I am having nerve pain that comes and goes. It starts at either shoulder then can go to my wrist, arm or fingers It is not really bad, but just annoying. Also, I sometimes feel it going into my face by my jaw. And once in a while it goes down my leg. Like I said it is not really bad pain, but just annoying and worrysome. I was wondering if it could be something other than my disks in my c-spine or maybe it is in my head because I get really bad anxiety when I start feeling this. Could this be fibromyalgia??

hello there and welcome. alot of the problems that you have with your neck and certain be what is causing the problems in your other areas.
what health professionals have you seen for your problem? have you tried physical therapy?
how did you injure your neck and how long ago?
robin

I had c5-6 surgery last year, but now I am experiencing those symptoms. I don't really feel them when I am out and about, just when I am sitting around. They symptoms cause anxiety and then my anxiety turns to depression.

i know this will probably suck to do this but keep a journal on your pain. i do it for my application for disability an as it is i can't write very long due to pain so it takes me all day to do it. so do you have a physician? make sure that you tell them everything that you are feeling. having good records is one way that we get dx with fibromyalgia. sometimes it can take us up to a couple of yrs before we will even get the dx.
how old are you, you dont have to answer if you don't want.
i am 31 and have been dealing with chronic pain since 2000. the crazy thing is that i actually use to work for a chiropractor when i first injured myself.:rolleyes:
i myself have the anxiety and depression thing. doesn't it just seem never ending? ahhhhhh. lol.
robin

Thanks Robin for responding.
Recently I have had hip pain as well as pain in my shoulders and shooting nerve pain down my arms. Don't get me wrong, the pain is really not that bad, it is more annoying. I have been doing physical therapy for 2 weeks now for my hips and I just started having them work on my neck. I am only 35 and really feel like I am falling apart not only physically, but emotionally. I just started taking effexor a week ago(that worked for me in the past). I also take Ultram during the day not only for the pain, but it really seems to help my mood. I know that that is not why I should take it, but at this point it is better than living life in hell. I had surgery last year on my neck and my depression got so bad I ended up in the hospital before my surgery. It is cold where I live and I sure hope that when it warms up the aches and pains will get better.

Jacob Teitelbaum, MD's latest book, Pain Free 1 - 2 - 3, presents a lot of good treatment options for all sorts of chronic pain, incl. neuropathic & fibro. He covers conventional medicine, alternative med., and self-help, specifically for chronic pain. It's a gem of book, and I've found suggestions in it that have helped me tremendously. Maybe your local public library has a copy?

you know, it seems that you have been through so much and it may as well be fibro.
unfortunately depression makes it worse. if effexor worked for you in the past i hope it works for you now. i think it takes a couple of weeks right? its cold here in Texas so i know how you feel. i hurt down to my bones, ahhhhhh. ultram is great for some people and hay if it helps your mood, who wants to be in pain. i know i am not that fun to be around when i am in pain.
i take cymbalta which is suppose to help with pain due to depression but it just helps my depression and not my pain.
anywhoo, please know that you have support here and you are not alone.
take care,
robin

Robin,
Thanks again for the reply. Can you please tell me how your symptoms present. Mine are generally really noticable when I am lying around. I will feel a twinge here or a pain there. It can be anywhere from my thigh, to my foot, my wrist etc. You get the point. I appreciate the fact that you understand taking Tramadol not only for the pain, but for the depression. I kind of feel guilty, but It is hard to function without it.
Corey

let me tell you, i have 3 kids and i am a stay at home mom and couldn't imagine not taking anything for pain as well as to function. i usually have to take it as soon as i wake up and wait 30mis before i actually get out of bed.
i have pain just like you described. sometimes i laugh because i have pain in the weirdest places. i am like my toes hurts.
anyway, yah, pain is usually widspread.
i do have constant pain in my mid back between my shoulders.
the other pains like the one in my shoulder that i am having now comes and goes. i get it in my ankles knees, wrists, hands, neck, pretty much everywhere.
fibromyalgia is not fun at all, especially with 2kids and a baby.
through my last pregnancy i had to take pain meds under the supervision of my doctor because my body just couldn't take the pain.
well hey, feel free to ask anything you need to. i have been dealing with this for what seems like an eternity and i am always online doing research on fibro, so let me know.
robin

