Fibromyalgia

desjumeaux

Well, just been to see a consultant and had a good 45 mins with him. He asked me all my history of my pain. After a full examination, in which I was in some pain, he said he thinks it is fibromayalgia. He sent me for several XRays and more blood tests and I have to wait for an appointment to have a scan on my spine. He needs all these so that he can make a better informed report in 6 weeks time.

I have spent the last 8 - 10 weeks with the doctor saying it is Osteo-arthritis. So after reading about Fibromyalgia it sounds like the better of two evils.

I am now taking 8 Gabapentin a day, plus tramadol as and when I need it.

The pain is easing with the tablets, which is wonderful and I did feel that the consultant was listening and understood the pain I was in.

I have a pre-arranged appointment with the doctor on Thursday so,
see what he says then.

:?

dachshund

Hi desjumeaux.
i'm pleased you saw a helpfull consultant good luck for thursday.
joan xx

stickywicket

Sounds like a good appointment, desjumeau. I've no experience of fibro but stuff always works best if you're treating the right ailment I hope things'll start to improve now.

frogmorton

Hi desjumeaux

Well taht sounds like it was a good appointment you had. Nothing better than feeling 'heard' and believed.

You know he will do his best to get to the bottom of it.

Glad also that the tramadols and gabapentins are helping you with the pain.

Love

toni xx

Annah

I don't think there's a 'good' joint condition to have - fibro can be severe, OA can be mild, but I'm pleased you're pleased.

I take gabapentin too, although not as much as you do most of the time (I vary my dosages). I have found it very good and have had few side-effects, except maybe a little spacey when I got up a dose. You might also find an antidepressant can help with the pain - a lot of doctors prescribe them as a matter of course with fibro.

Hopefully your xrays will come back clear. Another thing to consider is vitamin D - a lot of fibromites have vitamin D deficiency, but your doctor probably knows that. If not, 'remind' him and get your vitamin D checked.

Good luck in finding ways to manage your condition.

Ldyalb

Deffo get your vit D levels checked, my Dr did when I was waiting to see Rheumy 1 about my suspected Lupus and I was pretty badly deficient.

I started out with Fibro, it can be very nasty but it can be milder in some cases as well. Main thing is that there's no destruction. Plus, if you know what you're battling it makes life a bit easier to get the right relief for you.

But Fibro is often co-morbid with other stuff. So you could have both potentially. If you have:

- at least 11 out of 18 tender points (the Rheumy should have done this test already, if not request it next time anyway)
- pain lasting for more than 3 months, in all four quadrants of the body

then you definitely have Fibro. But that doesn't mean it can only be Fibro.

It's good they're doing the x rays to rule out/confirm OA etc. Just be vigilant of any health changes, one thing many Fibromites find is that EVERYTHING is dismissed as 'just Fibro' when actually it's something else. Took me 4 months to convince a GP my joint swelling was 'not just Fibro' and warranted further investigation :roll:

Annah

I second what Ldyalb has said. Even people with fibro can have other things wrong with them. In fact, it seems more common that fibro is actually a symptom of other things.

In my case, what seemed to be fibro turned out to be a combo of various joint conditions, of which the most major is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome aka 'Joint Hypermobility Syndrome' (note the third word - it makes all the difference!). I also have a bone disease and probably osteroarthritis in various joints. My doctors are also querying psoriatic arthritis, which is notorious for 'hiding' from the usual tests, but does, unfortunately, cause joint destruction.

I found the whole "fibro doesn't cause joint destruction" annoying, as I was clearly suffering from damaged joints but it was like no one was listening to me! The first healthcare professional to do so was my podiatrist, after examining my poor feet, but now thankfully I've got most of my healthcare professionals on side and they're not longer blaming everything on fibro.

Sorry to bring in my load of woes, but I wanted to confirm that whilst its good to know you have fibro, don't let the doctors get away with blaming everything on it, especially if you have a symptom that's not a known symptom of fibro (like damaged feet, in my case).

Folara

Hiya desjumeaux

It's great to get a proper diagnosis but as others have said fibro can often be associated with other joint problems. In my case I have had OA for a long time in my hips, knees, lower and upper spine but have just been told I also have fibro from my doctor. He diagnosed this after I saw him because I have problems with muscle twitching and shaking, periods of lightheadedness and a few other symptoms which all linked in.

I really hope you can get some proper relief now that they have a diagnosis, but just keep a bit of an eye on any other little niggles etc you may get along the way.

Fols x

desjumeaux

Thank you all for your replies, its so reassuring and helpful to get information on other peoples experiences.

I am feeling good at the moment, although the sun is shining today and this does make a difference to how we feel.

I was interested in whether diet helps to control the pain, I have read somewhere that you shouldn't eat potatoes or rice, and limit the amount of fruit. Wondered if any one else had any information on this.

Thanks again and good luck to you all.

xx

bubbadog

Sounds like you have a good Consultant there! I have Fibro along side my Osteoporosis and it is like the better of the 2 evil's Sometime's your not sure if it's the Fibro or the Osteo causing the pain. But I suppose you learn to live with both! Hope you get the results soon so you can find out if you do have Fibro. Fingers crossed it's an answer you'll be happy with.

Ldyalb

OP - some people find dietary changes help Fibro, others don't. It's common for Fibromites to have food allergies/intolerance. I'm intolerent to eggs, but that's no problem as I hate them anyway. A year ago I switched to a Veggie diet, it doed help my digestion side of things but the Fibro still flares up when it wants to as of before. If you want to consider altering your diet I'd advise you to consult your GP first and read up on nutrition etc to make sure you're getting everything you need I have to confess that whenever I do eat Vegan (dairy is my downfall normally) I feel so much better than when I eat non Vegan.

If you suspect you have an intolerance to a food/s then I'd advise you to see your GP to investigate. If you are sensitive to wheat/gluten then it's worth being checked out for Coeliac disease. One of my friends has it and her life has improved loads since her diagnosis as she feels better knowing what she can, and can't, eat.

Annah - are you my twin? My GP suspects my arthur is Psoriatic, as does my Rheumy (unless it's a tendon problem caused by Psoriasis). I don't have P itself but do have the nail issues associated with it (pitting and detachment). I have a history of tendinitis and the pain is different to how it was back then.

Also, I've finally found a Rheumy who seems vaguely open to the possibility that my Hypermobility Syndrome is in fact Ehlers Danlos Type 3. I have stretchy skin, blue sclerae, bruise easily and scar easily with wounds/cuts etc slow to heal