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does this sound like fibromyalgia.

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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 9/20/2013 11:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all

I know that you arent here to diagnose but wondered whether anyone with fibromyalgia feels that my symptoms sound familiar.

I have very mild sjogrens and very very mild lupus - the lupus isnt too much of a problem these days.......i am also post menopausal...and thereforehave come to accept my aches and pains as part and parcel of my life...

However, I am now sick and tired of feeling sick and tired......For many years I have had aches and pains.....and over the past 5 years they have got worse.......I dont see a specialist for the sjogrens etc and was once brave enough to tell a GP how i felt...that i ached all over and had to haul myself through each day......he said that he couldnt deal with that at the moment as not what i had visited him about...i do go to another surgery now.....however, i know what its like - half the time, no matter what is wrong, nothing can be done.....are they really interested anyway.......

Okay, I hurt....literally.....there are some days when i dont know where i dont hurt......the neck and base of head very bad....leads up into bad headaches......all over my entire shoulders - i literally cannot touch the muscles in my shoulders anywhere....the whole of the shoulder blade area.....neck muscles.....in my back and then my elbows will be tender....the muscles.....i think sometimes that my spine is painful but i think it might be the muscles next to the spine.......i have looked at the tender spots on the internet and  i definitely hurt in all of the places....

I am tired.....sooooo tired......feel ill......yet i feel anxious too......it feels like i have flu in my whole body at times........i have had IBS for absolutely years.....(but have quite bad digestive problems).....sometimes when i dont feel well, lights seem very bright.....odd symptom...thought it might be the sjogrens.....

I do have some old joint injuries and i am sure that i have some wear and tear arthritis - i am 57.........but i literally hurt all over......i wake up as tired as when i went to bed.............feel dreadful most of the time...and i will admit that a lot of my aches and pains have worsened simce the menopause.........but i just feel as though i have been run over by a truck.

Sometimes i will go through little phases where i dont feel so ill and i dont hurt so much but it always comes back with veangance....and stress makes things flare up.....i dont know whether fibromyalgia flares or whether it is constant......i just hurt so bad...........and also everything goes into spasm.......my head and neck become rigid and so in spasm that my head gets jerky.........i sometimes feel as though i am wearing a straightjacket......

I feel in my heart that i have fibromyalgia.......i feel as though i am about 100 some days and have lost all my zest for life.......

Do you think that i might have it please....

Sorry for such a long post and many thanks

Posted 9/21/2013 12:56 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, Rosemary, and welcome. Well, you have given a great description of fibro and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you do have this syndrome. But it's very important to get other illnesses ruled out because many of our symptoms are like those of other illnesses.

Fibro affects all four quandrants of the body with pain, we have fatigue, and we do have flares. Fibro waxes and wanes. And yes, fibro feels like you have the flu.

Feel at the base of your skull where it joins with your neck. I bet you will feel two knots on each side of your spinal column. If so, press on those knots as much as you can stand and then massage them. Repeat this until those knots get smaller and smaller. This should help with your head and neck. Also massage your skull. Yes, those muscles can get tight, too. I had this and learned how to massage the area from my neuromuscular massage therapist. Now I dont have that problem anymore.

I find massage helps me but it has to be a gentle massage. A deep tissue massage would send me to the hospital.

I use ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, magnesium malate (malic acid/magnesium), vitamin D3, and a muscle relaxer to help control the pain of fibromyalgia. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another so it's a trial and error process.

Once you find what helps you be in control of this illness you can have a full and enjoyable life in spite of it. I know I have. Also, I find that keeping a positive attitude helps me a lot. I look at all I can do and that makes me smile.

Please read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there. Good starting links are called Symptoms, What Else Could It Be, and A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia. You just might see yourself there. There are links about the magnesium and vitamin D3 that I mentioned and how they work in the body. Also there is a link about maintaining a positive attitude when you have chronic pain. I have read this many times when I'm having one of those days. All of Fibro 101 is good so do read it. It should help you a lot.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. I hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine
Posted 9/21/2013 3:44 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome, I too have lupus with my fibro. It gets frustrating when all you seem to do is hurt and feel fatigue.

