elmhar

Hi Loonylass,

Well, you have a history here that may contribute to the sort of thing that's called fibro ... OR, it could be a history that stands on its own, in terms of the pain you're experiencing.

Here in the USA fibro is "defined" by tender points in all 4 quadrants, along with fatigue, joint & muscle pain. However, not all docs stick to that definition, since fibromyalgia is pretty much dxd by "if we don't really know what else it could be, it's fibro." Has been called a garbage-can DX, which I know offends some, but IMO is a pretty accurate description of how some folks are treated once they get the label.

In the UK, in particular, there seems to be a bit of a flurry between the medical community & those who suffer from ME ... the med community seeming to want to treat ME largely from a psychiatric viewpoint -- as I understand it -- but I'd love to be corrected!

It's not uncommon for fibro to flare following an injury. But in your case, you've got a double whammy going, the menopause issues. Low hormone levels can make healing occur more slowly. One of the most impt things for soft-tissue healing after trauma is an adequate level of testosterone. Even lasses need a smidge of Mr T. for happy muscles. Libido level decrease is also indicative of reduced testosterone. Your doc can run a test if you desire. Low levels (the reference ranges for females are very diff from those for males) benefit from supplementation.

You might also look at your HRT Rx & determine whether it contains synthetic progesterone/progestins, which have been known (but not commonly), to cause sedation/depressed mood & muscle/joint pain in women. On the other hand, synthetic estrogen in HRT can bind with thyroid hormone. In that case, even mildly suboptimal thyroid function is going to predispose one to increased pain. I realize it's difficult in the UK, but if you can find a med consultant to ck your free thyroid hormone levels, as opposed to the TSH test, that would be most revealing test of thyroid function. Note, early menopause is not uncommon in hypothyroid women, and MVAs resulting in whiplash or other neck trauma frequently injure the thyroid gland.

It's possible that a number of things that might be contributing to your longstanding back pain. One of the best references I've found that describes the wealth of treatments available for chronic pain is the book, Pain Free 1 - 2 - 3, by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD. This book describes the spectrum of conventional medical, alternative, and self-help remedies for pain.

Best wishes.