Wow, 9 years ago after the birth of my second boy, I was dx'd with fibromyalgia. I thought to myself back then, "Fibro what?"

I went on the internet back then to look it up and onto the fibro message boards I went.

Back then, I got lots of people on the internet (and dr's and people I know) saying that fibro is a waste basket dx.

"Oh my", I thought. I'm really feeling like crap. I'm sooooo tired all the time, I hurt all over, the cold weather makes the pain worse, I'm going into a depression because I miss the old me, I have burning muscle pain whenever I use my limbs, I'm in a fog, my thinking and memory stinks, my whole head has pressure in it, my eyes are stiff...........and so the story goes of my long journey to find out what's wrong w/ my body.

I went 9 years of testing. Many mri's, cat scans, many blood testing, 2 barium swallow tests, 1 colon test, 2 spinal taps,..........

Through the years I have been checked for MS, Lupus, MG, Parkinsons, arthritis, RA, etc..........

I started seeing a psychologist. Today was the 3rd time I saw her. She used to be a pain mgt dr. I do have fibromyalgia.

My symptoms might be a little bit different from some though. I'm very , very fatigued 90% of the time.....but I do fall asleep quick and stay asleep (unless I have to go to the bathroom), but then I'm right back asleep when I lay back down.

I feel soooo bad for the ones w/ fibro who can't fall asleep because of the pain. You have my sympathy!!!!

I have a constant very dull pain throughout body. Mine flares up big time when stressed, cold weather, rainy weather, yelling at kids, having a cold or the flu, after surgery , talking to much (from TMJ), sitting or standing too long, even going with kids to an amusement park and walking around all day flares me up big time.

when I do get in a flare up.....I take a nice warm bath, drink a coca-cola, and take a Tylenol Arthritis (even though I don't have arthritis).... Usually when all that's done, I'm back to the normal dull body pain.

So, after 9 years of searching for something other than fibro for the cause of my symptoms.....It's fibromyalgia, TMJ, endometriosis, anxiety (dx'd in Nov.), and depression (dx'd this year, but have had it since I was young).

Just thought I'd share this with anyone going through the fibro dx and not believing it.......... :wave:

I know how you feel. I didn't want to believe it either when I was diagnosed with fibro about 3 1/2 yrs ago. Most people just don't understand how you can be just too tired to go somewhere or hurt all over for no good reason. After years of suffering from IBS, TMJ, depression, & fibro, I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism--my hope is that once my thyroid meds kick in, I'll feel so much better & maybe, just maybe I won't really have fibro!!!! (Wishful thinking!)

Hang in there! I know its really hard-especially on days like today when the temperature changes from 65 & sunny to cold & rainy all in one day. Weather changes are the worst!....or maybe stressful situations...or after a sleepless night....THEY'RE ALL BAD!!!

Thanks for listening!

Oh, I hope your thyroid med helps you out symptom wise!!

My problem when dx'd w/ fibro in 96 was that I was telling myself "no way, can something called "fibromyalgia" cause this much pain-brain fog-etc."

I mean it honestly feels like TOTAL body arthritis!! And so many of the symptoms are soooo like other illnesses (ms, lupus, pd, etc.).

Anyways, All tests through these 9 yrs have ALL been normal.

The only things that did show was the TMJ, endometriosis, GERD.

Yeah, the temperature changes really does reek havoc on the body!!

Yesterday I was in a sweatshirt (w/no jacket) , had the kitchen window open and it felt like spring.....then by early nightfall it was snowing and freezing out!!! :eek: ( I took 2 hot baths last night to get loose)

hi, my symptoms started shortly after my son was born, 16 months ago. i think its fibro. doc,neuro is baffled. waiting mri. i hope its fibro and not ms or something. love april x

Hi April,

Oh I sure hope your mri comes out neg.

When do you go for the mri?

One of my first symptoms was about 2 months after second son was born. I woke up very dizzy-lightheaded. Then arms-hands started getting stiff and sore when using them.

Then I would get so off balance that I would bang into walls, and one time my feet wouldn't go in the direction I wanted them to.

Then came many more symtpoms.

Especially the fatigue!!!!

The day after son was born, my family and my in-laws and me and my husband ALL got into a BIG fight. That started my depression and my symptoms started also.

It's been 9 years and I'm just now seeing a psychologist about what happened back then!!! ( 9 yrs of constant depression, pain, fighting, ignoring, denying, avoiding)....

So, I don't know if I would have ended up w/ fibro if all that fighting and stress didn't happen. Or, if the fighting and stress was too much for my body and I developed fibro???!!

Let me know how the mri comes out , oK??

:wave:

I don't feel like I have the flu either (never did), and my sleeping is also different than most fibro people's.....I sleep like a rock too. I read my book at night until I'm sleepy and then I just fall right to sleep.

My pain level is much much lower than most with fibro also. The only things I take are Nexium for my Gerd , and Effexor Xr for anxiety and depression.

I take Tylenol very rarely. Maybe 4 a month. And that's usually if I have a migraine.

If I'm in a very bad flare-up, I take a hot bath, drink a coca-cola, take a tylenol and by the time I get out of tub....I'm brand new.

But....I don't work outside the home. That makes a big difference. I can take a nap if I need one. I can take a hot bath at 1:00 p.m. if I need one.

My TMJ is what really bugs me. 80% of the time I have no pain with the tmj. Just lots and lots and lots of 24/7 pressure in head-face-eyes-ears-neck. Now, if I talk a lot (which I don't) the TMJ will flare up big time and cause serious pain and migraine.

Hi April,

Then I would get so off balance that I would bang into walls, and one time my feet wouldn't go in the direction I wanted them to.


:wave:


Luv2read,

This is the symptom I have that has me the most troubled. It comes and goes, but I have a lot of bruises to show for my walking into walls, and that "feet wouldn't go in the direction I wanted" thing has happened on many occasions. Scary!!

I also have the TMJ symptoms you mentioned... it was actually one of the first things that popped up for me... pressure in the head/ears got so bad I ended up in the emergency room. I never had headaches before then. Sucks!!

MRI was clear, cat scans were clear, and was tested for inner ear disorder (for the dizziness) which was negative.

Rheumatologist "believes" I have fibro. Such confidence! It's been almost two years and they "think" I've got something. Sometimes it seems like they're okay with a fibro diagnosis because they can't put a finger on anything else. But I'm slowly starting to realize this is an actual disease... and I probably got it!!

Oh yeah, that's what's so confusing about fibro. Some dr's believe in it, some others don't.

My family dr could of sworn I had MS, but there are absolutely no lesions on mri of brain or cervical spine (neck).

On one of my mri results it said that an arachnoid cyst could not be ruled out. I only saw this statement because I had to pick up the mri's for an appt.

No one ever said anything about it, so I assume if there is an arachnoid cyst - it's not causing my problems. I don't know. :confused:

All I know is that my whole body changed after giving birth in 95. Then dx'd w/ fibro in 96. I don't even remember what it's like to have a "normal" body anymore. To me, this is my "normal" body and I deal with it one day at a time.

Do you have the pressure points?

This is to Lord Velos,
I know how you feel. I was Dx several years ago and have so many of the same symptoms as every one else, BUT I don't have the tmj or the flu symptoms. FM doesn't play fair. It strikes all of us differently. The so called pressure points...all a bunch of crap. Doctors came up with that one when they were still try to dx this stuff. Maybe get yourself a second opinion or if you already have maybe go ahead and allow yourself to believe that you really do have FM. Sorry it has to be that way though.