've been to my family doctor numerous times and even seen a rheumatologist. I've had several tests done, xrays and even an MRI. Everything has came back normal and the rheumy ruled out all arthritis conditions.

I've been taking xanax .25mg and norco 5/325mg for several months and have felt pretty good. I was still having some bad days where the medication barely helped though. I have not been diagnosed with anything and I'm about to lose it. The fatigue and pain is taking a toll on my life. Recently I had my pain medication stolen by a family member which caused the doctor to cut me off.. I don't think he believed me. He said he wanted me to go without the pain medication for awhile and see how things go. It's been about 3 weeks without it and the pain is still there and much harder to deal with. I can hardly get through a day of work with the pain and fatigue.

Does this sound like fibro in males?

Thanks for any help!

Hi, Nooneknows.  Welcome to the forum.  This is a great place for support!  Let me direct you to "Fibro 101," the first thread on the list.  It's chock-full of really helpful information.

Sorry for the pain and all the rest...not fun. As far as I know, Fibro presents pretty much the same in males and females....what you're describing sounds all too familiar (except that instead of acid reflux, I have IBS.)

I hope your doctor will listen to you, now that you've been forced to see "see how things go"...good grief! That would be very difficult for me.

I hope you'll keep posting, so we can get to know you. We really like helping eachother out. It's nice to have a place to go to when the outside world just doesn't get it...which is often 

Debbie

Hi, Nooneknows, and welcome! You have many of the same symptoms as fibro. Doctor run us through a myriad of tests to rule out other illnesses that have many of the same symptoms since there is no good test for fibro. When all the tests come back normal, we usually are diagnosed with fibro. You might try a different rheumatologist...and make sure they are board certified and treat fibro patients. There are still some doctors out there in the Dark Ages when it comes to this illness. Also, far more women have this so I don't think they stop to think you might have this since you are a man. I personally think more men have this but don't see a doctor for it.

I'm sorry about your medication problem. I don't take prescription pain meds so maybe what I do might help you some. We are all different when it comes to pain so this might or might not help but would be worth a shot. I use ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, magnesium malate, vitamin D3, and a prescription muscle relaxer. I also walk daily. The gentle exercise is very good for fibro. I also pace myself when doing things.

Debbie directed you to Fibro 101 and in that thread you will find links about the supplements I mentioned and how they work in your body. If you are deficient in vitamin D and/or magnesium, you can have more pain and fatigue. I use magnesium malate because it also has malic acid in it and this helps even more with pain if you take certain levels of it. I explain it all in that link so do read it. There are many good links in Fibro 101 and good starting links would be 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

We have had members who have had this illness since they were toddlers. They thought that was how they were supposed to feel! We have members right now who have had this for quite a few years and they are younger than you. Also, there seems to be some connection in families...not for everyone but for quite a few. I have cousins on both sides of my family with fibro and some members have parents and siblings with fibro just like you do.

This is why I suggested you find a good board certified rheumatologist to help you. You can check doctors out at healthgrades.com and vitals.com. These sites are pretty good and let you know about the education of the doctor and patient reviews, also. Then, before you make an appointment, ask if they treat fibro patients. Sometimes checking the Yellow Pages you can find doctors' ads and they sometimes list illnesses they treat. My doctors are all board certified and they are also diplomates. This means that they have to keep abreast of all the new things in medicine and are given a test frequently and have to pass it in order to keep the diplomate title. This is how it was explained to me by one of my doctors.

Hopefully you will find an excellent doctor and you will get the help needed to get in control of your pain and fatigue. You will get good suggestions on this forum also. I have had fibro for 25 years but yet have had a full and enjoyable life in spite of it. So you have a lot of good things ahead of you!

Do let us know what you do because we do care about you.

