Telltale Signs and Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?

[HeidiLynn3]

I have severe pain at times that feel like I have the flu severely. I am also so tired that I could just sleep my life away. I have insomnia at night, and then there are nights that I can sleep very early. I hurt everywhere. I have TMJ also, and it seems that it can go with fibro. I have many other things, but for me fibro=pain :/

 

[smh107]

One of the things that I was told is that there are certain points on a fibro person's body that are more sensitive than others.

Fibromyalgia Pain, Tender Spots ? Fibrocenter.com

I know that for me it's true. What about yourself?

I also have hypothyroidism. I think it's crazy that I've been diagnosed with both fibro and hypothyroidism for quite sometime and never realized that so many other people had both illnesses as well.

Yes, there are 18 points on the body. when the Doctor firmly but gently presses a thumb on any of these points, they are excruciatingly painful. Someone who does not have fibro is not affected.

 

[smh107]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about a year ago and I am taking medication for it and a lot of my symptoms were being tired all of the time,pain in my lower back, in my legs and upper body too sometimes. I wake up everyday with some type of pain. I was also told I have carpal tunnel as well. I have been taking the medication like I was directed to by my doctor but I still have some kind of pain what seems like constant. I have told my doctor about this but she says it is my arthritis. Then I was reading about Fibromyalgia and found a lot of the symptoms I am having are similar to the symptoms of fibromyalgia or at least seem to be. My doctor doesn't really listen to what I am saying most of the time or at least I feel she isn't because she just blows it off as part of the thyroid condition and diabeties, so I have just left it at that till now that I read about this. is there any kind of test that can be given to see if I might have this problem or how do you know other then the obvious symptoms.

Hi, yes, a blood test specifically for ANA (anti nuclear antibodies). A high level is the indicator (sorry I don't know facts and figures). A high level of ANA can also indicate Lupus and various other .

 

[SulaBlue]

Yes, there is no blood test to difinitively diagnose fibromyalgia. Well, there's this new one that one single research hospital or something is charging $744 for, but it sounds scammy.

 

[1sweed]

The doctors told me that the idea is to rule out everything else more serious and then if you have pain in those 18 different spots it is a good bet that it is fibro. One would think that after all these years doctors would have a idea of what causes fibro and better answers for their patients in dealing with it or curing it.

But it seems that a lot of folks are diagnosised with fibro, given a pat on the back and told to go home and just deal with it. I was diagnosised over 15 years ago and that was standard way of doing things back then. I hope that something better happens in the next few years, for then we all could get our normal lives back.

 

[kittyprius]

Signs to look out for
Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and constipation alternating with diarrhea (irritable bowel syndrome)
Tension or migraine headaches
Jaw and facial tenderness
Sensitivity to one or more of the following: odors, noise, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold
Feeling anxious or depressed
Numbness or tingling in the face, arms, hands, legs, or feet
Increase in urinary urgency or frequency (irritable bladder)
Reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise
A feeling of swelling (without actual swelling) in the hands and feet
Chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms or tightness
Moderate or severe fatigue and decreased energy
Insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep
Stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long
Difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks ("fibro fog")

This list just absolutely terrified me. I am every. single. one. of those to the T, except for the increase in urination frequency and the aversion to medications/foods. Wow... just wow.

 

[twiztc]

I know... I have lots of those listed too. When I was sent to a specialist I had no idea about the tender spot test so you can imagine my surprise when he touched them and I nearly went through the roof. I was in tears by the time he finished. I only had the spots at my elbows that didn't fire at the time. Now however every single spot fires up. Not nice.

 

[schizophreniatype]

The criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia based on symptoms is chronic widespread pain lasting for more than 3 months. The pain usually associated with fatigue, poor sleep, stiffness and sometimes anxiety/depression.
Other symptoms include (note that the symptoms are non-specific that is not everyone experiences the same thing and if someone experiences it does not mean he/she has fibromyalgia unless confirmed by a doctor):
-non-cardiac chest pain
-Dyspepsia
-Headache
-scalp tenderness
-Abdominal Cramping (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
-Temporomandibular Pain
-Chronic Pelvic pain
-Dysmenorrhea
-sleeping disturbances
-weight fluctuations
-allergic symptoms example nasal congestions
-syncope or dizziness
-shortness of breath

 

[BrianWolfe]

Yes, I totally agree! My friend with IBS decided to make a conscious effort to change her diet and voila! After a couple of weeks with no sugar, junk food,foods that cause gas, coffee etc. she now feels better and has a better quality of life.

 

[Happyflowerlady]

My doctor said that I have RA , and also probably OA from horse riding and car accidents. I am 68, and also have gout in my foot sometimes, and some of the swelling and joint pain is probably just from my age, and heart condition. My doctor gave me some allopurinol for the gout, and that seems to have helped with that, but some days, I just have to use my crutches to get around.
I don't really know the difference between the MS, RA , and fibromyalgia , so hopefully this forum will help me to sort out what it all is, and how to handle it better.

 

[angiemouse]

I do too - fibro and hypothyroidism, herniated disks in my lower back and neck. One of the worst symptoms I have is a burning pain like I'm on fire - it covers from my ribs (front and back) - down my whole back, my buttocks, hips, lower stomach and back of legs all the way down to the bottoms of my feet - feels like I'm literally on fire.

 

[greengrass]

I also have Hypothyroidism & fibro ,the chronic fatigue for me is worse than the pain although have bad headaches on a daily basis

 

[Happyflowerlady]

I have good days and bad days. I always have some degree of pain though, and when it hits my shoulder, I can't raise my arm.
I have been trying to eat anti-inflammatory foods , like raw pineapple, but some days, even OTC meds don't help. Is fibro similar to RA ? I am diagnosed with that, but the symptoms seem about the same, so I am confused. The RA does not really explain the dizzy spells, and balance issues, but they checked me for MS, and said that I do not have that.

 

[CVSessions]

I have Type 2 Diabetes that causes nerve pain. I also have two bad discs in my back and arthritis in my pelvis (due to an 8.5 lb baby and a 9.5 lb baby). The fibro diagnosis came from the tender points. I will also have general achiness like I am coming down with the flu but no fever. This last weekend I got up at 10 on Saturday and then had a two hour nap later.

The Fibro part seems to be the tender points, the fatigue, the IBS and the headaches.

And I have depression. I sometimes don't know if I am sick or crazy.

 

[thejadegreengirl]

Yes, there is no blood test to difinitively diagnose fibromyalgia. Well, there's this new one that one single research hospital or something is charging $744 for, but it sounds scammy.

The AnA is one measurement to determine if you have it. We are supposed to keep an eye on it, because if it gets too high, that's Lupus. When I got diagnosis I was asked for my complete medical history. Any traumatic/serious health is a pretty good indicator, along with the Ana test, getting negatives on a plethora of other test for potential issues, the pressure points, and generally your level of fatigue.

It took me four months to get a firm diagnosis, but most people go back and forth through the cycle of misdiagnosis for years. Looking back, I've had symptom for the last 10 years, the just weren't this bad and I chose to ignore them.