Is this fibromyalgia with IBS?

Hey everyone. I'm here actually with a bunch of hope. Hoping that I do have fibromyalgia and not something worse. I'm a 23 year old female from the Philippines. My journey starts December 2015. During this time I was plagued with colds. It went away for about a week and half. Came back first week of Jan 2016. I was then treated with antihisthamine. It finally went away. The next week, i was put under an INTENSE amount of stress. I would cry every night due to a pile of stressful events. The week after, i realize i am losing weight. Yes, i lost appetite to eat due to those stressful events but i'd still eat normal portions (i am thin but i do eat a lot). This bothered me as i am not the type to lose weight easily. Around this time as well, i realize that my stool has been softer and isnt as dark as it used to. I shurgged it off thinking that this may be due to my breakfast routines. On January 26, I decide to get a check up. I was tested for thyroid, got a whole abdomen ultrasound, xrays, all results came out clear except for my ecg that showed arrythmia. I was so stressed about the weight loss, i was thinking it was cancer (i lost about 3-4 lbs in 3 weeks). On this day as well, i realize that my leg muscles were twitching. A few days after, i realize that my muscle tone has decreased. I'd walk and literally see my thigh fats juggling. That wasnt the case before. Shrugged it off thinking it might be stress. Fast forward to february, i gain around a pound but good news is i wasnt losing any anymore. I got hooked up with aloe vera pills that help digestion. Bad news is, the twitching has progressed everywhere. They are painless. I'd have very quicks spasms but are painless as well. I twitch around 10 times in different areas within an hour. Literally everywhere. Buttocks, lips, fingers, toes, abdomen, arms, legs, everywhere. I feel as if im not as strong as before as well. When there is pain, it's tolerable. Except for one time my right thigh really hurt i had to take paracetamol. It subsided right away. There are times that i feel my bones are the ones that hurt. There was a time i went up a flight of stairs and i waited in line for the train and i stood up straight. When i stood up straight my knees shaked like crazy. I had to cross my legs standing up for it to stop. Please note as well that my stool is constantly soft and then would suddenly be constipated. The color is still at a lighter shade and the consistency isnt well... consistent. I'm getting tested for calcium, magnesium and potassium deficiency and i am hoping that it's the cause for my muscle twitchings and tolerable pain. I feel weak and frail. I can do everything i used to before but i get fatigued easily. I've been so stressed not knowing what's happening to my body. I'd cry, get depressed. Whenever i'm relaxed, a muscle twitches and i'm reminded that hey something is wrong with you. I've been to cancer forums, ALS forums and I'm just so scared I have that. I'm so stressed. I came across the connection of fibromyalgia and ibs and i thought that hey, maybe this is it. Let this be it please. Guys, do you think I've finally found the answer? Thanks for taking time to read this.

I haven't. I'm scheduled to get one after I get my blood work done supposing that's the cause of the twitching. Maaan, I was hoping you'd say it sounds like fibromyalgia.

Hi, Noey, and welcome! Some of your symptoms could be fibromyalgia and some could be caused by your excessive anxiety. When you get other symptoms from anxiety you get more anxious and even more symptoms can arise. I'm not a doctor but this did happen to me when I suffered from anxiety. I would read about various illnesses and my body would take on the symptoms! I was just miserable. Stop visiting Dr. Google! There is a lot of misinformation out there.

First of all, did you realize that researchers are now thinking fibro is a neurological illness? We get twitching and some really strange things. I will sometimes feel like water is running down my leg, or I feel like a bug is crawling on my skin. I even get feelings of hot spots as well as cold spots on my skin. This does t happen a lot for me but it does happen.

Be sure to 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 Symptoms, What Else Could It Be, and A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia. There are links to magnesium malate and vitamin D3 and how these work in your body. Deficiencies in these can cause pain and fatigue. I live in sunny Florida but yet my D levels were low because I use sun screen when outside. When you first open Fibro 101 there is a good interview with Dr. Clauw who is considered one of the leading doctors studying this illness. All of Fibro 101 is good so this might help you see if Fibro is what you are dealing with.

I'm glad you are getting the calcium, magnesium, and potassium checked. I take supplements for all three plus I do take vitamin D3 also. These have helped me with twitching and muscle cramping.

Try to relax. Stress can make your pain worse if you do have Fibro. It sounds like you have a good, thorough doctor who is ruling out other illnesses that have many of the same symptoms as Fibro. This does have to be done before a definitive diagnosis of Fibro is given because there are no good tests for Fibro. Plus the treatments are different than what would be suggested for Fibro. Let your doctor do their job and try not to let your mind jump in and "diagnose" yourself. That will only cause you more stress and worry and 99% of the time we are wrong and have worried for no reason. Worrying doesn't help one bit but could make you sick.

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

Sherrine

Rockon said...
Ok here are the links. I'm not saying you won't need to visit doctors to figure this out. This is food for your brain to consider.
Mark London on Magnesium in fibromyalgia. This is scientific, but its really good info.
web.mit.edu/london/www/magnesium.html

I did a search for treatments at anytreatment. I looked for reviews of minerals.
Some people use a product called Trace Minerals.  It doesn't taste good.  Probably want to add it in to a flavored drink or juice or throw it back and try not to taste n it.  I was recently thinking I probably should try it again, and this time stick to it.  If I find a way to make it taste OK I am more apt to stick with it. I didnt do that the first time. I bought it maybe 10 yrs ago and quit.  One of those things that just sat in my cabinet cuz I didn't do good follow thru.