Have you discussed the shaking with your neurologist or rhuemie?
I have the shaking too. The neuro I saw once said it was inherited for me but I wonder if he's knowledgable about lupus and fibro.
Posted 9/21/2013 12:30 PM (GMT 0)
 Greetings Rosemary,

my golly, if you don't sound  like me cry    The only difference would be I am 54 (but still post menopause)

where you describe your pain, is EXACTLY where mine is too. Somedays I just cry, the pain is so bad

I saw a RA on the 18th and she ordered blood work for Sjogrens & Lupus, but has dx me with Fibro.

I have seen an acupuncturist for 3 visits so far and am really holding out hope in its success with this and IBS

I also take 4000IU of Vit.D and Iodine, fish oil, multi for women over 50. Hubby got me amino acids yesterday to take also.

My sleep is crappy most nights and thus I wake to the pain.

when I have those times that my pain is a 0-3 I try to do as much as possible, otherwise nothing would get done because of not only the pain but the horrible fatigue cry

Please let me know if I can be of any help..I think I too have Sjogrens...terrible dry eye and mouth

Posted 9/21/2013 11:01 PM (GMT 0)
Dear Sherrine, Couchtater and Lainey K

Thank you all very much for your kind and helpful replies.

I think I know in my heart that I have fibromyalgia.......I do think that discussing with the GP etc is pointless and I dont want any conventional medicine for it......

I feel it flares up after periods of prolonged stress.  Another symptom that I noticed was that when I go up flights of stairs (i sometimes have to visit flats with my job) my thighs are sooo painful....the muscles at the front...I recently cut a hedge in my garden with shears and afterwards, the muscles in my forearm were all shaky and in spasm.....

Today, for instance, I feel sooo tired.....just no zest for life at all and feeling as though i have flu in my whole body.

I do take vitamin D3 (plus fish oil capsules, vitamin C with zinc, multivitamin and co-enzyme Q10 because I take a statin.....its not my diet, it is a family thing......I do also believe that my aches and pains got worse when i started a statin about 8 years ago......I do take magnesium but still cannot find the right one for me......Oxide is a not nice one that really upsets my stomach and citrate is now difficult to find in my local health food shops..........I will try to get the malate.  I was thinking of getting the oil that you spray on your body..

Many thanks again and i hope that you are all doing okay.

With very best wishes  Rosemary

 

Posted 9/22/2013 5:02 AM (GMT 0)
Rosemary- I hope you get reevaluated again for lupus and other auto immune problems. Many of your symptoms due fall under fibro, but sometimes it can be tricky to diagnose. Fibro symptoms are so similiar to other things such as MS, lupus and etc. Since you had previous diagnoses of lupus and sjorgens I would go back to a rheumatologist. Let them know what is going on and have them check you for fibro. Sometimes getting the right diagnoses makes all the puzzle complete.

Sounds like you want to approach this natural. I have had better results when I have approach my treatment more natural methods. It seems like a combination of things work better. Since mot of us are very senstive to drugs, its the reason why we like to go down the natural road. You can treat your fibro on your own, but be careful with the levels of the supplements. Too much can really cause medical problems.

Making changes in your life style such as work schedule, eating habits, sleep habits, exercise and reducing your stress will be very beneficial toward your treatment. I took all these I mention and made changes in my life so I could get a control over my fibro. It didn't happen over night, but a month into my changes I started seeing results.

I recommend seeing a therapist too. It really helped me get my joy and zest back into me. The chronic pain seems to cause depression in many of us. I really didn't have the support I needed, so was advised to seek one. So I think all these things I mention play a big part in managing your fibro.

Let us know how we can help you. I pray you can find your zest in life again. See you around the forum.
Posted 9/22/2013 10:30 PM (GMT 0)
Dear ak angel

Many thanks for your kind post.  I am glad that you are feeling a bit better and that you do have that zest for life back....I hope that things continue to get better for you.

With best wishes    Rosemary

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