Ok, I need to know I'm not crazy!! Newsweek put out a complete magazine on chronic pain back in September or earlier I think. It mentioned a woman who founded the National Fibromyalgia Association. She said she had chronic burning pain and could not even stand sheets or jewelry on her skin. She also suffered from the other symptoms, i.e., headaches, fatigue, nausea, etc.

Can you please describe your pain? I need help to distinguish between rsd and fibro.

My pain feels like someone is pulling my arms out of their sockets. My feet in the morning feel like I'm walking on glass and the bottoms of them burn at night. If you press on the muscles about an inch or so from the joint, like shoulders, down the arms, I'll scream they hurt so bad. Same thing with my shoulders, arms, collarbone and lower back.

Only thing is my right leg is started to get a tingling like burning sensation. Feels like a sunburn.

I'm so tired. I get spasms in my feet, rearend, shoulders. The pain just feels like muscle pain like I played too much softball or exercised too much.

It's so hard to describe isn't it? I've read tho that people with fibro can have burning and tingling pain. I guess I want so desperately to have fibro (even tho it's bad enough) and not rsd.

Hi Dayton,

Well, it's hard to describe the pain of fibro, because it is different all the time! I have burning pain, shooting pain, tingling pain, numbing pain, aching pain, crawling pain, my arms and legs feel like I have lead weights strapped to them when I try to walk or lift my arms above my head, headaches, chest pains, pain in my right jaw, dizziness, electric shock, gee, did I leave anything out? In the morning when I first get up, I can barely walk, if I've been sitting for a long time watching tv or driving, I can barely walk when I get up. I suffer from "fibro fog" some days it is really bad, I can't remember things, I stutter, can't fall asleep at night, want to sleep all the time, I've gained about 60 pounds in 10 years, I have anxiety attacks, very sensitive to heat and cold.

I know you just asked us to describe our pain, but the other symptoms are such a big part of the grand scheme I thought you'd want to know about them too. I haven't had all these symptoms the entire 10 years since I was diagnosed, some of them came on quickly, others more recently. Hope you find this helpful.

Hey Pain, yep that's me... sort of hurt all over. I expect to find tire tracks on my rearend some day. Oh and let's mention toliet trolling! I'm really good at going to the bathroom and going, "gee did I do that? phewww eeeee." ALright, alright I promise to behave..... but not for long.

I am determine to not let this get me down. My sense of humour is all I have let.....

You're absolutely right! Don't less this get you down, and don't loose your sense of humor! You know, a lot of people are always saying stuff like "just in case I get hit by a bus, here's where I left this file, or here's the password to the online bank account", etc., etc., well, I usually feel like I've been hit by a bus everyday, so I can't use that figure of speach! HaHaHa!

I recently checked out, from the library, the Fibromyalgia book published by the Arthritis Foundation. It gives very clear descriptions of the pain and other symptoms. It is hard to sort out the symptoms on your own. You should know, though, that they have come up with some very effective treatments for RD..not so for FM. My sister has RD, and her doc assured her that it is not the crippling disease it once was. She's functioning a whole lot better than I am.

de, what is the doc doing for her? I hit foot in february and got diagnosed in may, had 8 lumbar blocks at 1,00 a piece and insurance fought tooth and nail over these, paid for most of them out of pocket. am on neurotin twice a day and elavil 75 mg at night.

i swear tho most of my symptoms sound like fibro except for the burning pain in foot and right leg.

Hi Dayton

I thougth i would reply and describe my pain to you. When i wake up in mornings, my Fibro is so bad that I have to have help sometimes getting out of bed. Other morning its hurts real bad all over but I manage to get up on my own. Every day is never the same. I hurt differently everyday. I have the migranes, feels like my legs and arms are 100 times heavier and hurt like heck. My back aches and have to lay down. Fatigue. Stress. My body swells and when my feet swell and hurt and I have to walk I want to scream it hurts so bad. I dont sleep much. When i was little, one night i hurt real bad out of the blue. If you touched me anywhere on my legs or arms...i would scream. Even the feather made me yell when they rubbed it down my arm and leg. At that time they thought polio was going around and diagnosed me with it. Months later i started getting feelings back and learned to walk and use my arms again. They told my mom Well it aint polio but she has arthritis and will rest of her life. all the way up till now i cant sit in one position for long period of time...my legs start hurting to the point i have to move them with my hands to move them. Come to find out they told me that I could have had polio when i was younger. Everyones pain is different in Fibro. You have so many symtoms of Fibro. My pain is different everyday depending on how i sleep or move or the activites i do by what my doctor says. It can tingle and feel numb, burns, sharp shooting pains, achy, this is a few of the ways I hurt.

I hope all works out for you and we are all here for each other anytime you need us. keep in touch let us know what happens.

HateHurting
Mary