I'm 41, 5'9, 240 lbs. I have gained weight rapidly over the last year. I feel it's due to pain which has caused me to have less movement to burn off anything. I also work in a office and sit all day. I have been to multiple dr's over the past 2 years and am currently seeing an internal med.dr. I'm feeling like no one can help me. So here's the run down of my symptoms: Pain in lower back on right side of spine, after MRI on back, it showed a protruding disk at L4. (I am upset the doc. didnt get a MRI of my hips at same time like I had requested.) It worsens with walking standing or bending. Shooting pains in legs. Pain, stiffness with a feeling of not being able to move it in left buttock where the hip and leg connect. I have mild pain and stiffness in elbows and shoulders. I have been tested for Rheumatoid arthritis and it was negative. I had a ANA test which came back positive. They did more testing and all I was told in a phone message is that the second was negative. I have tried getting in touch with my doctor for more details but he is unreachable til my next appt. Very frustrating. My doctor wants to keep calling my pain "muscle pain" and I tell him no, it's not muscle pain, it's joint pain. He did go ahead and put me on Cymbalta. I was not thrilled with this idea. Already had another doctor try this and I said no but I went ahead this time to try it. So I've been on Cymbalta for 2 months. After getting through the initial side effects of nausea, eye focus trouble, feeling woosy, I now have sore throat off and on, ear pain pressure, and trouble swallowing. I get strangled quite often while drinking. Vocal chord strain.I thought it was just sinus drainage trouble but I don't think so now. On top of all this, I have morning hot flashes, night sweats, extremely uncomfortable overheating and sweating with any exertion which I NEVER did before. The cymbalta has helped with my palpitations and anxiety and less leg achiness.