Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia anyone else have it?

[almamatters]

Hi after months of tests, and visits to GP, I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist. This is along with my GAD and HA. I am feeling pretty fed up, I do not know much about fibro but I googled and it said it is a chronic illness, which has flare ups . I feel rubbish most days anyway and I am now stressing about all of this. I do not think I have to go back to the specialist, but don't know what to ask my GP when I see him. Does anyone else have this?

[Annie0904]

I don't have it but just wanted to send you some hugs :hugs::hugs::hugs:
There are some good self help ideas on the NHS website
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Fibromyalgia/Pages/SelfHelp.aspx

[almamatters]

Thanks for replying Annie, I have just done some googling, on a health site and learnt a bit about it, I will look on the NHS site, I want to be proactive if I can and try and help myself as much as possible, I have read there is a link between fibro and anxiety, but will check this when I see GP . Hope you are well Annie :hugs: :hugs:

[Annie0904]

After just getting over tonsillitis I now have another sore throat and cold :( It seems to be one thing after another.

[almamatters]

Hope you are feeling better soon Annie, let's hope for warmer weather , that might help. xx

[Annie0904]

You are right about the weather...I am sure that has a lot to do with it..we all need some sunshine to get rid of our aches and pains etc.

[Tessar]

Alma, I know very little about this condition but I do know that hugs help lots and that knowing people are thinking about you can make all the difference.
Your proactive attitude is spot on as you clearly want to learn abut this and to do what is best for your health generally -this i know is essential for fighting any chronic or long term condition.
So I am thinking about you and these are all for you from me along with all my best warm wishes, especially while you get your head around this diagnosis...... :bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bigh ug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1:: bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighu g1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::b ighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug1::bighug 1::bighug1::bighug1:

[Cat lady]

I don't have this but have known someone with this, not nice at all, I believe the Warmer weather helped her along with meds, sending hugs xxx

[swgrl09]

My sister has this and I suspect I may have it as well. My sister is lucky because her husband is a licensed massage therapist, so she has massages a lot from him. She also took cymbalta until she got pregnant, which said did help with the pain. She does a lot of stretching too.

I suspect I have it because I have chronic pain and most of the tender points that they show on the diagnostic chart. I wake up in such pain in the morning and have trouble sleeping at night because if I am still too long I get very sore. I am only 24 but sometimes the pain makes me feel like I am 80!

Are you receiving any treatment for it? I am thinking about pursuing a diagnosis with my GP but not sure if it's worth it if there aren't many treatments. All I know is it's miserable and makes me very irritable.

[anthrokid]

Hey buddy,

I was diagnosed with fibro a few years ago when I had terrible health anxiety and panic disorder, so I can completely empathise with everything you're going through right now.

Don't be too frightened by the term 'chronic'. Although it is described as a chronic illness, it isn't as bad as most envision it to be.

It does involves 'flare-ups'. It is one of those yo-yo illnesses that tends to have cycles. Each person has particular triggers, but I find that in times of stress my flare ups tend to be more severe. This is the same when I contract a virus like the common cold - I end up feeling like I have the flu for a good week or two whilst most people just have the sniffles!

I find that one of the most effective ways of managing fibro is exercise and diet. I know it sound silly initially, because you're constantly in so much pain that the thought of exercise is just cringe-worthy. And after exercise you will hurt more, that's a given. For me, it usually hits me two days after I've done a lot of exercise. But I have found that in the long-term, my symptoms are far less severe when I've been exercising daily than when I have a week lazing around and moping. When I say exercise, I don't mean vigorous gym workouts or 5km runs. Walking and yoga are fantastic - if you do anything, do yoga.

I've also found that some vitamin supplements do make a difference, particularly to the swelling and pain I feel in my joints or muscles. I take magnesium daily, and about 6 fish oil tablets. You may not notice a difference initially, but after taking them for a month, and then stopping for a few days, you can feel it.

