I am convinced I’m dying

I’m having so many symptoms right now that I don’t even know what to do with myself. I have not officially been diagnosed with fibromyalgia but there’s been some talk between my gastro doc and my pc that it may be fibro because I e had just about every test thought of and everything comes back ok..My symptoms are: headache and sharp pains in head, sensitive scalp, jaw pain, sinus pain, pain my arms, wrists and ankles, Muscle spasms ( mostly in arms and calves), chest pain( sometimes pressure or tightness or sometimes just sharp pains. But most of my chest pain is usually on the left side.. if feels tight under my left breast.. and then pain radiates to left arm. Weird thing is I get left sided chest and arm pain or weakness shortly after eating too. Shoulder pain, upper back pain, air hunger, heart palpitations . I literally sit in my room and cry all day out of fear that I’m dying.. I have 3 small babies that need me. I am not even able to take care of them the way they should be taken care of.. someone help! I have a appt with a rheumatologist at the end of DEC. I feel like something may happen to me before then.

Hi, Cadegoke, and welcome! Fibromyalgia can be frightening. We get a lot of different symptoms but all test say we are the picture of health! We know we aren’t but what can we do to help ourselves? When I was in your situation I developed a bad case of anxiety. Any ache or pain would cause me to conjure up the worst case scenario. I never thought I was dying but I was nearly that bad. I didn’t use the computer back then but I read medical books. One day at church our minister gave a sermon about fear and anxiety is fear. I latched onto the scripture he based the sermon on and put it to memory and it has helped me immensely throughout the years. (I also threw out the medical books. Please don’t use “Dr. Google”. There is a lot of false information on Google.) When I would get frightened, I would repeat that scripture and I have been able to kick anxiety pretty much to the curb. You can find it in my signature if you are interested.

The aches and pains you describe also describe what many of us have experienced. There are things you can do to help with the discomfort and also medications that can help. I use ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, magnesium malate, vitamin D3, and a muscle relaxer called Robaxin (methocarbamol) that has made a significant difference in my pain. The supplements I mentioned can cause pain if you are lacking in them. I also have an Internist and a rheumatologist who believe in fibro. That helps too.

Also, be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. You just might see yourself there! This should help ease your anxiety.

I’m not a doctor but I think you are just suffering from fibro or a similar illness, and anxiety. Fibro has many of the same symptoms as other illnesses...like Lyme disease and lupus. There are tests that can rule out these illnesses but there is no such test for fibro. So they have to be ruled out first. The treatments are different so you need to know what you are dealing with. A good rheumatologist can help you there. Whatever doctor you use, make sure they believe in fibromyalgia.

I will say that I would check out the left side pain that runs to your left arm. This too could be anxiety because most people know this could possibly be a sign of a heart attack. When you feel chest pain there, most people automatically think heart attack and then your anxiety can cause you to conjure up more pain. That happened to me. But you should rule out any heart problems. You sound young because you said you had three babies so most likely your heart is just fine. If nothing else, being checked out will take away a big chunk of your anxiety.

I’m so sorry you are so frightened. Try to relax. Do deep breathing exercises and also keep busy. You won’t have time to think so much. Your children definitely can keep you busy and, yes, they do need you. I have three children also and they were quite young when I was hit with fibro. I’ve had fibro for 33 years and still have had a good and enjoyable life in spite of it! I do have a positive outlook on life and that helps immensely too. There is a great link in Fibro 101 about having a positive attitude when you have chronic pain. Be sure to check that out too!

Please let us know what you find out and how you are feeling because we really do care about you. I hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine