Fybromalgia

[flinty90]

I have this feeling in my chest that i cant take a deep breath. my ribs are always sore and hurt to touch and i have been cleared of all heart blood and lung problems , i have been reading about fybromalgia and am convinced that this is whats wrong with me, i cant find much on this site about it and wondered if there are any other sufferers out there than can give me some advice , thank you

[dorabella]

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 10 years ago and post from time to time on this site - although there seem to be few sufferers out there. Glad you posted.

The symptoms you have described are common to fibro. The sore ribs you mention are a result of painful fascia (the soft tissue that connects muscles to joints) between the rib bones. You will probably find that you will also experience this soreness around the body periodically - arms, legs, ribs (front and back), feet - even in the face and neck. It can be brought on and exacerbated by extremes of weather and stress (physical or emotional). Everyone with fibro will have a different pain spot and level of reaction.

Mine is like yours - in the chest and ribs - mostly due to the fact that this is where I store tension from anxiety. It doesn't help either that the admin that I do for work involves periods of repetetive activity using the arms and upper torso - keyboard work the worst thing for fibro.

Other symptoms you may experience are a burning sensation, sharp darts of pain in the chest for no reason, general aching and low level pain. Acid reflux is also another common problem for fibro sufferers.

There is as yet no cure for fibro nor has there been found any medical reason why some of us suffer and others don't. But the one common factor from what I have read is that people seem to develop this condition following nervous illness, panic and anxiety etc. If it gets particularly bothersome I would recommend a short course of shaitsu (pressure point massage), or paracetomal soluble to ease the discomfort which I take from time to time. Get your doctor to do a pressure point test (basically prodding known pressure areas on your body which produce the pain) if you are worried, but from what you have described it does sound like you have fibro.

If you need any more information or just to chat, get in touch.

D.

[flinty90]

Thank you so much for your reply i was losing hope that anyone understood what i was going through, its definitely my ribcage and chest that feels sore and like you say i also have bad reflux that i have taken omeprazole for , for the last 2 years , i do play hockey and it seems to come on after i have played so i presumed that even though my heart and my lungs must be ok to help me play hockey i do get this bad ache in my chest and the feeling that i cant take a full breath of air in. Again thanks for your reply and anything you do to ease your suffering if you could share with me at anytime i would very much appreciate it.

Flinty X

[dorabella]

You're welcome. Likewise it's nice to find others out there who experience this irritating and uncomfortable syndrome.

I have had acid reflux as long as I have had fibro. The reflux is not caused by food intake in my case but by anxiety churning up my stomach. I just keep a bottle of Gaviscon nearby and take a slug when it gets troublesome. Been tested and treated for h-pylori in the past but still get the acid problem.

I think the trick with fibro is to educate yourself as to its effects on the body -the web is not always useful as an information site, but there are a couple of fibro sites out there (fibromyalgia.com is one) but as this is quite an individual syndrome affecting each sufferer differently, you won't often find anyone out there suffering in exactly the same way that you do. Try a book called 'Fibromyalgia. Understanding and getting relief from pain that won't go away' by Don Goldenberg, or the Fibro bible 'Fibromaylgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain. A Survival Manual' by Devin Starlanyl. You can probably egt them second-hand at a reasonable price from abebooks (on-line).

You will probably find as time goes on that you will begin to recognize your 'triggers' which bring on fibro pain. With me for instance it is repetitive physical activity, very cold or very humid weather.If not these then anxiety which causes me to tense up severely. Also make sure that you space your activities as fibro can bring spells of physical weariness.

All confusing I am sure but it is manageable once you understand it.

D.

[shoegal]

Hi there,

I suffer from Fibromyalgia and the symptoms you describe do not really sound like it to me because Fibromyalgia is a very complex disorder that affects various systems within the body and does not just include pain. The main symptoms would be pain and stiffness, muscle weakness, trembling, poor sleep, dizziness, IBS and/or nausea and chemical sensitivity etc. The disorder is diagnosed by a rheumatologist after you have been referred for tests by your Doctor. It is not just a pain in one place. It is severe pain that comes and goes and moves around. It makes your whole body ache and it feels like you have severe flu all the time. If you squeeze/pinch the muscle on top of your shoulder/neck until it really hurts, that is a similar sensation to the muscle pain of Fibromyalgia.

For a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia you must have pain lasting more than 3 months in all four quadrants of the body and have pain in at least 11 of the 18 trigger points on the body.

The defining symptoms of fibromyalgia are chronic, widespread pain and tenderness to light touch, and usually moderate to severe fatigue. Those affected may also experience heightened sensitivity of the skin, tingling of the skin, achiness in the muscle tissues, prolonged muscle spasms, weakness in the limbs, and nerve pain. Chronic sleep disturbances are also characteristic of fibromyalgia - some studies suggest that these sleep disturbances are the result of a sleep disorder called alpha-delta sleep. In addition, many patients experience cognitive dysfunction (known as "brain fog") as well as many other symptoms.

I hope this helps.

Love and hugs from shoegal xxx

[dorabella]

The soreness and pain particularly in the chest and ribcage is costochondritis - a sub-condition of fibromyalgia - very common but often overlooked.

All the symptoms cited by shoegal are indeed correct - I myself also experience most of them at one time or another - but fibro does affect each sufferer differently. The discomfort waxes and wanes for a variety of different reasons for each individual. Some fibro advice will proffer that no-one should experience continuous discomort for more than six months, but any one with fibro will tell you that in practice this is simply not true.

D.

[nomorepanic]

Hi Flinty

There are 4 pages of posts about it but maybe you are not using the correct spelling when searching for it.

It is spelt fibromyalgia

I just had a look and there are posts about it that may help

[flinty90]

thank you guys , i am sure thats what it is perhaps not the full blown fibromyalgia but definitely the costochondritis part of the problem.
thanks for your help guys

[Crumpet39]

I too have chronic rib pain with Fibromyalgia and was finally diagnosed about 5 yrs ago (I'm 39), after many stints on antibiotics for Kidney infections that didn't exist I saw a different Doctor who dianosed me straight away but didn't explain what it was. I had to do my own research on-line and was so relieved to finally have a name for what I felt as I thought it was all in my head!
I can't bear to be touched around that area at all, not even a 'friendly' dig in the ribs, or a slight tickle! The first time my husband (then boyfriend) tried to tickle me there during horseplay was awful, I was screaming in pain but he thought I was screaming from the tickling, not his fault and he couldn't apologise enough afterwards. The pain is more intense after exercise but sometimes I just wake up felling like I've been kicked around the room, I can't take deep breaths and it's agony to sit upright. I've just started a new job in an office after being a travelling sales rep, and am hoping the change of pace and less physical activity of the job will be an advantage. I also get the 'fibro-fog' (which is really annoying and frustrating, even the simplest words can elude you), the fatigue if I overdo things, the sleepless nights, the muscle pain and restless legs/arms.
It's different for every sufferer and can take years for a diagnoses, but I think forums like this really help with the awareness of the condition. My friends for instance, couldn't understand why I can't go out dancing all hours anymore, or go out more than one night in a row even! I had to explain it to them and now they are fine about it and when we go out they understand that when I've had enough I need to go home, it's not personal. I think the condition definately needs more support, I found a local support group but they only meet in the daytime, for people who do work it's no good. An evening group would be such an advantage, then even if we don't work ourselves, our parrtners might and they could then attend with us and learn more themselves as I think they sometimes suffer along with us and need to know more.

Anyway, enough rambling lol,

Love to you all out there :hugs:xx