Sherrine

Thanks for the reply.. I think I will search for a new doctor this week. My current family doctor made me sign a contract also which I thought was a little over board for the 30-60 norco 5mg he gave me a couple times. He must think because of my age that I'm selling or abusing these. He's very against narcotic pain medication but I've literally tried dozens of other medication. I was even told to stay away from anti inflammatory meds by an ER doc when i went in with stomach ulcers twice from two different kinds of nsaids. They all seem to jack my stomach up. I've tried savella and that was horrible. I've never sweated so much in my life.

I just want a confirmed diagnosis and a doctor that understands.. Going on 8 months dealing with this.

Also.. Is it normal for people with fibro to have good days once in awhile with little pain?

Welcome to the forum nooneknows! Sorry your having difficult time getting diagnosed. Many of your symptoms due fall under fibro. I am surprised your rheumatologist didn't offer that conclusion. I am wondering if he sees patients with fibro? There are some that don't believe in fibro still. As Sherrine said, make sure you find a board certified rheumatologist who works with fibro patients.

I tell people getting some good books on fibro really help me. I could see myself on each page. My Dr. Never shared what I read in the book. I was so amazed it was like finding the missing puzzle to my symptoms. Education is so helpful to keeping fibro manage.

You can have some pain free days. I rarely have them, but I have had them. Its wonderful when it does happen. You might find out that narcotics really doesn't help fibro too much. I went down that road only to become addicted. It seems the pain never stops, so you just want more and more. So I do other natural methods for pain control. I think exercise is the best with lots of heat too.

I hope we see you around the forum. Let us know how things are going. Don't give up until you get your diagnoses right. Don't think your going crazy either, it's true pain.

Yes its entirely possible to have better low pain days...i always did until my vit d crashed..and i expect to again when i get the d levels back up...are your good days during a high pressure system ?
When we vacationed in desert locations...i did amazingly well with very low pain...

My hubby would move me to the desert in a heartbeat but my kids and old friends are here..

He just doesn't seem to care very much..his face is in his laptop the entire appt. and always prescribes me something without even telling me what it is. There's no discussing medication or treatment plans with him. I've decided to see a different doctor but I'm unsure of how to handle the transition.

I'm under a narcotic contract with my current doc (even though he barely prescribes me any.) I don't know how to end that contract with him. I would hate to see a new doc and have to sign another and him find out I'm still under one with my previous doc.

When I left my previous doctors I never said a thing to them. I went to my new doctors and signed a release form for my stuff to be moved to the new doctors. I never had to say a word to the former doctors.

nooneknows said...
He just doesn't seem to care very much..his face is in his laptop the entire appt. and always prescribes me something without even telling me what it is. There's no discussing medication or treatment plans with him. I've decided to see a different doctor but I'm unsure of how to handle the transition.

I'm under a narcotic contract with my current doc (even though he barely prescribes me any.) I don't know how to end that contract with him. I would hate to see a new doc and have to sign another and him find out I'm still under one with my previous doc.

Would it be possible to share this experience with the new doctor so they are aware of how you've been treated before, in hopes that the new doctor will keep this in mind?

Well I just the rheumatologist. Once I mentioned my mother having fibro, he asked me what my main concerns and symptoms were then he found several tender spots on me. He said without a doubt it's fibro and is also concerned with how my finger knuckles looked so he ordered new xrays. The places he pushed and put pressure on are still hurting an hour later.

He gave me samples of lyrica and said if my body can tolerate it, he will give me a prescription. He also remembered about my anti inflammatory intolerance due to my two stomach ulcers and recommended to stay off them.
He then offered to prescribe me more pain medication to see if I will sleep better and feel less fatigued. I had to decline and told him about my narcotic contract with my primary doctor. He was unsure of why he even gave me a narcotic contract then refuse to prescribe me enough to treat my pain. I brought up how my family doc treated me and the things he said to me and the rheumy said he would of dropped him along time ago.

I now have a better idea of what's going on with me and a list of recommended family doctors to try. I'm glad the rheumatologist took me serious and acted way better toward me then he did the first visit.. Must of had a bad day that day.