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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 4/5/2012 1:19 PM (GMT 0)
When all my symptoms of not feeling well began..they began with a sinus infection that never seemed to go away and from there aches and pain, headaches, fatigue, and vertigo.. My doctor told me i was depressed and prescribed Cymbalta. From there on my symptoms of pain, headaches, vertigo, and suddenly stomach problems began getting worse. I also occassionally will have problems with walking...i will start limping... and then it will be gone.... comes and goes??? I've also had a walk that could be described as a tremor walk ... a shaky kinda walk...also comes and goes, but happens more when I am stresssed or am upset. Stress seems to trigger everything for me. But how does one avoid stress? And why does stresss do this to my body? I am also very fatigued daily, but it is worse upon waking. I do have anxiety, and also suffered from panic attacks. I was referred to a psychiatrist because oif the panic attacks and the anxiety i was feeling. She said it could be bipolar disorder. She put me o seroquel for months, and they were the worse months of my life. seroquel threw me into the worse depresssion ever. and so I had to go off of it. After I explained to her that i get the trembling walk and body pains and fatigue...she told me she wasn't exactly sure what was going on with me. I then went to see a rheumatologist, who diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. I know depression is common with fibromyalgia, and I do get sad and cry at times, but i think that is normal when you are dealing with pain on a daily basiss. I will adnit i also iget irritable and crabby, but for me this usually happens right before my menstrual cycle. I have always suffered from the worst menstrual cramps, ever since my menstrual cycle began along with getting moody. Not sure if that is normal...i think it is?? Anyway, I am basically wondering is what i am suffering from ...is it fibromyalgia or bipolar???? And I know, U probably wont have the right answers for me , but how does one differentaite the d ifference between bp and fibromyalgia???? Is the fact that I spend a lot of time being inactive and in bed, which to me I feel is due to the pain and fatigue i feel... a sign that i am depressed ???? I dont feel it mentally, but more so ...it is my body that is hollding me back. I really don't know...very confusing. Mentally...i am not feeling sad, but my body is hurting, and I usually just feell exhausted all over. Just wondering does anyone share any of these symptoms?
Posted 4/5/2012 3:16 PM (GMT 0)
Lexus, I'm so sorry for you pain.

Stress does trigger negative effects on our body...cortisol and adrenaline are released into our blood stream causing affects on our blood pressure, heart rate, circulation and muscle tension. It can really alters the way our immune system functions. When your muscles are constantly stressed, they use more energy and you become really fatigued.

I've been doing relaxation therapy for years...it has helped with my anxiety. It has also helped with muscle tension, so it does help reduce some of my pain. It also gives me a sense of control when my anxiety gets high.

I do deep breathing exercise,meditation and use visualization. Anytime I'm feeling anxious, I take some time for relaxation and start slowing my breathing down. This has helped me from going into a full blown panic attack.

It is not uncommon to have fibro with other conditions, so it is important to have bloodwork done to eliminate the possibility of an autoimmune connective tissue disease....symptoms are simular to fibro. Many have depression along with these conditions, so if you feel you need help in this area...don't ignore it...meds and therapy can help.

I wish you the best of luck...if you feel your doc isn't helping, it's time to look for one who is willing to work for you. My relationship with my doc is a partnership of mutual respect. You want a doc who is willing to listen and check things out.

Keep us posted, we care :)

Hugs, Robin
Posted 4/5/2012 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, I forgot...exercise is a great way to prevent stress. I walk on a daily basis. It really helps me both physically and mentally.

Hugs, Robin
Posted 4/5/2012 8:14 PM (GMT 0)
Lexus, the very first thing I would suggest is that you get out of bed and start to live your life.  You are giving in to this illness and that will just make things worse for you.  If you sit or lay too much, you will be stiff as a board and have more pain.  More pain causes more fatigue and that adds to sadness.  So do start to move around.  Kick this stupid illness to the curb.  You are far stronger than you are giving yourself credit.  We can do just about anything if we put our minds to it.  We are also very adaptable and can figure out ways to work around fibro too.  We can help you with that also.

 

There are some gentle stretching exercises on Fibro 101 that are really good.  Also, you need to have a daily exercise that you can do.  Walking is wonderful and doesn't cost any money.  By the time I get home from a walk, I have less pain and more energy!  If you are shakey, buy a cane.  You can get them for about $20 at a drug store.  I will carry my cane with me but not use it unless I need to. 

 

I've been dealing with a ton of stress from the loss of my dog.  When she died I fell apart and it took a hit on my lower spine.  Yes, stress did that.  I went from walking to barely being able to stand.  Yes, stress did that...my rheumy acknowledged it.  I do have some arthritis in my lower spine but the MRI'S showed I had far more inflammation and swelling, that was pressing on nerves and causing the pain when trying to walk, than I should have for the mild arthritis that I have.  Yes, stress can cause this.  So, try to focus on other things than you health.  If we all did a body check and thought about what hurt and where, we would be basket cases.  Find something to take your mind off fibro.  For me, genealogy does that trick.  I am accomplishing something and I don't think about how I feel.

 

Bottom line, start moving, start a daily exercise program for yourself, focus on other things AND look around and start counting the blessings all around you.  That really helps me a lot.  When I feel a "nosedive" coming on, I usually will head outside for a walk (which always picks me up) or I start thinking of all the good things in my life.  If you made a list of the positive things and the negative things, the positive things would far outweight the negative.  You might already do this but, if so, keep it up!  It really does help. 

 

These are the things I have done and have had a full and enjoyable life in spite of fibro and I know you can too!  We are here to help you.  So put a smile on your face and have a wonderful evening!

 

Sherrine

Posted 4/6/2012 5:58 AM (GMT 0)
Lexus- Sounds like you have several things going on. Depression is very common in fibro. I use to stay in bed and let the depression and fibro beat me up. I finally found a friend who supported me and gave me some great advice. I started to tackle each symptom at a time. I new depresssion was high on my list, so I found a therapist. I had anxiety so I learned natural ways to relieve it and went to a class. As I went down the line I started relieving these symptoms and began to feel better. The biggest thing you can do for yourself is make a schedule if you are at home full time. This way you dont catch yourself laying down too much. I made all these changes in small steps and it worked. I got great ideas from other post and made some changes on my treatments for fibro. I can totlly understand your story, I have been there. I know how easy it's to give in to this fibro, but you can have a life with it. I hope you find some hope with in you and start a new tomorrow.
Posted 4/6/2012 8:14 AM (GMT 0)
Bipolar ah, my sister is bipolar and oh how do I put this nicely, I mean she is my sister and all. Its like PMS x3 in the moods. Bipolar effects the brain, mood and yea depression can be there. I just listened to my sister cuss with the f about a spoon in the sink and not in the dishwasher.. a spoon. Fibro is aches, pains, more. By the way I had to reread your post three times to figure out why your blood pressure (BP to us whom work in the med world).. then I realized you were talking still about the bipolar. A psych can diagnose you with bipolar and a rheumy can diagnose anything auto immune, and or more. My rheumy also specializes in oncology, and I'm in chemo. I got lucky to find a double specialty in one doctor.
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