Hello!

[AAutumn]

I remember laying in bed with severe leg and foot pain as early as 8 years old. My Mother would tell me ' It's just growing pain'. When I became an adult, was no longer growing, and still had the pain, it was obvious that the pain I was experiencing was not 'just growing pain' but something much more permanent.

As I got older, the pain got worse, spread to my hands and arms, and became more frequent.

I started going to the doctor in hopes of finding a diagnosis and relief from my pain in my early twenties. I was given various anti-inflammatory pain medications , none of which worked. I had x-rays, a ct scan, blood work, the results for all tests came back normal. I felt hopeless; the pain medications I had been given did not help, and according to the various tests I had undergone, there was no explanation for my pain.

I gave up. I accepted my pain as part of my life, part of myself, sucked it up, and have suffered through. Invisible.

Over the past year, my pain and accompanying symptoms (which I will get into later) has increased in both intensity and frequency. Over the past few weeks, my symptoms have been increasingly debilitating. The past week, I have been pretty much bedridden.

Losing the ability to do everyday tasks and spending the majority of time in intense pain all over my body has of course sent me running back to the doctor. I had a difficult time articulating what exactly has been going on with me during my appointment - we discussed my pain but not really the ever growing list of other symptoms I have (not the best time for my mind to blank). My doctor sent me for blood work and x-rays which I had done right away.

This time around, I will not give up on myself. If these tests come back negative, on to the next. *I will not stop going to the doctor until I have a diagnosis no matter how draining and frustrating the process.

 

[rhionna]

Hello! I'm also new here, so I thought I'd reach out. You know, your story about growing pains super hits home with me! I had them as a kid and my dad used to rub my legs and tell me he was getting the 'gremlins' out. I didn't even connect the two until you said something. They misdiagnosed me as having osgoodschlater's disease - something found in athletic males who develop the disorder. I was a female and 6 years old.

Don't give up. I feel your pain, though. My doctors all told me it was diabetes or my weight that was causing this widespread pain and exhaustion. You'll find a doctor that is able to communicate with you and understand what is truly wrong, you just have to be really honest with them and yourself. Have you tried having a light massage? I've heard that Massage Envy has a massage specifically for people with fibromyalgia.

I hope you find some relief! Do you ever get migraines with your pain? I'm not sure how frequently people with fibro/CFS get them but I get them three to seven times a month to the point where I have to go to the hospital for fluids because I'm so physically ill and can't move.

You're definitely not invisible and you're definitely not alone.