Neck/Back/Shoulder Pain, Muscle Ache, Skin Hypersensitive, Eye Trouble

So it all started around this time last year. I would get pretty bad tension-like headaches that would persist for weeks at a time, the worst lasting 3 months. In October 2011 it went away, and I was fine til January of this year. I woke up one day with a stiff neck/headache, and every day after that it worsened until i went to the ER feeling faint/dizzy/weak. Ever since the trip to the ER i have been experiencing a myriad of symptoms that no Doctor I see can explain.

The consistent pain in my neck/shoulders/back is always present, accompanied by shadowy vision/floaters (24x7), burning sensations in my hands/feet, muscle aches in my arms/legs/chest, skin hypersensitivity (if i touch any part of my body it will feel like i have sunburn there for a few minutes), sensitivity to temperature (if it gets too hot my face gets flushed/hot/irritated, but i can walk into a room with AC and start to shiver).

Brain MRI, EMG, X-rays, blood work, EKG were all normal. MRI revealed I have Paranasal Sinus Inflammatory Disease, but otherwise was normal. Neuro assured me it wasn't neuropathy due to the EMG result. Also i've been extremely anxious since it all started, so perhaps stress/anxiety is a factor.

Been taking a daily multi vitamin & b12. 27 years old, 6 ft tall 150 lbs. I also work at a computer 8-10 hours a day and have poor posture. Was very healthy up until this.

I recently saw a rheumatologist who thinks it might be Fibromyagia. I was then referred to a physical therapist, that believes it is in fact a result of poor posture and sitting in front of a computer for 10-12 hours a day.

Would poor posture/shoulder/upper back pain cause all of these symptoms? or is Fibro a strong possibility?

[Phtartist]

You wrote this exactly as if it was myself writing it.
15 years ago I was diagnosed withe Fibromyalgia.  There never seemed to be a day of relief. The headaches were incredibly horrible!!
Long story short, in around 2010 my internist gave up on treating me due to feeling helpless/hopeless, she referred me to a Lymes disease specialist who treated her daughter. She was not affiliated with the special labs nor did she know how to read the results from such labs. It turns out I had Lymes and two coinfections we get from tick bites, Babesiosis and Mycoplasma.
So for the last two - three years I've been treated for all three illnesses. I still have what seems to be Fibromyalgia but the headaches are gone. It takes time but I'm getting my life back.
I believe a website for finding a Lymes literate doctor  is Lymenet. The Lymes disease assoc. (LDA) may also have a dr. Locator section and possibly the ILADS site can help. The three sites have a lot of info too.

[Nikodicreta]

Hey Hangin99,
Welcome to the forum.

Good reply from Phtartist and worth looking into.
My intuition however points elsewhere.
Can you go camping a for a few days, with no cellphones and computers
and away from any towers and no driving once you get there?
(A. carry a cell for emergencies but remove the battery  when you get there-
B.cars produce a huge amount of electromagnetic radiation).
If your symptoms subside then it is very probable that you have
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity, very consistent with your work and the
common symptoms of electromagnetic hypersensitivity match most of yours!
Your multivitamin and B12 may be helpful, but in a case of EMH, they won't
do a thing.  D3 and melatonin levels are usually deficient in EMH sufferers.

I have come across this with my "Allergy Antidotes" clients, as I often test for electomagnetic pollution. It is way more prevalent than what most people think.  
Definitely worth looking into, as most testing ordered by doctors-as you mentioned- won't reveal anything significant.

The Paranasal Sinus Inflammatory Disease diagnosis is a fancy name for Sinusitis, extremely common that affects millions every year.

I'm very surprised with your Rheumie's suspicion of FMS and not follow through!!!  Either you meet the new FMS dx criteria (3) or you don't.
Is (s)he waiting for something?

A poor posture, definitely contributes to your issues. Your PT is right!
This is something you could address, by getting into a fitness program
and making small changes in your work like: frequent short breaks, stretching, a more ergonomic computer chair, etc.

Hope this helps.
Wish you well.
Niko

[rtjrevie]

Hello, I too have a lot of the same symptoms you are explaining.  Ecspecially the burning skin. It is so difficult to explain to someone, but yes it is like a sunburn! Light touch, clothing, airconditioning (wind blowing on it) all irritate it terribly. My whole body aches and burns. I have been diagnosed with fibro. I really don't like knowing "why" I have the symptoms or what is causing it. I agree with the above, get tested for Lymes. Problem is it don't always show up. I too have poor posture, but if I sit up straight I hurt.( bulging disc too). I cannot imagine having to sit at a computer, that is tough! I have not found much help with the burning feeling but just wanted to respond and say you are not alone. Good luck.

[Hangin99]

thanks for the responses everyone! I was tested for Lyme's a few months ago and it came back negative, but i'm not sure which test was run exactly (assuming a general blood panel testing for the most common strain)

I'm scheduled to see the Rheum. again next week, not sure if he is going to stand by his initial fibro dx as the blood work i took for it came back normal and the PT/Chiro i am seeing think it's all to do with my neck/shoulder/back muscles.

[kevieb]

I have the floaters really bad---but they hit along with tinnitis and severe anxiety years before the pain.  talk about feeling trapped inside your own body--anxiety can do wierd things to you.  I couldn't imagine seeing floaters and hearing my ears ring forever.  Eventually the anxiety got better after alot of different meds---and I didn't notice the floaters so much and i hardly ever notice the ringing in my ears anymore.

The neck and shoulder pain and headaches started almost 13 years ago and progressed to all over pain.  We've been calling it fibro for years, but I have a number of endocrine issues that I am working on getting corrected and some deficiencies that I am working on, also.