When Forebearance posted her review of minerals I felt inspired to go in this direction.  Its slow results for me cuz the first mineral I tried helped my one worst symptom but now my next step was a small step backwards. Click on the title of a review and the person's whole post will come up. You have to join to see this stuff.

/reviews.anytreatment.com/treatments/minerals-1617/reviews

One more question...did they test only TSH when they checked for thyroid function? Does it say stuff on the blood work like Free T3 and Free T4? If they ran only TSH then go to the thyroid forum here and read my reply to ....
Edit here is that thread link: www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=37&m=3586558
Just read my first reply, not the next two. They aren't really necessary.

Woah, okay. At least now I'm convinced that if I take a decent amount of magnesium, the twitching should lessen right? I forgot to add as well that there is definitely some muscle pain going. I feel so weak so quickly. Thank you so much for this. I got tested for TSH, T3 and T4, they all came back normal. This is just really scary.

Luvzminis said...
Welcome, Noey! I developed severe twitching and muscle spasms around 2003-2004. I did have other fibro symptoms before that (pain, etc.).

I was sent to a neurologist and my regular doctor said this neurologist was one of the top doctors in my area and "if he can't figure this out, no one can!"

I had all the tests, MRIs, nerve tests, etc.., but nothing specific showed up. One thing the neurologist said was that because I had poor reflexes (which no doctor ever mentioned before), it was possible I had cerebral palsy, and that was his best guess after all was said and done. He told me it was a "wait and see" diagnosis, so that was that.

Here I am years later, and I still get muscle cramps, but NOTHING like I used to get! They're probably about 70% better than back then. Magnesium helps me, though it can cause loose stools, so I have to watch that.

Everyone responding to your thread here gave you great advice. Stressing and looking up "do I have....?" make things much worse, though it's sure tempting to surf the net and look, isn't it? Been there; done that.

I just got back to as regular a life as I could. Life always has its ups and downs, but we learn coping skills. My faith, lots of daily prayers, hobbies, pets, family, fun times, music, all help me have a good life. I'm thankful for so many things.

You're smart to see the doctor and have things checked out. If you're concerned about stool color, consistency, etc. maybe you could see a GI doctor to ease your mind.

It helps to write down things you're concerned about before you go to the doctor, then just run your concerns by him/her.

Hope things are better soon. Keep us posted!

Thanks so much! I'm getting tested and I'm hoping that'll ease my mind. I have a question tho, since I have weird stools, do you think I have digestion problems? is it possible that I actually don't digest the magnesium/potassium/calcium vitamins that's why my muscles have been twitching/in pain/have spasms?

Noey, I wish I could give you the answers you want. We are all so different as to how Fibro affects us. Some people have Fibro but not IBS. Many do but not all. I'm not sure you have IBS because there is usually cramping and diarrhea somewhere along the line. I have a separate digestive disorder called Crohn's disease that isn't connected to Fibro.

The criteria for diagnoses is having pain in all four quadrants of the body. Many of us have cognitive memory problems too. We call it Fibro fog. Plus other illnesses should have been ruled out too...things like lupus and Lyme disease. These are treated differently than Fibro. Usually a good board certified rheumatologist can help you but some PCP's can too. Just make sure that any doctor you go to believes Fibro is a true illness. There are still some doctors out there in the Dark Afes when it comes to this illness.

As I said before, try not to worry about it. That will just cause more problems and I KNOW that you can't tell me anytime that worrying has helped you. It doesn't help anyone. Just have a good doctor and let them do what you are paying them to do.

By the way, please don't box posts that you are referring to. We will know or you can type the name of the poster you are referring to. Boxing takes up a lot of space on the forum and, quite frankly, I have no idea why this option is available. Strange!

I hope you get some answers soon. I think waiting for a correct diagnosis is half the battle. Once you have a diagnosis, you will have some ideas as to how to help yourself. It is a frightening period but I think this will be over for you soon. From what you have said, your doctor seems to be taking tests to rule everything else out.

Do let us know what you find out because we do care about you.

Sherrine

Just an update everyone... my vitamin results are back and everything is normal. Was tested for Na, Ma, K, Ca and all came back normal. So it means the vitamins isn't connected to the musclr twitching and spasms. Wasnt tested for D or B12 tho. Should I push for that? I'm getting a neuro appointment on friday. Should i get an appointment with a rheumatologist as well?

Update: woke up again last night due to some pain on my right calf. I'm starting to lose hope that this is less than ALS... Is there still hope that this is fibro?

Yes! I feel the same, I'd wake up at wee hours of the morning due to the cramping. Just exercise it a bit and it goes away. Then fall asleep. I have a neuro appointment tomorrow. I'm scared as hell. I hope this isn't ALS and just a muscle/nerve issue. I'll keep you posted! Thanks again!

Thank you, Rockon!

Hey guys just wanted to ask, do you guys experience light pins and needles on your hands? Some cramplike pain as well on your fingers. I've been having cramplike pain while sleeping on my right calf. I wake up to check on it, it isn't you know tight like cramps but the pain is there.

PleAse insist they check the vit d... Are you out in the sun everyday? You cannot imagine the symptoms that came with low d..it was awful..

Its actually not a vitamin but a hormone you get from the sun.