Who do you see for diagnosis?

[daughterofsarah77]

Hi everyone! I am going on a couple years here of extreme frustration with the health care field, and I am really sitting here now wondering why no one has brought up the fibromyalgia possibility to me.
I have a 2 year history of left-sided chest/shoulder pain that has now spread to my back over the last few months, and also has begun to present itself on the right side.
I also get tingling in my hands/feet for no apparent reason, shooting pain in my legs and arms.
Have a history of IBS diagnosed after CT scan of abdomen, colonoscopy, upper endoscopy showing nothing.
Problems with chronic tension/migraine headaches, TMJ type symptoms.
Also strange burning/tingling/tight sensation of scalp.
I have also developed a severe anxiety/panic problem, which of course at this point, all of the Dr.'s I see blame all of my physical symptoms on. However, in my view, a lot of these symptoms began before the anxiety and trigger my anxiety.
Yes, I have had health anxiety with all of this...thinking I am having a heart attack, thinking I have lung cancer, brain tumors, strokes.
I am guessing I am not the only one with a story like this, but my question is, who do you see to get appropriately diagnosed? I am honestly so afraid of having another person tell me that what I am feeling is all because of anxiety.

[Ree4tu]

The general practitioner tried to tell me it's anxiety too. I knew it wasn't just like yourself.  What occurs in Fibro is an over-stimulated nervous system.  What causes it to be over-stimulated, I am still trying to figure out. Maybe stress, injury, viruses - a range of things. An over-stimulated nervous system causes muscles to spasm, anxiety, insomnia, pain, irritable bowel, etc. I have even been in the ER for my heart racing uncontrollably along with my muscles spasming so bad in my legs that I could barely walk. Clearly a problem with the nervous system.
I finally saw a rheumatologist who diagnosed me with fibromyalgia after ruling out a range of other diseases. All of my problems began with a right-sided pain in my neck, shoulder and back that wouldn't go away.  It is very likely you have fibromyalgia and you should always trust your instincts.

Warmest Regards
Ree4tu

[gin45]

Your GP must refer you to a Rheumatologist to obtain the diagnosis, that is your first step. Once established and the diagnosis is fibromyalgia he will suggest you take Lyrica and probably sleeping pills if your not sleeping well. DON'T take the medication its better to deal with fibro naturally with supplements, diet and exercise. Once I realized their was no help out there I sat on a panel with 8 people suffering from fibro and heard there stories. Some of them had ruined their life with drugs and could barely function.  This was not going to happen to me.

Google MayoClinic.com site (I live in Ottawa, Ont, Canada) and research everything you could find on fibromyalgia. The Internet has a wealth of information available for you to peruse.  

Here is what I did:  I made an appt. with an Environmental specialist and a Naturopath. Between both of them I have come a long way. They checked my Thyroid Level, hormone levels, iron, adrenal function just to rule out any other problems. Once armed with this information I started on supplements to build up my immune system. The Environmental Specialist will do a Food Sensitivity Test, he will provide you with a chart that you can follow, its amazing how food triggers responses in our body, we must eat anti-inflammatory foods.

Here's what was recommended for me by the Naturopath::   Thyrocare, Multivitamin (not just any vitamin one recommended by a qualified Naturopath) Adrenal supplement AOR classic series found in natural food stores, Detox supplement (Unda #1 and #20) these are drops used for detox.  I also take Arctic code liver oil (flavoured) also found in the natural food store and the only one that is researched and recommended.

Physically:  I continue to ballroom dance, do aerobic exercise, aqua fitness for the pain in my muscles 1 hr. class in warm water, watch the foods I eat and switched to eating organic food as much as possible.  I have never felt so energetic as I do now even before I got fibromyalgia.  

Food:  I switched to rice milk, whole grains, organic eggs, brown rice (not white), organic fruit, smoothies, increased my fish intake, no white sugar (unpasterized honey only.

Subscribe to the fibromyalgia newsletter on the Internet and you will be kept up to date with new advances. But, I find were on our own with this. I did not get tingling in my fingertips or toes but I know some people do. I get the tightning of the muscles, you feel like they won't stretch.  I use to be in bed for three days at a time. The weather will also affect you, I really feel hot and cold and I cannot be anywhere where cold air is blowing on me. The wind will also trigger it so I keep a hood on my head when its windy, everyone is different according to what triggers their episodes.

I hope I have given you a start in dealing with your problem, but you will get there it will just take some time on your part.  Keep me posted and let me know if you require any additional information. I am not sure if you live in the US or Canada?

Also:  Vist Lorna Vanderhaeghe sit on the Internet, she has live videos and radio talk shows on all womens issues plus a complete line of labl approved products with the science behind them.  If you buy her book, it will be well worth it and I am sure your health will improved.  I made sure my Dr. gave me all the tests I needed to see how my system was functioning.  The GP will not do these tests unless you ask for them.  

Keep me posted
Have a great day. Gin45

[karen717]

I just wanted to post the symptoms of fibromyalgia so you can compare your symptoms to these. It sounds as if you have a few of them. You may have more you did not list.
Symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
• Chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms or tightness, and leg cramps
• 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
• 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
• Painful menstrual periods
• Dizziness

Also doctors must rule out lots of other things before diagnosing fibro. Get ready for a lot of tests to come back negative. Don't get frustrated. It takes time. Fibro characteristically affects different parts of the body. It does move around (the pain). If you have fibro, you will have had pain all four quadrants of the body (upper, lower, right, and left) for at least 6 months. You may notice a feeling of swelling in the hands and feet, but there will not actually be any inflammation. Muscle twitching is part of fibro as well. Sleep disorders cause your morning feelings. REM sleep is restorative sleep. Fibro patients don't stay in REM sleep long enough for the oxygen to replenish and restore in the muscles, so they feel the same or worse than when you went to bed. You came to a good place. If you need to talk, vent, or have questions, let us know. Good luck and keep us posted.
Karen

[PlateletGal]

I'm sure many of us can relate to your frustrations. I know I can. It certainly sounds like you could have fibromyalgia... especially when I read "shooting pains" and "TMJ" type symptoms.

There are other conditions that you may want to have ruled out and/or ask your physician about first. autoimmune disorders (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis), myositis, LYME disease and Chiari malformation. I would definitely recommend getting tested for lyme and read up on the test because often a person with lyme will have a false negative test result.