Looks like it might be official

I used to post here a couple years ago because the docs were yo-yo'ing on whether or not I had Fibro. I even seen a Rheumy after receiving a positive ANA. The doctor was a total jerk and blamed all my pain on my Ulcerative colitis.

So a couple years go by and things keep getting stranger and stranger. I've been having a lot of rashes that appear at random times and I have this strange "pebbling" in my hand when it gets wet among other strange things. I had another Rheumy appointment yesterday (different doc) and he tested my trigger (tender?) points - forgot what they're called. I had 17. He drew some blood to check my RF, ANA and others. But if they come out negative, he is ruling it as Fibro...I go back to see him on April 4th for the results.

I do believe I have some sort of arthritic condition going on but we are not sure at the moment. My feet and ankles were swollen and when he squeezed them I about went thru the roof! I didn't even know they hurt that bad. And of course there are my hands which are a mess - swollen like sausages most mornings.

So I will know for sure in a couple weeks if it is Fibro that I am dealing with. However, I have a couple of questions. Does blood pressure get affected by Fibro? I have had a couple of episodes where my bp dropped dangerously low and one time I even blacked out. I had the tilt table test and stress test with echo but they came out normal. Also, what about severe vertigo? One time at night I got up to use the restroom, came back to bed and the room started spinning. It took a couple of days for it to subside. I also had a strange dizziness/out of sync feeling last night as I went to bed.

Sorry this is long but I just wanted to stop in, ask a couple of questions and say hello to everyone!

Thanks Karen......yes I've been all over the Fibro 101 as well as a ton of websites. I know that it's common for bp to raise from the pain but mine seems to do the opposite. It plummets. My doc was thinking about putting me on a med to help raise my bp but it comes and goes. My normal is 100/54 but when it drops it goes as low as 85/45 or something like that. This is a fairly new thing that is happening so we are still in the early stages trying to work things out.

When it went down to 85/45, I was hospitalized and in a lot of pain. The nurse freaked out and kept checking on me every half hour while increasing my saline drip. When I blacked out, I took my bp afterwards and it was around 90/50ish....once again, because I was in pain. I guess I do everything backwards! lol BUT it makes me feel better knowing there isn't anything wrong with my heart :)

Hi, Sherry!  I don't think BP dropping is a symptom of fibro but it definitely is a symptom of something.  I had that happen to me.  I was on a diuretic and also Accupril for my blood pressure.  I then lost weight.  When I did, my blood pressure dropped dangerously low.  When it was checked at the doctor's it was 60/32!  They didn't know how I was even walking.  I was taken off the diuretic but kept on the Accupril. 

 

A few days later I bent over to get a pan out of the cupboard and got really dizzy and then I couldn't breathe!  Now THAT frightened me.  I was gasping for air and my daughter wanted to call 911 but I knew it was the blood pressure problem.  So I just stopped the Accupril, too, and, since this happened on a Sunday of course, I called my doctor the next day and told him I stopped all blood pressure meds.  He had me come in and my blood pressure was perfect...100/60...very similar to yours...with no medication.  This happened five years ago and my blood pressure is great without any medication now.  So, if you have lost weight or something else happened to help with your blood pressure, you just might not need the medication anymore.

 

I've had some dizziness occasionally.  Sometimes when I get out of bed in the middle of the night, I feel like my body is slanting to the left.  Don't know why that happens.  Your vertigo could have been sinus that was affecting your inner ears.  I'm not a doctor but that would be my guess, since it did clear up.

 

We all have varied symptoms with fibro.  Pain is usually the hallmark of this illness, along with fatigue and cognitive memory problems.  I didn't have memory problems right away but when they started I thought I was getting Alzheimer's!  Nope, just fibo fog.  I've had a lot of laughs over the years with things I have done, like trying to start my car with the key to my freezer.  That's my favorite one!  LOL  And, of course, we can have fibro and other illnesses like arthritis.  But, you can still have a full and enjoyable life in spite of fibro.  I know because I have!

 

Don't hesitate to ask questions.  I'm sure there will be plenty that will pop up.  We are here to help you.  Hope to hear more from you soon.

 

Sherrine