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Posted 7/3/2016 6:31 PM (GMT -5)
I found Di's post in another thread. Since I didn't want her to be missed, I started this thread for her. Let's welcome DiPrezi!

Sherrine

Hi, I figured I'd post here because I'm new and I have some beginner questions too. I checked out the umm.edu link Sherrine posted earlier to ready about symptoms and causes.

I haven't met with a rheumatologist or my gen practitioner yet. But I've talked to my chiropractor and acupuncturist about what's been going on w me. I had a auto accident Dec 2015 where I shattered my left radius (wrist) and had a steel implant put inside. Also had 2 small cracks above my right metatarsal (toe) and tore my lisfrank ligament (the band that controls all your toe bones where your ankle meets the foot). I've had endless issues w my right foot since where the pain has not stopped- I've done therapy, massage, acupuncture, adjustments, taping, cortisone shots, ultrasound and nothing alleviates it even a fraction. It sucks. However the bone in my hand healed nicely but there was still some pain in the tendon up my forearm and tissue of my thumb. I got off my opioid regimen in mid January.

Why I'm here. I never had sleep issues before - ever. But I haven't slept since the accident. I've had crazy busy dreams when/if I finally get down. I go to bed and usually sleep 11:30-1, wake up and then I'm awake until 5am where then I'll sleep until 8-10am. I can't sleep because my legs are aching like they would during a flu, in the knees and hamstrings. My lower back, my hips & lumbar radiate in pain and I try to prop pillows around me to help. My feet are always hot. My upper arms are tender and ache often. At first I thought it was from compensating from my injury but i don't do much to warrant that.

I have light pinching cramps often, even when I'm not PMSing. I get flush in the face and neck with reoccurring low grade fever. I wake up stiff every morning w pain in my neck and shoulders. I've been experiencing mood lulls despite no changes in my medications. And I despite a history of the occasional migraine, they have increased and are now debilitating where my medication doesn't work.
But the most concerning marker for me is this thing I've heard of called "fibro fog." I have a masters degree in writing and there are often times where I'm forgetting words and I can't put together coherent sentences because I don't know how to say what I'm trying to say. It's like I'm stuck.

I know that no one here is a doctor. I talked about this with my chiropractor and he said it's a possibility. When he presses on the dimples of my back, I scream out in pain. I have an appointment w a new internist soon.
But info on fibro sounds so open and unclear. How can a doctor tell? How will I know? If it's only been a few months, is that a way to know? Can the accident be the catalyst? I need someone here to help me figure out how to talk to my new doctor about it first please. I'm so confused because the web doesn't have many clear answers. And I don't believe in online diagnosis anyway. Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Di
Posted 7/3/2016 6:35 PM (GMT -5)
Hi, Di, and welcome! I found your post in a different thread and was afraid members wouldn't see you so I made a thread for you. It's a great introductory thread.

I will respond when I have some time. Right now I'm getting ready for company tomorrow. Catch you soon!

Sherrine
Posted 7/3/2016 8:03 PM (GMT -5)
Thank you Sherrine. I don't want to jump to conclusions and self-diagnose.
Like I said, one of my greatest concerns was hearing about "fibro fog." My mental clarity has been very askew. I feel like this could be one of the bigger signs, along with all the pain I have in most of the 18 points.

The problem is online doesn't have lots of answers.

-How long does it take for fibromyalgia to show? does it progressively come on or just show up?

-Does something have to happen to you? Like an accident?

-Is there ANY correlation to fibromyalgia and obesity/being overweight?

-Is fever/temperature change normal?

-Is nausea normal?

-I know they say there is no true test but how will a doctor figure out you have it for sure then?

Any insights would be appreciated, thank you.
Posted 7/4/2016 8:32 AM (GMT -5)
Hi, Di! I will try to answer all your questions. These are questions all of us have had because fibro can be a really strange illness. I also just posted a good link this morning, from the Mayo Clinic, about fibro symptoms. You can check that out too.

There are a variety of symptoms associated with fibro but we all are different in what symptoms we have. Plus some of the symptoms come and go and the intensity of pain can fluctuate also. But the symptoms we do have in common are pain in all four quadrants of the body and cognitive memory problems. Almost everyone has difficulty sleeping too. We usually don't get into the REM sleep where our bodies start to heal. I fall asleep quickly but am up several times to use the bathroom and then it takes awhile to fall back to sleep. Even after a so called good night's sleep, I will wake up tired.

Much of what you have described sounds like fibromyalgia. I always like to remind people that I'm not a doctor because I don't want anyone thinking I'm giving out medical advice. It's ALWAYS important to pass everything by a doctor you like and trust. I'm just sharing what has worked for me and for others on this forum. Your choice of doctors is very important. Most use a rheumatologist for diagnosis and treatment. Be sure they are board certified and if they are diplomats, that's a plus. Make sure they treat fibro patients because there are still doctors out there in the Dark Ages when it come to this illness. They think this is all in our heads but fibro is now recognized as an illness by the American Medical Association, the American College of Rheumatology, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization just to name a few. Having a good doctor that understands fibro as much as is possible is really important.

For me, my fibro just showed up and that is strange. Some members have had fibro since childhood but didn't know what was going on. But usually fibro is brought on by traumatic events like you car accident, a divorce, losing your job, or things that cause extreme stress like even having a baby. Fibro is not considered a progressive illness. Yes, we do have flares where we have more pain and then it settles back down again.

