Anxiety & Fibromyalgia ?

[Hazelnut]

Hello NMP

I recently turned 26 (last month), and have since been experiencing a variety of physical symptoms that my GP now believes to be anxiety-related (fibromyalgia).

I have always been an anxious/shy person, even as a young child in England - I would chase after my dad after being dropped off at school! When I turned 7, we moved to a Caribbean island; sounds like paradise, but in actuality it was very small and suffocating place to grow up. Not to mention I went to an all-girls school, where I often felt like a misfit. Compiling that on top of a lot of unwanted male attention in public (which isn't unusual there), and I found myself to be increasingly self-conscious.

Consequently, I have always taken comfort in being a homebody and avoiding most social interactions that I often find awkward. I worry about the way am I perceived and I suppose that would be social anxiety? I find myself getting hot/flushed, sweaty back, etc. and just want to run to my safe place. However, I don't let it inhibit me from getting normal things done, shopping, etc.

In 2013 I married and moved to the US. About a year ago I noticed some palpitations that caused me some concern, and I saw a cardiologist that cleared me of anything serious, saying that they are benign PVC's. Since then I haven't let them bother me too much, but a few weeks back I started getting twinges deep in my chest. Since then I have had a couple of blood tests, three EKG's, chest x-ray and an endoscopy that all came back clear. The x-ray was taken one night when I woke up feeling like I couldn't catch my breath and went the ER, where I began to have dry heaves for the next 5-6 days. Throughout this process I found it increasingly difficult to sleep; it would feel like I would forget to breathe just as I was on the cusp of falling asleep. Since then, I have progressed to having a loss of appetite, random joint and muscle aches. They are short-lived, although they occur mostly around my chest, left arm, upper back. Needless to say, I feel as though I have developed a form of health anxiety as there doesn't seem to be any clear reason for my symptoms. My doctor believes I have anxiety and fibromyalgia.

I am struggling with the idea of accepting that I may have a chronic pain condition, often tied to some other awful autoimmune conditions, so I am trying my best to get on a road to resolving my anxiety. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya Hazelnut and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[sial72]

Hi Hazelnut
I have not had it exactly the same, but I think a lot of us here have similar stories.
I am a bit surprised that your doctor has diagnosed you with fibromyalgia...have you seen the specialist for this? I think it is the rheumatologist who has to diagnose this.
In my non-medical opinion you sound as if you have an anxiety disorder
Welcome x

[Blairsmum2003]

Hi hazelnut I know how you feel am the same my dr gave me anti depressant for fibromyalgia and it helped alot I am having bad anxiety and panic attacks always at the doctors or hospital stress can make the fibromyalgia worse or even the change of weather I take pain killers for the pain or even a hot shower as I get it in my arms and legs well all over really hope u get better soon takecare x

[Hazelnut]

Thanks for the replies. :)

I thought the same thing - that I would need a rheumatologist to make such a diagnosis. I also thought that I would need to have 3 months of symptoms to diagnose fibromyalgia? I started feeling the chest twinges just over 4 weeks ago. I also don't feel as though I have had all the blood work to rule out other issues, but I'm no doctor so maybe that's just my health anxiety butting in. I had normal labs, alongside a second blood test to rule out Lyme, thyroid, and autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

So this is a bit of an Odyssey:

The first couple of days that I experienced the twinges I simply ignored it, thinking it was just some strained muscle in my chest. But the third morning I had a huge dizzy spell that alarmed me so I saw my GP. Her initial thoughts were that I had GERD and she put me on omeprazole to stop my stomach from producing acid. I didn't really notice much of a difference in twinges. Towards the end of the week I noticed a loss of appetite, and the next 10 days or so were terrible (felt like I was ill with the flu, minus the fever, with body aches) and I struggled to get much food in me. During that time I started struggling to fall asleep, with the alarming 'I've stopped breathing' feeling jerking me awake. It almost felt like my lungs were too loose/weak, for lack of a better description. Of course, one night I wake up feeling like I couldn't catch my breath, so I asked my husband to take me to the ER, where they did the chest x-ray that came up normal. Following the visit, I had random dry heaves for nearly a week.

I had an endoscopy performed 2 weeks from the twinges starting (still had dry heaves/loss of appetite at this point). The endoscopy found nothing, and the biopsies taken showed no H. pylori infection. I quit taking the omeprazole. At the time of my consultation the GI he suggested it could be cardiac, so I revisited the cardiologist who didn't seem concerned based on the previous year's tests, and the normal x-ray. His nurse did a routine EKG, he listened to my heart, and then requested the aforementioned blood test to rule out Lyme, etc.

Some other weird symptoms included a strange pressure-like sensation in my shins, and cold trickle sensations under my skin. These subsided as I managed to eat a bit more. For a few days I also kind of felt like I was floating in my own body - perhaps derealisation?

In any case, I had a follow up visit with my GP this past Monday; she has decided that I have anxiety + fibromyalgia. I told her I wasn't interested in taking any anxiety medications as I do not wish to become dependent: I've read that it can be a struggle both with starting and stopping. She sent out a few referrals to therapists to get me involved in CBT, which is probably wise as I know that I suffer from anxiety. I just never realised it could have such a profound and physical effect, if it is indeed the cause of my aches. She also prescribed me metaxalone (muscle relaxant) to help me sleep, but I honestly don't notice any difference than from when I take Benadryl, so I doubt I'll continue taking it unless I notice increasing pain.

My appetite has slowly been coming back, and I feel the chest twinges are less intense, but the random sore joints and muscles still leave me anxious to a degree. I have had some thoughts about getting tested for food allergies, or perhaps seeing a chiropractor or rheumatologist to pursue a more accurate diagnosis.