Hi Everyone,

I am newly diagnosed with fibro, but have had the symptoms for a long time. I am still trying to figure all of this out. I have been reading the posts which have been really helpful, but there are some things I am unsure about. Please share your experiences with me and tell me if you suffer from these symptoms. I don't know about you, but sometimes I am overwhelmed with the fact that fibro can cause ALL these things??:dizzy:

Please tell me if you have:

1. Pain under both ribs...sometimes right, sometimes left?

2. Pain when washing your hair, (ie. scalp pain, back of head pain)?

3. Vertigo?

4. Abdominal pain.....burning in your gut....located in the middle?

5. Muscle pain that feels like it's been pulled, or slept on wrong. (ie. shoulders, chest, hips, ect)?

6. Do you have a hard time telling if you are having muscle spasms? I often just feel pain that gets worse, and do not know it is spasms until I take a muscle relaxer....then it gets better? How do I know that it's a spasm, and not just pain?

7. Headaches?? How often, and when do you have them?? I have bad headaches nearly everyday, often an 8 out of 10 in the AM.

8. Joint pain, mainly knees? I only have this pain sometimes, when the other symptoms are worse.

9. Flares? I know when I have one. (God, it's HARD not to!) How long do they last? What can I do to speed up the process??

10. Anyone see "floaters" in their eyes, or have vision that blurs at times?

11. This one is embarrassing.....Anyone have a rash in a private area? It has been checked out, and tested. Doc says it's some form of "irritation" and they can find no cause?? I have redness, stinging, and sensitivity. It comes and goes.

12. Chest pain?

13. Rapid Pulse?? My pulse rate at rest is between 90 and 120. I have no idea why it is so high, and wonder what is normal.

14. Any numbness or tingling in the extremeties? I have one toe that has been numb for several weeks now. Every few days, it will hurt pretty bad, but only for a few minutes, otherwise it is a numb, pins and needles sensation to the touch?

15. Sharp pains that "travel"? I sometimes have sharp pains that feel like a bolt of lightning in my body. It may start in my stomach and "moves" to my arm. They are lightning quick, from start to finish, but VERY painful. I experience these "traveling" pains often, in different parts of my body.

:) If you have made it this far, thank you! I just want to know if anyone experiences these symptoms, and what YOUR variations are! Thank You so much for any responses!!! :):):)

Your Fibro Sister,

Amanda

Hi Amanda:

This is my take on what is going with your body - based on my own experience. The problems with fibro is that everyone has a different path they are traveling with this condition.

1. It is common to have a condition called costocondritis (my spelling is probably wrong). As to the pain you are experiencing under the rib cage, this might be the cause. My experience with costo is the pain was between the ribs, however.

2. I used to have scalp pain. I suppose it was a flare of some sort, but now I am not having this problem. Are you having any hair loss problems? I would suspect it is fibro-related.

3. Vertigo is very common.

4. IBS is common in fibro sufferers. It can start with the esophogus and go all the way to the other end. Not fun. Be aware of what you are eating; possbily keep a food diary to see if you can focus on something you are sensitive to (sometimes this sort of pain can be related to candida which a lot of fibro sufferers have an overload).

5. Your muscle pain sounds typical of what I have experienced.

6. Not sure what to tell you about the tension. My experience with this is that pain is pain whether or not it is muscle tension or just pain. I have never taken any muscle relaxers.

7. Headaches/migraines are very common. Fibro sufferers have a more difficult time in the morning. Could it be your headaches are related to morning fog? Are the headaches coming up from the muscles between your shoulders and over the top of your head?

8. I don't have any pain in my knees. I suppose I am blest.

9. The flares can last any length of time, from 1 week to 6 or more months. Not good news for someone who is experiencing a flare! During a flare, I focus on ways I can remedy the situation to make my life better, and try not to focus on what is going on in my body.

