That 20 weeki wait was for a lady who lives near me who has bowel cancer and she went private cost her 600 pounds but she got her scan in 3 hrs at the same NHS hospital which deals with her cancer. Anyway she found out from that shes terminally ill its widespread. Basically nothing can be done .I was really angry!!! Bit of a postcode lottery in uk depends where you live and how much money you have to spend. Hope your Drs make their minds up that would be nice eh. Anyway Take Care XX Chris

20 weeks? thats disgusting! I thought our system was bad! and I can't believe how much you would have paid for that speciallist as well. I paid $220 to see my neuro privately in Feb. I think the pound is worth about 2.5 - 3 of our dollars! I saw the same neuro free at the hospital on friday. If I hadn't paid to see him privately, I'm told I may never have got to see him as the referal letter the physician wrote was not convincing enough, and they do not have the staff to see anyone less than urgent. By seeing him privately, I brought my way into the system ahead of those who can't afford it - not something I feel good about, but neccessary. What kind of system is that! Anyway - have to go. Talk soon xxxx.

There you go I remember it was zzzzz instead of yyyy . I know been reading your posts as well Sheilia. Its really frustrating dealing with Drs sometimes especially when the neuro tell you one thing and the osteo something else. Oooh ! Anyway your probably right I didnt know fibro was regarded that way by some Drs. I think its awful. I mean if you go back to when they didnt know what autism was look what that was labelled eh. Medical science hasnt caught up with a lot of people yet. You probably read Ive got an official dx now of movement disorder (unknown cause) and related unknown neuro dx HeeHee whats changed. Not a lot I,d say but hey wish you luck with your new mri. Weve got the nhs but at present it booked up for 20wks where I live with private patients. Thats free health care for you. Take Care talk to you again. XX Chris

Hi Chris, I agree it could be unwise to go down the Fibro track. I have always avoided bringing it up with my doc and she has never mentioned it either - nor has the neuro in all the confusion I've been causing them. I would have thought it would be an easy answer for them so they could finally put a lable on me, but they must also have the opinion that its a hypochondriacs disease. Latest on me, you may have read, is I've been seeing an osteopath and he told me that my illness is all the result of having a jammed atlas joint. Hes been working on this area for a few weeks now - symptoms much worse at first and then some definate improvement for a while, but got worse again last week with massive eye pain. Could'nt sleep as my eyes would turn inwards when relaxed which caused so much pain. This went on for 24 hrs and they've hurt ever since. Dr (loved the strangulation idea) gave me 'that look' (here we go again) and told me its all down to migraines. But I saw my Neuro yesterday and he said thats not normal and hes thinking MS again (just when I'd gotten used to the idea that it wasn't that). Hes requested another MRI on a higher resolution scanner (apparently the one in our town, although brand new, is not as good - kind of makes me wonder why they bothered in the first place). He laughed at the Osteopath's diagnosis. I guess I'll have to wait and see whos right.
Anyway, I've been following your progress, or lack of, and I do hope you find answers soon. Best wishes, Sheila.

Thanks for your comments Starqueen they are appreciated.  I will have a look at the mayo site. XXchris

Fibromyalgia has symptoms that vary and can be very difficult to diagnose because symptoms vary between individuals.  Doctors usually won't go there because it is too easy to "miss" something that may point to something else.  This diagnoses is given only after extensive testing comes up with nothing else. The Mayo clinic has been doing the most extensive research into this disorder than anyone else. Check it out at mayoclinic.com.  There is a combination of drugs that have seemed to help.  Those are Endep, Flexril and Altram.  Most individuals also take either Paxil or Prozac.  Another combination getting notice is Neurontinn and Lyrica.  OTC NSAIDs can sometimes work for generalized pain, but often don't. There is no specific test for Fibromyalgia.  Hope this helps.

Hee Hee Hee I like that one  strangulation by stethoscope . That would look funny in the papers ! BY the way I got the myoclonus bit wrong re fibro it was Restless legs Syndrome Durr I am ! I didnt know that fibro was regarded in that way by Drs what a nightmare for anyone with a Dr that regards it that way! Boils down to if they don't know what it is it must be psychological what a vicious circle. I started off with that have you got a mental health problem not going through that box again. Re my Gp I live in a rural area and you cant register outside of the area in which you live but they do have locums sometimes so I ll try grab her (not by the neck) I will have to wait and see won't I, impatient person I am ! In the meantime Ive made an appointment to see my dentist re jaw ear pain . Hes dead nice perhaps he will have a comment on my salivary glands being swollen you never know.
Is it right that fibro they think is related to misfiring chemical messages ? If it is thats basically what my neuro said she thinks the movement disorders caused by chemical/electrical messages gong haywire to wrong places at the wrong time. eg muscles contracting when they shouldnt, brain sending signals when at rest etc. Basically I need rewiring Hee Hee nothing new there. XX Chris

I did not know that myoclonus could be part of fibromyalgia. If you have that many of the symptoms, it's definately worth looking into. A word of caution though: Many Dr.'s still look at fibro as a "wastebasket diagnosis". In other words, they give up on you, and just put a name on "whatever" you have. Also a lot of Dr.'s and hospitals still look at it as a hypochondriac's disease. They will not treat you because they think it's all in your head. A name for your problems may give you comfort, but it won't give you help or treatment. Also, considering a disease that lists so many symptoms, but with no real plan for diagnosis (except ruling other stuff out), and no real treatment options, it's easy to fit the profile. One good thing I saw on some of the fibro websites was a list of  similar, or related conditions. I suggest you look at these lists to see if you fit into some of these similar disorders. As for your GP, is there any way to get a new one? Also, call the neuro and remind her of the letter she promised to send to your GP about the referrals you need. Maybe she didn't get to it yet. Remember that fibro is diagnosed by ruling everything else out. They haven't even tested you for anything yet. I'm afraid if you tell your GP you think it's fibro, she'll just say "okay", and still not do anything for you. As for the stethoscope..............well, you could always pull it a little tighter around her neck, and see if increases the blood flow to her brain!   ;)