When you are up moving around does it get better because you are no longer focusing on it? What pain meds. do you find work the best?
Corey

hey Corey, now that i am thinking about it some of the pains are not as bad when i am moving but some of them are just there all the time. the tingly feeling in my mid back i can only feel when i am sitting. i might have to get back with you totally on this one so i can really see. the pain is absolutely worse when i lay down at night and when i get up in the morning, so, so, stiff.
the meds for pain that work for me are Norco and Soma. i have tried ultram and it didn't really help. nothing over the counter helps me either.
i have also tried other muscle relaxers but Soma is the only one that helps and that i can function on. flexeril didn't help and zanaflex made me too sleepy.
robin:D

Robin,

I think what happens is when we lay down our mind focuses on the pain. When we are moving around and going 100mph with our daily activities it seems as if some of the pain isn't there. I know the worst time for me is when I am not doing anything and then I become really hypersensitive.
Corey

Corey
for me i think on days that i am not that bad i try and do to much and that is often a big mistake. the next day i am down and in pain.
so did you have any pain relief from your back surgery?
i have a herniated disc in my neck and i am to scared to have any surgery done.
are you currently under the care of any one?
robin

Hi robin,

Sorry to hear about your neck. My advice to you would be to exaust all of your resources such as Physical Therapy. I really did not have a choice because the nerve that the disc was pushing on took my entire tricep muscle. I couldn't life 5lbs above my head more than twice. My neuro said that he doesn't operate on pain just neurological deficit. I have been stretching lately and that really seems to help with the pain.
Corey

Aloha everyone~

I'd like to introduce myself and share my story- my name is Elisabeth, and I am originally from Sweden, lived in Hawaii for 20 years, and am now in Las Vegas.
About 5 years ago, I was officially diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I found out that I "inherited" it from my mother, who suffered with FMS unknowingly most of her life- until it ended tragically at 46 years old. She took about 20 Tylenol pills a day, washed down with alcohol, to dull the pain, not knowing the toxic effects of Tylenol and alcohol.
I have been struggling with this syndrome horribly, both physically and emotionally. I have never met anyone, or spoken with anyone who's had fibro. and am so happy to see all your posts and to know that there's a community out there with the same condition I have. I'm so excited to not be alone, and to "meet" you all! :wave:

Amongst the many difficulties of FMS, I can say the worst I've experienced so far are the endless doubts and questions. I have been in intolerable pain for years, and have gone through the gauntlet of tests involved in a diagnosis. I remember praying for positive results. I couldn't believe that I wanted the tests to say I was ill, but the pain was so real- so incredibly painful, and I couldn't take one more person telling me I was "fine". I felt like a hypochondriac. I just wanted SOMEONE to point to a test and say, "here's what's wrong with you". The tests were all negative, and I was moments away from checking myself into a loony bin.
Finally, I saw a rheumatologist. He did the expected plethora of tests, and finally officially diagnosed me Fibromyalgia. I broke down and bawled like a baby right there in his office. Finally, someone believed me, and my pain was real to someone other than me. Since then, I've been seeing a pain clinic, which in itself has been an adventure of its own. I call it "THE FARM".:eek: I'm sure you all have stories of Pain Clinics.

I am a 33 year old wife, mother, and elementary school teacher working on my Master's degree. Struggling with FMS and doing all of the above is quite a challenge.
Back to the doubts. I have had such a hard time with my family not understanding my condition. My husband is having such a difficult time dealing with my condition because there's nothing he can do to "fix" it. He sees me in so much pain daily, and there's nothing he can do, aside from occassional heat packs, hugs, and love. Unfortunately, love does not make FMS pain wane. Compassion can only go so far, and after years, it can be taxing on a person. I don't even tell him when I'm in pain anymore. If I were to, it would be a topic of constant address. It'd be all we have to talk about Also, my daughter just can't comprehend why Mommy can't play sometimes, or why I can't pick her up or sit on the hard floor for more than 10 minutes at a time. As a teacher and graduate student, that takes a huge toll on me. Teaching brings constant stress, which sets off FMS flares, and the endless hours of preparation and studying keep me up late at night, losing much needed sleep. I know well how much sleep we need with FMS, and that is not part of my "agenda" that's given to me. It's a never ending cycle.