10. I occasionally have floaters and blurred vision.

11. The sensations in your genitals is a common situation that women sufferers go through. Wash your underwear in baby shampoo and use a double rinse. Do not use any fabric softeners or dryer sheets in your undie load. Wear white cotton underwear. Feminine hygiene products should be made of unbleached cotton. If you can't find the unbleached hygiene products in the store, go to internet or a drugstore. To assist with the pain, use Emu oil - it is soothing and it heals. Healthfood stores often carry Emu oil, or again the internet might be a good source.

12. Is the chest pain in the rib cage or somewhere in your internal organs? If it's in the ribcage, it could be costo.

13. What could be going on with your rapid heart beat is what you are eating. Many fibro suffers have hypoglycemia. People with this condition should avoid sugar, caffeine, high carbs. In essence, do not eat foods that will cause a sharp blood sugar spike, followed by a sugar plunge. What happens is the body responds to the plunge by sending in adrenaline, which can cause panic attacks, anxiety, rapid heart beat. Caffeine only irritates the whole problem.

14. I have occasional tingling in my fingers. The tingling used to be very bad, but as time has progressed, I do not have as many occasions. It sounds like you are experiencing a common symptom.

15. Never had the sharp traveling pain. I'm sure you will find some of this board who have, however.

Take care. You're going to be okay!

Blessings,
Kirstee

Kirstee,

Thank you so much for your reply. It makes me feel better to learn from others experiences with this, and learn what you do to handle the symptoms. Also, it is uncommon to feel "normal" about anything anymore! To hear that any of my symptoms are "normal" to you, is a comfort to me! :) I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to a very long post.

Your Friend,

Amanda

Hello, wow, you have a lot of symptoms. I've had or am having all of the symptoms you've mentioned at sometime or another. Actually I'm still having a hard time accepting this diagnosis. But all the other doctors that I have met have told me that they can't find anything else wrong with me. Anyway find my post on here about vision. I've inquired about it myself cause I thought it was so strange that this would be a part of the fibro/cfs thing. Also I'm male so this whole thing is so difficult for me cause supposedly men don't usually get this. The rash thing, wow I had it and had it checked and was told also that it was nothing to be worried about but they didn't know what caused it. I think you might want to ask your doctor about a few things.

I noticed that when ever I drank especially beer, I would have serious flair ups. So you might want to ask your doctor about yeast sensitivity. Also for the muscle pain and the chest pain you might want to ask your doctor about magnesium, and b12. These have helped me a little bit in dealing with muscle pain and my nueralgia.

levente

Levente,

Thank you for your reply. I understand coming to terms with this diagnosis. Some days I feel so bad, I think it must be something "more serious." Not that fibro isn't, but I am sure you know what I mean. I really appreciate you telling me about your symptoms, especially the rash. It was difficult for me to add to the "list" because it is of course, embarassing. It was nice of you to tell me your experience, when I know it's not easy to talk about. I will read your posts about vision and see what stands out to me. I take this to mean that you have the floaters and such too? Well, at least we have people to turn to about this disease. By the way, I have read that it is more common in women, but does happen to men to. There is another board I visit, and it has several men.

Let me know if I can help you in any way. Thank you again for your response.

Your Friend,

Amanda

Hello butrfligirl28
I live in southern middle tn and have been reading all I can about FM since
my doctor and a massage therapist told me they think that's what I'm suffering with. I also have so many of the symptoms that so many of you have talked about. My dr. prescribed Cymbalta for me and it made me so sick that I just couldn't take it. We have not yet tested me for all the various things yet, I expect that to come next when I go back in Nov. My dr. did try taking me off my premarin gradually (this is the second try) and I felt suddenly 100 yrs. old and had horrible headaches. I started back on it and the headaches went away. This I will tell him next visit. My leg pain is getting worse with twinges that jump around from place to place. Also my energy level is less. I am trying to go to Curves 3x a week but after working 8 hrs. it is hard to find the extra energy. What I guess I need to know is there a dr. any where in Huntsville that spec. in FM? I would appreciate your input. Thanks,
madisonlady