I didn't think I would find this forum useful, but I was wrong...

Hello, and good afternoon!

My name is Teresa, and two days ago my doctor suggested I may have Fibromyalgia. I am waiting on the results of x-rays taken Monday to see where we go from here.

Here is my story, and some pieces of the puzzle that seem to fit together now.

Nearly two months ago I had MRSA. Two weeks after that I was diagnosed with C-Diff. (sigh)

A few days after, my hands and feet started swelling and I developed a light rash on my feet. The location of my MRSA infection looked as if it were reinfected. I couldn't get in to see my doctor, so I went to the ER. They couldn't figure out why I was swelling.

I followed up with my doctor 2 days later (hands now tingling and going numb), and he took a urine sample and noticed my WBC was at 20, 000. So I was prescribed Macrobid for a UTI.

This was about two weeks ago.

On December 22, we traveled to Michigan for the holidays. It is roughly 14 hours one way. I felt fine when we arrived. On the 23rd, I woke up with what felt like a pinched nerve in my left bicep and could not raise my arm about my waist. Both knees were tender as well.

Off and on during our stay, my arms and legs developed muscle pains and aches. My knees were really painful, and showering took much effort.

We began our drive back on the 26th, and I felt good. Just a bit achy.

We returned home at about 1 am, and after a painful drive home, a call to my doctor, and developing the inability to raise either arm (muscle weakness and the intense feeling of fatigue), we ended up going to the ER.

Let me tell you, getting out of the car...nearly impossible. The pain in my legs, knees, arms, hands, fingers, feet, etc was so intense. I actually began crying, and screamed when I was finally able to get from the passenger seat to the wheel chair.

Long story short, after 2 doses of Morphine (that didn't touch a lick of pain, but made me feel horrible), I was discharged with a prescription for Naproxen and a prescription for Chlorzoxazone. It was approximately 4 a.m. on Dec. 27. My prescription was filled by 10:30 a.m. and I took my first dose at 11. I took prescribed doses of each med, but at 11 pm on Sunday, could not handle the pain in my muscles and joints, so I called my doctor. I was pissed and he knew it. I told him I had not felt a bit of relief since taking the meds prescribed, and wanted to know what I should do. He scheduled me for a walk in appointment at 1:30 on Monday.

He was shocked at how tight all of my muscles were, and suggested two possible diagnoses: Muscular Dystrophy or Fibromyalgia.

He prescribed me a 90-day dose of Gabepentin. Here were are on Wednesday, and I have only been out of bed to urinate (and I am in pain doing that), but my upper arms hurt too much and I don't have any strength in my forearms.

Since Monday, my hips, back, and sides are in pain. Moving an item from my lap to a side table leaves me feeling fatigued. Moving my leg from a bent position to a straight one leaves me fatigued and in pain.

I have been in bed for 5 days. Will this get better? Will the meds kick in?

I wake up twice a night because of the pain. I am generally moving around all the time, now I just lay here.

Yeah, I think it's safe to say I need this forum. :(

So, is this fibromyalgia? I've read through Fibro 101, but I would feel more sure if someone here have their opinion.

I slept with a heating pad last night with no relief, but I am interested in the video you mentioned, and will look it up at bedtime. Ill try anything!

Also, I wanted to ask you if you feel like you have the flu? It should feel like fatigue and all over achyness. Like a mini flu, almost. Fatigue is a big part of fibro, it's basically our standard every day feeling, and then we have spikes of pain, or 'flares'/flu like when we over do it (I personally get allydonia on top of my flare). I do remember that my fibro seemed to develop over the first year but started with severe muscle/nerve pain, anxiety/depression, and insomnia. Fatigue didn't set in until right before diagnosis. I didn't realize that I had hit the zenith until I was falling asleep at work at least twice a week. After that it became incredibly difficult to work a full week of work and I started calling in sick. A lot. My point is that fibro changes a lot and is a bit of a moving target. Have an open mind and take a ton of notes to see if there is a pattern.

Hope you get some rest this weekend. :)

Teresa,

I wish I had some expertise that could throw light on what's going on with you - - it sounds almost unbearable. Fibro could be part of the problem, but I can't help thinking something else is contributing, with pain that extreme.

The fact that nothing they've given you has helped at all is really odd to me. I went to the ER once, 3 weeks after my last child was born, with horrible lower-back pain. (I didn't know about Fibro then, or I might not have panicked so much over a bad muscle spasm...) Anyway, they gave me a few doses of Tylenol-3, and while my underlying problems were still there, it did help me through that episode.

I really hope that SOMETHING has helped you by now?!

Debbie