As I get older and my vision gets worse, I am noticing the floaters a little more---but I need to get in and get new glasses.  i may actually have to wear them all the time now!!

Your posture could definitely have an awful lot to do with the neck, shoulder and headache pain.  I have been reading a book on this very subject---and it makes alot of sence to me.  It is all about how we no longer move like we used to and how we have so many pain problems now.

The recomendation is to do the exercises that your body needs to correct whatever is not in proper alignment in your body.  We just experienced this with my 14 year old son.  His heels hurt because his growth plate is a little longer than normal and sits right under his heels.  When he tries to run track, his foot impacts the ground right where the growth plate is, causing him pain.  Once the growth plate closes, the pain should go away.

He is wearing soft spots in his heels to help with the pain and he had to quit running for now.  He just recently told me that his knees are really hurting him.  well, turns out, in his effort to avoid the pain in his heels, he overcorrects in the way he is walking, which puts strain on his knees and makes them hurt.

He started making a conscious effort to not overcorrect for his heel pain, we gave him anti-inflammatories to help the heel pain---and he was just able to go on a long scout hike without his knees bothering him.

I've considered checking for lyme---I was bit by a tick years ago---but we have a naturopath that is diagnosing a ton of people in our area with lyme and charging them $130 a week for IV treatments---we have an excessively large number of people with "lyme" disease in southern Idaho----and I refuse to get caught up in the hype.

I may eventually test for lyme disease--but it won't be any time soon.

nikodicreta--I am interested in learning more about electromagnetic sensitivity----If I sit at my computer for very long i start to hurt all over.  i thought maybe it was just my posture---i got a laptop so i could sit in my comfortable chair and get my neck comfortable---but I've discovered if i use it too long I still hurt all over.

[Nikodicreta]

Unfortunately the facts have been suppressed for too long!!!
So many people have been dealing with severe issues, many getting diagnosed with MS,ME,CFS,FMS and many more Autoimmune
Diseases (the list of A/I disease keeps growing!) or Neuro- Degenerative Conditions and the VAST MAJORITY are caught in the medical merry-go-round without diagnosis.
This is reaching Epidemic proportions! There are reasons why our society is getting plagued with all this, and yet they get ignored.
A good example follows below in the next paragraph.
Health Authorities seem to rely on industry sponsored studies and industry supplied information and recommendations, in regards of setting health standards, policy and protocol.
(don't be surprised when you mention to your Doctor "EHM",  she/he treats you like a moron! FMS patients are told everyday it's all in their head.
or Lyme patients told that "you cannot have Lyme disease"  "this is not a Lyme Disease State" ).

Industry-funded scientists have had their funding taken away when they found biological health effects, and industry has lobbied to reverse judgments on electromagnetic fields' danger. In the media, management sometimes intervenes because of advertisement money that is at stake.

Here's a comparison of the results of some Industry funded EMH studies versus non-industry funded EMH studies.

Funding        Effect                No Effect

Industry         27(32%)        57(68%)
Non-Industry 96(70%)        41(30%)

(Source: Prof. Henry Lai, Univ. Washington)

A very informative report on EMH is available online when you search by its title:
"Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: Biological Effects
of Dirty Electricity with Emphasis on Diabetes
and Multiple Sclerosis"

As far as testing for EMF, I trust N.American made instruments more.
Checkout AlphaLab testers at the "trifield" website. (Not necessarily an endorsement, only for informational purposes).

If you're interested to know, what I do to neutralize and clear the effects
of EMF and "Dirty Electricity" (other than limiting exposure and avoidance)
let me know.
Take care.
Niko

[Hangin99]

very interesting Niko. What are your remedies for such EMF effects on the body?

[Nikodicreta]

Holistic remedies for  EMF effects.

-Ground your work and your home environment using a real plant in a natural clay or earth pot and a piece of  organic fabric or string.
Tie the plant to the one of the legs of your desk, table and bed. This creates a natural grounding of your space. Make sure that you do not keep any appliances plugged or on while you sleep in you bedroom.
Clock-radios, lamps, cell phones (stick an old copper penny in the back of your cell phone to reduce EMFs).

-Walk barefoot on grass, sand, or natural wood as often as possible.
-Hug a tree whenever you get a chance.

- Do a complete heavy metals detox at least twice annually!
EMFs work in synergy with heavy metals and can create havoc in the body.
John Barron's website has a good tutorial on detox.

- A low carb diet, will keep fungal infections at bay, as carbs and sugars
are the preferred nutrients for fungal organisms.
Same as above, fungal imbalances and infections combine with EMFs to cause damage in the body.
I recommend also the daily consumption of 2-3T of extra virgin coconut oil,
which is anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-parasitic and anti-bacterial.
Look it up at the coconut research center website.

- You may search the following items for protection from the effects of EMFs :
a. Sodalite (inexpensive semi-precious stone, place by your computer or wear as a pendant), $
b.Qlink  products $$
c Earthcalm website (not personally familiar with b&c, but heard positive things from colleagues) $$

- I do energy clearing weekly in my work space and at home, using dowsing for EMF detection and Reiki for EMF clearing.
You can get a practitioner in your area ,familiar with holistic energy clearing, to help you with this.

These ideas don't sit well with some people, thinking perhaps that they are too "New Age".
It is actually a good thing to be skeptical ( to have critical thinking ), however, dangerous when against,as it tends to be conclusive and final, thus eliminating the possibility of any potential benefit.

pm me or post again if you have any comments or questions.
Wishing you well.
Niko