View Full Version : Difference between Fibromyalgia/ME/CFS
Has anyone been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia or ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Are these all the same or different?
I have had flu-like symptoms on and off over the past 10 or so years which last about 6 weeks.
This year I've had the same symptoms but worse for over 4 months now.
The flu-like feeling and pain in my head has now moved into the rest of my body and my legs and shoulders, feet and hands ache.
Previously I've had tests for arthritis but they were clear.
I had 6 weeks of accupuncture and was told to come back once a week for maintenance sessions.
I was given supplements and vitamins and told to follow a healthy eating plan and get plenty of rest.
I haven't been diagnosed with anything specific, he just said it was a result of stress and anxiety over a long period of time.
I wondered if anyone else had these symptoms, whether you've been diagnosed with anything definite and what was the treatment prescribed. Also how long does it go on for?
Hi Becky,
There are a few people on here with either CFS/ME or fibro. As I understand it, cfs/me is the same thing, fibro possibly different. The divide seems to be that if fatigue is your worst symptom it's cfs/me, if it's pain, it's fibro.
There's no specific diagnostic test for either, it's usually a case of it's what's left after ruling out other things that can be tested for - anemia, thyroid probs and the like.
Treatment is limited to managing symptoms - painkillers, maybe antidepressants, any alternative treatments that might work for you.
How long it lasts is very much a piece of string question. My boss recovered in 6 months, I'll soon have had CFS for three years.
Hope this helps x
Thankyou.
Would you mind telling me what your symtoms are?
I have the same symptoms as you Becky.
I came off of amitriptyline about 10 years ago and since then i havent felt right.
I will suddenly feel as if im going to get the flu, and i ache all over but nothing ever comes of it. My muscles are always tender to touch and will hurt but im better once i get moving. Im very stiff and im like an old woman getting out of bed in the morning.
My doc thought i had fibromyalgia but the rheumatologist he sent me to wasnt clued up on fibro so didnt bother checking me for it, just told me i didnt have it.
I suppose i could have fibro or it could just be tension and my body's knackered of all this anxiety.
Hi Becky, my main symptom is extreme fatigue, no matter how much I sleep (although with a bit of insomnia thrown in). I also have problems getting my brain to work properly at times, commonly known as brain fog. My legs are very sore at times (walkign up the hill to my work is really hard at times) and I often wake up with a sore throat. If I push myself too hard I suffer very badly afterwards and sleep even more.
I don't get flu-like feelings but I think some people do x
If you have fibromyalgia, as the other reply mentioned, the main feeling is sporadic pain -whihc can be anywhere in the body but tends to focus on the extremities and main working muscles - arms, legs, feet.
Fibro can also mimic CFS and ME in terms of fatigue symptoms but the fatigue is not so debilitating and is rarely enough to impede on everyday activities - you just feel sometimes as if you've been run over by a truck especially in the mornings, but exercise and getting going will soon ease the symptoms.
In my case, I suffer more with unidentifiable pains which move about all over the body - sometimes my arms will ache for no reason, sometimes it is pain in the wrist or ankle, sometimes pains in the ribs or a burning sensation. The closest anyone has come to describing the syndrome is general muscle fatigue, although the pain comes from the soft tissue surrounding the muscles and joints. There is no noticeable inflammation just pain caused by erratic pain signals from the brain suggesting pain or injury where there is none.
It's really a tailor made condition endured by many people with anxiety issues or depression. No cure or treatment unfortunately - just a case of grin and bear I'm afraid.
I have the same symptoms as you Becky.
I came off of amitriptyline about 10 years ago and since then i havent felt right.
I will suddenly feel as if im going to get the flu, and i ache all over but nothing ever comes of it. My muscles are always tender to touch and will hurt but im better once i get moving. Im very stiff and im like an old woman getting out of bed in the morning.
My doc thought i had fibromyalgia but the rheumatologist he sent me to wasnt clued up on fibro so didnt bother checking me for it, just told me i didnt have it.
I suppose i could have fibro or it could just be tension and my body's knackered of all this anxiety.
What treatments have you tried and have any of them helped at all?
I have had acupuncture, am taking supplements and vitamins, eating healthily and doing moderate exercise. So far nothing has helped much. Some days I feel quite well and think that must be the treatment helping and then I'll get a week where I feel awful again and can't seem to find anything to blame it on. I have noticed that when I'm stressed I feel worse though.
Hi Becky, my main symptom is extreme fatigue, no matter how much I sleep (although with a bit of insomnia thrown in). I also have problems getting my brain to work properly at times, commonly known as brain fog. My legs are very sore at times (walkign up the hill to my work is really hard at times) and I often wake up with a sore throat. If I push myself too hard I suffer very badly afterwards and sleep even more.
I don't get flu-like feelings but I think some people do x
Thanks, I sympathise with you re the leg pain. I don't have that often - mainly my head throbs and feels full of pressure and my feet and hands ache.
What treatment have you tried? Anything helped?
If you have fibromyalgia, as the other reply mentioned, the main feeling is sporadic pain -whihc can be anywhere in the body but tends to focus on the extremities and main working muscles - arms, legs, feet.
Fibro can also mimic CFS and ME in terms of fatigue symptoms but the fatigue is not so debilitating and is rarely enough to impede on everyday activities - you just feel sometimes as if you've been run over by a truck especially in the mornings, but exercise and getting going will soon ease the symptoms.
In my case, I suffer more with unidentifiable pains which move about all over the body - sometimes my arms will ache for no reason, sometimes it is pain in the wrist or ankle, sometimes pains in the ribs or a burning sensation. The closest anyone has come to describing the syndrome is general muscle fatigue, although the pain comes from the soft tissue surrounding the muscles and joints. There is no noticeable inflammation just pain caused by erratic pain signals from the brain suggesting pain or injury where there is none.
It's really a tailor made condition endured by many people with anxiety issues or depression. No cure or treatment unfortunately - just a case of grin and bear I'm afraid.
I don't have that much pain and not often either - except in my face and head. The joints in my hands and feet hurt, especially first thing in the morning.
Thanks for the info.
I feel frustrated that there seems to be so little that can be done. I really don't feel like living the rest of my life like this.
I'm not ill enough to go to bed, but I'm not well enough to enjoy life to the full.
I intend to continue researching and am determined to find something that will help. I will keep posting here, especially if I find something that helps.
Thanks, I sympathise with you re the leg pain. I don't have that often - mainly my head throbs and feels full of pressure and my feet and hands ache.
What treatment have you tried? Anything helped?
Hi Becky, all those things might be fibro linked, but as to how you get a proper diagnosis I really don't know. What health services offer for people with fibro and CFS seems to vary a lot across the country. In my case it's been nothing, shrug of the shoulders from GPs and that's where it ends unfortunately.
I see a naturopath who has prescribed a particular type of mineral supplements. They have helped but only to a degree. Sorry to offer little but gloom! x
What treatments have you tried and have any of them helped at all?
I have had acupuncture, am taking supplements and vitamins, eating healthily and doing moderate exercise. So far nothing has helped much. Some days I feel quite well and think that must be the treatment helping and then I'll get a week where I feel awful again and can't seem to find anything to blame it on. I have noticed that when I'm stressed I feel worse though.
I haven't tried any treatments. Doc wanted to put me back on anitriptline to help with the pain but i didnt want to so i just take pain killer if i really need them and get on with it.... no choice really.
A rhumatologist is usually the person to diagnose it but not all know how to test you for it, so i dont know if i have it or not.
I gave up on docs a long time ago and only go if i really need to.
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