Do I have fibromyalgia?

[hazymazy]

Hello
Can anyone tell me if I have fibromyalgia? My doctor says I do but I really want to be sure. I have lower back pain for 20yrs facet joint apparently, thoracic pain with wear and tear with bone spurs,shoulder arthritis and suspected cervical spondylosis. Also hip impingement. I have outer hip pain and groin. Hip cyst has show with tear.The pain in hips may not completely go with surgery I am told. He says my back is separate from my hip pain. The femoral head and neck are deformed. I have pain in my fingers, all the above I think is due to arthritis???? Now for the firbro part. I used to just have different size painful lumps and masses on my ribcage for about 10 years these are painful and flare up often, they are moveable. Over the last few years things have developed so much worse. I now have lumps and masses of painful fatty tissue throughout my body. My shoulders hurt ,arms in places. elbows ,torso, thighs, inside knees,lower legs, stomach, hips everywhere. It varies often and different patches of tissue may hurt for weeks/months and then somewhere else will start. Its a nightmare. Never know what I will wake up to. My skin also burns over my forearms and shoulders and a little along my jaw  its almost a warning sign that the lumps are going to flare up. All the lumpy masses are movable and are tender, burn and sting. Stress and my menstrual cycle seem to gravitate symptoms. I get forgetful, sleep badly and I'm feeling rather low. I even wondered is it dercums disease? I have adies tonic pupil also. Please can someone advivce me.  Thankyou

[hazymazy]

Hi thank you for taking the time to reply. I know what you mean about the tender points and have so many of them. They feel painful with and without pressure. I have been like this for years now and my GP thinks I have had fibro for longer than even I realise but I cant understand why he wont refer me even if its to help with pain management. I have researched everything possible to help myself. The only other thing similar I could find is something called Dercums disease. I just worry I'm not getting the correct treatment. I'm even trying homoeopathy. Didnt mention before I have problems sleeping partly because of pain and ( like today ) have an awful fatigue. Really had to force myself out of bed, get washed and dressed but felt to weak to put on my make-up and I always take pride with that. So many people just don't understand. So appreciate you answer.

[hazymazy]

Thank you so much for your reply. I asked my GP for a referral and all he would add is that a surgeon would not touch the lumps as there are so many. My GP is convinced its fibro but others in the practise have just brushed it off as painful fatty lumps. Really don't know what to do and cant pay privately. Many thanks for caring it makes a difference.

[fibrohurts]

Boy, that is a complicated mess you have there! Im not sure if you have FM or not... I think you need to get a second opinion for sure. It would be really great if you could do a little doctor research in your area and find the doc most knowledgable about FM. I went to the "best" rheumy in my area a few times but he was a real *** about fibro. He did not help me at all. I finally found a General Practitioner that had sort of self-specialized in FM years ago. He has been great.

I know that's really not much help but you have so much going on that its hard to say. The main thing for FM diagnosis is, You have to pass the tenderpoint test. Now, some tenderpoints will be more flared up at times than others but you should always be able to find them with firm pressure applied to each of them. You may not have all of the likely ones and you may have some that others dont. I have a whole bunch of them and several that most people dont. There are times when it takes firmer pressure to make them hurt and sometimes they hurt with a very light touch or with any movement of my body...

Good luck honey. Find the best doc you can and do as much of your own research as you can. That will be the best way to figure it all out!

[dustybrown]

From what you say, it sounds like it. I would get a referral to see a Rheumatologist for a definitive diagnosis. That way if you have something else he or she can rule those other possibilities out. Good luck.