I know it seems daunting, I've been in your position. But it really isn't all that bad. Since my diagnosis, I've back-packed around South-East Asia, I work part-time and I study full-time.

If you need someone to chat to about things, send me a PM anytime.

Best of luck, and sending you positive vibes.

[swgrl09]

Just another tip ... for muscle tightness in my back and neck I often lay on a "Halsa Mat" aka bed of nails. It sounds crazy and is a bit uncomfortable when you first try it but after a while it really starts to loosen me up each time I use it. It's like a mat with a bunch of plastic spiky things on it to have an accupressure affect.

[almamatters]

Thanks you ALL for your replies.
Tessar - Thank you, support from this site does help a lot. I hate feeling isolated . The diagnoses does explain a lot of my random symptoms over the past year. :hugs:

Cat Lady - Thanks, I hope the warmer weather does help (if we ever get any) I need to talk to the rheumotologist about meds as at present do not have a plan. :hugs:

Aimeekid - Thanks for the support and it's great to hear you are dealing with fibro with such a positive attitude. Stress is definitely a trigger for me at the moment, but am going to start trying to spot the triggers now I have a diagnoses. I have heard that vitamins can help and this is something I want to try, as I would rather go down the natural route if possible. :hugs:

swgrl09. Thanks for the tips and support. Strangely enough I did not have all the needed pain in the pressure points needed for a diagnoses but the specialist put other symptoms together and said that fibro changes from person to person and symptoms differ. It has taken months for me to be diagnosed, originally I was tested for lupus . It is worth trying to get a diagnoses if you feel you may have fibro. I am seeing the rheumatologist in a few weeks for a treatment plan. As my pain is not severe and I am managing day to day I have not been given meds yet. I have been advised that swimming is helpful and as you say massage is supposed to be good. :hugs:

[evilimbic]

I was diagnosed a couple of years ago with M.E. - not quite the same thing but similar. I find it doesn't help with the anxiety - a good anxiety attack uses an enormous amount of energy and then you can be wiped out for days because of the M.E. The big problem I found was with antidepressents. I had been happily on citalopram for about 6 years when they stopped working and I moved onto sertriline and that caused a massive flare up in my M.E. (I was pretty much in bed for about 3 months) and since that I haven't really been able to tolerate any drugs :/ If you're currently stable on an antidepressent it's really worth spending some time on a psychological approach too in case you get the same problem in the future then at least you have something to help you :)

[swgrl09]

Oh wow, evilimbic, that is good to know. I am on lexapro (escit.) and have been doing ok with it, but am also doing counseling as my goal is to not have to be on the ADs anymore. I have found odd symptoms with medications once in a while and never put two and two together until I had a really bad virus that made my all of my back and neck muscles spasm constantly and it was more painful than anything I had experienced. Also had odd reactions to certain antibiotics too, flare-ups, like you said.

During the virus I was tested for things like lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis (some family members have it) but those were negative. It's not my joints though so i figured it wasn't RA anyway.

[bernie1977]

Sorry to hear you have this illness. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 1998. I started getting a lot of joint pain a few years ago and saw a Rheumatologist about 4 years and he said he thought it was more likely I had Fibromyalgia than CFS.

This site is very helpful http://www.ukfibromyalgia.com/.

Take care and please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. It might be worth asking your GP for a referral to a pain management clinic if things get bad, this is recommended for FMS sufferers. All I can say is try and eat as healthy possible, make sure you get your 5 a day. Get a good multi vitamin and some chelated magnesium

[almamatters]

Thanks all again for your replies, you have given me loads of info and now have had a few days to think about things feeling more positive about the situation. Have been on a lot of sites and have found that fibro is not just a physical condition, relaxation and things to improve your mental outlook can help to alleviate symptoms. Worry and stress make the condition worse, which with me is a bit concerning, I am hoping to have a plan of treatment eventually, but I am so happy I have this site and it's lovely members for support. :flowers: xxx