Oh, and my favorite---the pharmacy "LOOK".:mad: When I drop off my prescriptions, I can time it on my watch until I get "the look". That, "Oh, another addicted housewife" look. I ^%$#@ hate that! :blob_fire What are we supposed to look and act like? Scaly ogres with one eye in the middle of our foreheads?! Walk with a heavy limp and slime tracking after us? CRAWL to the pharmacy counter and moan our requests? Should I drop off my scripts with a dirty hoodie and no makeup, sweating and fidgety?
Also, I've given up telling friends and family about my FMS. I cannot take anymore the comments such as, "but you don't look sick" or " you said you were in pain, but you looked fine to us!" Little do they know what it takes to "look fine" in their eyes. If my hair is done, my makeup is on, my clothes are clean, and mostly I am out of bed- it means that it took me HOURS to get that way- twice the time it took them, and an unbelievable amount of pain.
But we all know where that look comes from. The "look" is due to the countless abusers that make our lives so hard. From the street junkies, to the white-collar teens to the stereotypical housewives- prescription drugs have made their way into the hands of all walks of society. Drugs used to have societal dividing lines, mostly due to money, but now they're in the use of all types. Thesr abusers fake their symptoms to sell their meds for a pretty penny. I've seen it so bad that there's addicts "trolling" outside pharmacies to try to con you out of your meds. Insane.
Yes, I take MS Contin, which, especially here in Vegas is the "yuppie candy" of choice. It's crushed, snorted, or injected. It's supposidely the new heroine. I take it to control my pain, not for europhic effect. I would give ANYTHING to not wake up in the pain that I'm in, or to suffer the daily excruciating pain that I do, along with so many other FMS sufferers. I take them to try to avoid the pain that closely ruins my life, but hasn't yet. Even the meds aren't working much anymore. I'm 33 and have "hit the wall" with my meds. I take high dosages that no longer work anymore. My doctor says that I am not an addict (I don't take it for fun) but I do have a dependency and tolerance for the drug. I get that, and am OK with it. I just wonder-- at 33 years old, and getting no effect from 300 mg of MS Contin a day, where am I going to go from here???:confused:


Sorry, bit of a rant there, but I'm sure you all understand.

So that's me. I'm a fellow FMS'er, in constant pain, but I have a positive attitude and do my very best each day to look at the bright side of life. Without it, it'd be easy to jump into that dark hole. Even when the pain is at its very worst, I tell myself, "any day above ground is a good day".

Here are my questions to you all:
1. (from above) at 33 years old, and getting no effect from 300 mg of MS Contin a day, where am I going to go from here?
2. What do you recommend is the best RX for breakthrough pain?
3. What have you done for home remedies? Heat therapy? Swimming? Physical rehab?
4. What about diet? I've heard mixed messages about diet and FMS. What are your opinions?

Again, I hope my entry wasn't too long, but this is my first time ever being able to communicate with anyone else who has FMS. Apparently I have a lot to say!
I look forward to "meeting" you all and hearing your stories.

Aloha,
Elisabeth in Vegas:wave:

Hello Elizabeth,

Sorry to hear you're having a difficult time. There are others in this group who've been where you're at, having hit the wall with pain meds.

IMO, your basic choice is to visualize a fork in the road: do you continue with conventional medicine, or start down a more alternative treatment route.

Many people prefer standard clinical medicine. One way to break out of where you're at is to see a different specialist. Neurologists are sometimes helpful for fibro, having a few diff. Rxs in their toolkits than the other specialists. If you haven't tried the antidepressant route, you might want to see if you are part of the subset who benefits.

If working with an MD is your heart's desire, keep your eyes & ears open for doctors who are successful in treating fibro. Some docs are more skilled than others.

For myself, I've had pretty clear observation & experience with what the world of conventional medicine has to offer. More & more, it's a business that focuses on "managing illness," at the behest of the pharmaceutical companies. The concept of "unprofitable cure" is alien to the practice of modern medicine.

My fibro & assorted rheumatological conditions are self-managed using nonconventional techniques. I'm very happy with where I'm at, even comparing myself to others who may carry only one of the dxs in my assortment. I've found ways to ratchet down my previously crippling conditions & incapacitating pain. I no longer need to use my walker, and rarely use a cane. I use conventional medicine judiciously, with a consumer mindset. I am not a patient; any professionals I hire for consultation are just that: hired help.

Conventional medicine treats symptoms, but many fibro sufferers have benefitted from working through potential contributors to their pain & suffering. I'm one of them.

Best wishes.