Posted 1/4/2015 4:31 PM (GMT 0)
Teresa, you need to see a board certified rheumatologist...one who treats fibro patients. Do your homework when choosing one. You will get a very thorough blood work up to rule out other illnesses. You can have fibro and other illnesses with similar symptoms....like lupus and Lyme disease. I'm not a doctor but I think you have more than fibro going on. Check out What Else Could It Be in Fibro 101 and you will see a list of illnesses that have many of the same symptoms as fibro.
When I almost couldn't walk and trying to get my legs in bed was nearly impossible, I saw a good board certified rheumy. After a long interview with family history, eight vials of blood work, about 25 x-rays, and two MRI's I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, sacroiliitis, along with fibro. It affects the spine and and I could barely walk. I used two canes when I did, since a walker was too heavy for me because of pain. I would break out in a sweat when I needed to use the bathroom because that meant I had to walk. I was even trying not to drink many fluids, too. I also couldn't roll over in bed.
I was prescribed ibuprofen...I was taking 600 mg every six hours....and a muscle relaxer that really helped a lot. The ibuprofen should kick in in a day or two...since you are in so much pain right now. I also took extra strength Tylenol.
Here is a link about ankylosing spondylitis. See if this sounds like what you are going through. My rheumy said he thinks I've had it a long time but have kept it under control with ibuprofen and keeping somewhat active.
http://www.medicinenet.com/ankylosing_spondylitis/article.htm
Even thought I'm 100% better I still have pain when rolling over and when I first lay on my side. If you are looking for "pain free" you most likely won't get it with fibro. I haven't been pain free from fibro in nearly 28 years. But I AM in control of my pain. You will be, too, once you find out what all is going on with you and how to handle it.
My personal opinion is that emergency rooms are good if you've been in an accident and need emergency help. I'm not sure if they are good at diagnosing these types of illnesses and the medications needed to help with pain. This is why you need a specialist.
Have you tried vitamin D3 and magnesium malate? These aren't medications but supplements of vitamins and nutrients our body needs. If we are deficient in them, we will have more pain. The magnesium malate is especially good for muscles.
You could have arthritis going on. Ankylosing spondylitis is like rheumatoid arthritis of the spine. It's a possibility.....
Do keep moving. Laying in bed just makes the pain worse. I know you hurt. I did too. I would have tears streaming down my face when I walked but you have to move!!! Very important. Right now you can do the gentle stretching exercises that you will find in Fibro 101. These can be done sitting down. Look them up and you need to start doing them today.
You are letting fibro run your life. Get ticked off at this illness and show it what you are made of! It's amazing what we can do if we will try. I know this will be hard, but start focusing on the good things in you life. I KNOW you have good things. We all do. It's so easy to forget about the blessings when we are in pain. I know of one blessing you have that I wish I had....you can hear well! I'm legally deaf. We don't think about things like hearing and vision because we take them for granted...until we lose them. So I know you have many blessings. I thank God for all the blessings I have and it really does help.
I know I was getting quite nervous when I had such back and leg pain. I live alone and thought I might have to sell my home, find a place for my pets and go into assisted living. But I wasn't about to give in to fibro and fought back and kept a thankful spirit and it all worked out great with the help of a good doctor who listened. You can check out doctors and get reviews of them on Healthgrades.com and Vitals.com.
Another good link for you in Fibro 101 is a link about how to maintain a positive attitude when you have chronic pain. I read that when I am having a bad day. Keeping a positive attitude has been proven to help with healing and is has kept depression away for me.
Here is part of a post I wrote you several days ago. The thread dropped down to the bottom of the page quickly so m not sure you saw this. I describe how I fixed my shoulder problem using trigger point therapy. This might help you too. There are other suggestions, also.
Hi. Teresa, and welcome! It's very frightening when fibro first hits. I was watching TV when it hit me. It started in my toes, went to ankles, knees, hips, etc., and when it hit my elbows it was like I had banged my elbows...with that electric shock pain shooting down my arms into my hands. It stayed that way for over two weeks! All I did was cry. But now I'm doing g very well. I've had fibro for almost 28 years and have lived a full and enjoyable life in spite of this illness. You can, too.
Once you find what helps get your pain under control you will be well on your way. I turned down the fibro drugs because I wanted to see if I could find a more natural way of treating fibro without the side effects. I was fortunate! I use ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, magnesium malate, vitamin D3, and a muscle relaxer called Robaxin which made a significant difference in my pain. The magnesium malate and vitamin D3 have helped quite a few members on this forum. There are links about these and how they work in your body in Fibro 101.
I also walk daily as a gentle form of exercise. This is important. If you sit or lay too long you will be stiff as a board and have more pain...so keep moving. When I started walking, I could only walk four houses down and had to turn around if I was going to make it back home. I didn't quit though. No way was I going to let fibro run my life. I went out every day and saw I could go a little bit further. I now walk one+ miles a day. I could walk more but don't have the time. I also do gentle stretching exercises daily and I swim in the summer.
Pacing myself really helps, too. It all gets done but in a different time frame. Also, get some help from your family. Kailey can do a few things around the house like running the vacuum and Jack could pick up things that might be laying around and even dust! Just these few things can help until you figure out what helps you be in control of the pain. It's trial and error. Unfortunately what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another but you will see various things that help members just by reading posts.
I use trigger point therapy on myself. I cured a frozen shoulder this way. I couldn't raise my arms past my shoulder and I couldn't put my arms behind my back. Reaching for something could bring me to my knees because of the intense pain. The pain made my arms feel weak. I'm telling you this because I read your post when you were describing about the same thing. Trigger points feel very tender and there is a little knot that you usually feel. I bought The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook on Amazon and it's excellent. I've mentioned this many times on the forum because it really does help. It shows you by diagrams where to find the trigger points that are causing your pain. The ones for my shoulder were found around the sternum and up towards the shoulder, on top of the shoulder, right behind the top of the shoulder and in the neck. My massage therapist would have me press on the knot as hard as I could stand and then massage the area and then repeat. I would go back a few hour later and repeat it again and the trigger points weren't as tender! I now have no shoulder pain and total movement back without shots or pills. So, it can be done.
I hope this helps. Start the stretching exercises, know the ibuprofen should kick in soon, and make a list of your many blessings. You will be surprised at how long that list will be. I hope you start feeling better soon.
Sherrine