Ongoing symptoms for 8+ months and no diagnosis

[alex42]

Hi all,

My name is Alex, M 28. I've been experiencing the following symptoms on and off since last October:
- burning/sharp muscle pain unlike anything I've experienced before, mainly in upper limbs and back/neck
- fatigue ranging from mild to severe
- sleep disturbances
- skin tender to touch
- slight numbness/tingling in limbs and/or back
- weird muscle twitches all over
- inability to exercise or exert myself for long periods of time, and so on.
I did a good amount of research in the past few months and I'm pretty sure it's fibromyalgia but I'd like to hear your opinions too.

In my country, these kinds of conditions aren't really well known, and I've gone to the family doctor, endocrinologist, neurologist, and rheumatologist till now. I've done numerous blood tests and it seems like I am perfectly healthy on paper. Last time I went to the doc he recommended I do a spine MRI (probably last resort), which I haven't done yet but I plan to do; he also said if MRI is ok then I'll have to also do electromyography. I'm not really that confident it will yield any results, though.

It's worth saying that I have good and bad periods, for example I almost thought it went away from the middle of March to the beginning of May since I felt almost how I used to be before all this started. Then pain and fatigue crept back slowly again and now I'm barely able to concentrate at work.

I don't drink, don't smoke, eat reasonably well, and try to take a short walk every day. I also take/took vitamin D supplements, fish oil, magnesium, potassium, L-carnitine, curcumin etc. but none of this really helped.

What do you guys think? What should be my course of action going forward? Because I really don't know what to do anymore.

All the best and thanks!

 

[sjbrown]

For many of us Fibro is diagnosed after other illnesses are ruled out. I went through alot of tests before I was diagnosed. It is a good idea to rule out other. Good luck

 

[Blueboat]

Alex,

Could almost say my symptoms are very similar to yours in many ways. I too am M, of the same age, and have been this way for around 9 months.

All started with neurological symptoms first, cold sensations, etc, with distinct few days back in August, where I got an immense adrenaline surge sensation down my arms, coupled with nausea. Then following this had internal tremors in arms which faded. Since then I've developed what feels like nerve pain in arms which goes up and down in intensity. I've just not felt right since August 19. Have had a few other symptoms that have came and went, including health anxiety/depression.

Like you I also had a 2 month period in Dec-Jan where I felt 99%, but then all came back. I don't get much crashing fatigue and can generally go about my day, but it feels like certain limbs feel overworked very easily.

Currently going through investigations at the moment, hampered by the pandemic situation. Had a spinal MRI and awaiting results. Only thing that has came back was low folate, and since been corrected. Not had much with exception of a few blood tests and MRI.

Don't know if it is fibro, but my mother has been diagnosed and symptoms are different to hers.

 

[Fatima]

Your symptoms sound like fibromyalgia but there are many other autoimmune illnesses that have these symptoms. Arriving at a Fibro diagnosis is a ruling out of other illnesses.
I got hit with Fibro symptoms suddenly over a year ago and was diagnosed last Oct.
I have been riding the wave, up and down with pain and fatigue. I am currently experiencing a lull in the pain and fatigue but it never goes away 100%. For me, I started to improve when I hired a great fitness trainer to work with me one on one and when I started taking B12 injections. I am taking various types of supplements but in natural health results are slow. Listen to your body, push a little each day if you can, avoid the triggers and forgive yourself when you can't.