is this fibro?

I have had weird pain for about 5 years now. I think it started after an ovary was removed. I do have 2 bulging discs in the back and the doctors have said my back and hip pains are from that and I've been send to P/T a few times, but nothing worked. I found out about a year ago from a P//T that I had trigger knots in my hips. I can feel them myself. I also can feel knots in my shoulder area too. I'm going to see a new trigger therapist about these but in the meantime I'm wondering about painful spots.

First I have pain and stiffness every morning. Sometimes it gets better, not gone, but better upon walking around. Also I cannot stand or walk for more than 10 minutes before I get a burning, very tired, weak feeling in my low back. My neck and shoulders usually feel stiff and achy most days, but sometimes not so much. My knees hurt going up and down stairs. And the triggers in the back/hips bother me mostly all the time.

Here's my new finding. The other day I decided to go up and down my body and press with my thumb. The rheumatologist did this but I didn't feel anything where she was pressing. She didn't go near the trigger knots at all.

So, I went up my legs on the inside and I would get awful pain in some areas, not all. Also around the inside of my knee in one spot in particular. Also on my biceps and triceps I'd get one or two burning painful spots. I also get pain in my left arm once in awhile and then it goes.

I went down the side muscles between the ribs and hips and also tender pain points there.

I have never tried this before as I thought my pain was from the few big knots I found in the hips and shoulder area. These are as big as walnuts.

And now every few weeks I get intense muscle spasms in my stomach area that I actually went to the ER for. They did every scan, mri, gallbladder etc. and all normal. Then an endoscope showed esophagitis and they gave me Protonix. I keep getting the stomach pain and I told my doctor it's not like a burning stomach internal thing, it feels like contractions. He gave me an injection in the muscle but I got the same pain 2 weeks later.

I'm thinking it has to be fibro, and it's getting worse over time? And the muscle thing is just a new symptoms of the disease?

I'm taking thyroid as i found out my levels were low/normal and I have all the thyroid symptoms as well as menopause symptoms (which are somewhat the same). I'm thinking that a high T3 level may alleviate these pains.

Do my symptoms sound like my own type of fibro?

Stiffness every morning.
Sometimes neck is really bad for a few days then it's fine
Back and hips hurt every day
Can't stand or walk for more than 10 minutes.
Exercise makes me feel worse even after stretching, but I try to do a little each week.
Low thyroid symptoms, of feeling cold, low temps, dry skin, depression

Thank you.

I suppose I will try another Rheumy doctor. The one I went to last Feb. tested all inflammatory markers and all negative. But she hardly pressed on me at all. She gave me an RX for pain management.

I need to try another I suppose.

I did read the fibro 101 link and the list of symptoms, and I have all but about 5 of them, in different intensities. But I think fibro and low thyroid are exactly the same so right now I'm working on getting optimized on thyroid, but it's been a year and so far I feel almost the same. But the doctor has kept me back on thyroid hormone dosing too, so that could be why.

I have now started to notice that my muscles seem to tense up on their own for no reason. I was just testing my glutes as those are easy to see when they are contracted. I find that they are always tight and I do have knots in those muscles for sure, I can find them.

My neck and shoulders are doing the same thing. I never noticed it much before, but I'm paying more attention and trying to relax them after feeling them contracted.

This is all so depressing. But I do what I can when I can and when I'm not feeling it, I rest, use heat and hot showers.

My latest doctor is ordering some type of blood tests that look at muscle things, not sure exactly. Two endo MDs said it has to be menopause only and to keep working with my gyno and bio HRT; my holistic doctor said possibly all related to thyroid and put me on low doses of thyroid, but held me on low dose too long, so switched to another holistic. He said also possibly fibro but mostly thyroid and meno and to balance those hormones. So I'm still on thyroid, but a little higher dose, and low doses of sex hormones. But I still have the same issues.

I am seeing a trigger therapist that worked with Janet Travell (Trigger specialist MD) and has published her own books on trigger therapy. I will see how she works out in January.

In the meantime, I'm going to diagnose myself and say from the listing of symptoms and the duration, I have a mild/moderate case of Fibro with trigger or myfascial syndrome with it.

I did read that there is a different between them. I do have trigger knots in my hips and that may cause the weakness and pain in my back area from walking and standing. I'm seeing a new trigger therapist that wrote a few books on trigger therapy in a week. I'm hoping she will be able to find them and work them and show me how to use my theracane and roller.

The tender points I think are inside my legs and knee and arms. When I put some pressure on some of the muscle up the inside of my calf it's very painful.

I have to electric heating pads, one I keep in my room the other by my easy chair and I use them quite often. I also use ice if I feel the muscles locking up.

For the longest time I also used those theracare heating back pads and neck pads. But since getting on a little thyroid, I'm finding I don't reach for them as much. Maybe the anxiety of pain is better???

I also have a Tens Unit which I used to use more frequently too, but again not as much lately even though I feel pain every day. Maybe my brain is a bit better about the pain???