My pain was sudden while watching TV. My toes started aching, then my ankles, then knees and the pain crept up my body until it hit my elbows. It was like I banged that nerve in the elbow and I had that intense, electrical pain shooting down both arms and into my hands and this intense pain went on for over two weeks! The pain was on both sides of my body and, since it was symmetrical, I thought I was hit with rheumatoid arthritis. But, when seeing my doctor, there was no inflammation going on. No redness, no heat in the joints so that was ruled out.

We share many of the same symptoms as illness like lupus, Lyme disease, and MS among others. There is not a good test for fibro but these other illnesses do have tests to help with diagnosing them so these other illnesses need to be ruled out to get a definitive diagnosis of fibromyalgia. There are tests for these other illnesses and the treatments are different than what is done for fibro. If you see a doctor and they diagnose you with fibro without ruling out these other illnesses, I'd head out the door. People have been misdiagnosed with fibro when they have something else. So, to answer your question, ruling out other illnesses is how we get the diagnosis.

I think the only correlation between fibro and obesity is that being overweight causes more stress on your muscles and hence more pain. I was extremely overweight at one time and have lost 85 pounds and feel better. It's easy for me to get around, easy for me to get out of chairs, and I'm not stressing my muscles like I used to. So I highly suggest for any member who is extremely overweight to get some of that off your body.

Some have temperature changes. I do. Some have nausea and I have that also but I find if I eat a bite of something, the nausea goes away.

Ahhh...fibro fog. Don't you just love it? This is cognitive memory problems and we do have this problem. I'm a retired teacher, was an English minor in college, and I used to have a mind like a steel trap. I was on the Dean's List in college but you sure wouldn't know it now. One time when in a store I was asked for my phone number and, Di, I couldn't remember it! I had to pull out my checkbook and read it off my checks! blush I've even tried to start my car with the key to my freezer....twice I have done this. Oh, we can put peanut butter or car keys in the freezer or milk in the pantry. This doesn't happen on a regular basis but it sure has happened. I find that laughing about it helps. Stressing over it just makes it worse. If I can't come up with a word I just move on and that word will pop up sometime in my mind. I've forgotten what I was saying in the middle of my sentence...I mean totally forgotten! Quite a few times I have sat down to balance my checkbook and couldn't remember how to do it or couldnt figure out a mistake when balancing it. I used to get so stressed out and spend hours trying to figure it out...since I'm also a perfectionist. I have now learned to close everything up and go back the next day and I can take care of the balancing problems in a hurry. It is disconcerting and I thought I was getting Alzheimer's when if first started. But now I handle it much better. I do take folic acid which is supposed to help with memory and it does seem to help me. I function nicely.

Medications for fibro are varied also. Doctors use things like Cymbalta, Lyrica, or Savella for fibro. I didn't want to use the high powered meds so I tried over the counter things and they worked to keep the pain under control. I use ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, magnesium malate, vitamin D3, and a prescription muscle relaxer called Robaxin. That has made s significant difference in my pain. The script was written to take two tablets four times a day but I take one tablet twice a day. It calms my muscles down and I don't get the leg pain at night. Taking so little also doesn't make me drowsy either. I need to be able to drive. Other members take other things...depending on their pain. We are all different as to what will work for us so it's more a trial and error type thing. You can get a lot of ideas on this forum if you are found to have fibro.

I also walk daily as a gentle form of exercise. It's importent to keep moving with fibro. If you sit or lay too long you will be stiff as a board and have more pain. I also pace myself when doing thing, use trigger point therapy on myself when necessary, do gentle stretching exercises, and see a massage therapist who gives me gentle massages. She is trained in how to massage people with fibro and myofacial pain syndrome among other things. All of the above has helped me live a full and enjoyable life in spite of this illness.

One thing that has helped me immensely is being a positive thinker. Instead of looking at the negative things and playing them up in my mind, I look at all of my blessing, all the beauty around me and I feel happier, "lighter", and much more at peace. If you have peace you aren't dealing with stress as much. Stress causes more pain.

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 for you would be Symptoms, What Else Could It Be, and A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia. You will find links about magnesium and vitamin D3 and how these work in your body and you can find a wonderful link about how to maintain a positive attitude when you have chronic pain. All of Fibro 101 is good so do read it.

Lastly, start keeping a journal of how you feel when doing daily things. In Fibro 101 you will find a link to pain charts. Choose one, print it out, and use this to describe the pain intensity, in your journal, that you have when doing things. Then take the journal and the pain chart to your doctor appointment. This will give your doctor a good idea as to how you are really feeling.

I hope I answered all of your questions. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. Do let us know what you find out because we do care about you. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine
Posted 7/4/2016 2:29 PM (GMT -5)
Thank you Sherrine.

Of course I don't know for sure yet but this does answer many of my questions. My body has been out of whack since my injury so I couldnt tell for sure what was going on with me. I never feel right. But since the consistent mild fever, lumbar back pain, fatigue, awful sleepiness because of the pain from the legs down and the fog - I kno this isn't just remnant from the shattered wrist.

So when I go in to see my doctor in 2 weeks, should there be any specific questions I should be asking her?
How long until I will have clear answers?
What are important key points should I include when telling her my history?
What questions should I be asking?
What can't I most definitely not leave out?

If I have a positive diagnosis,
Will integrating medications be an early or later step?
Is there an advised weight loss plan for people w fibromyalgia?
And any well recommended books on the topic (I'm a book
Person)?
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