Aa
fibro or something else
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 3 months ago. My symptoms..... constant lower back pain and goes up my spine. My right arm hurts so bad its hard to pick anything up ( the muscles below my elbow) sometimes weakness in my legs, stiff muscles in shoulders and neck and now the arches in my feet hurt really bad. Im on my feet for 8 hours at work and sometimes I can barely walk. Had xrays on my back, doctor says I have degenerative arthritis in my spine. My question is, does this sound like fibro or could it be something different. I feel like my doctor is just guessing at this.
Thank you for the long, long list of Fibro symptoms. I have so many of them!! I had read this before so many years ago - but it bears repeating. Again, thank you.
Efharisto poli
Efharisto poli
Thank you very much. Your information is very helpful. I will try this. Take care, kim
Yeah, there a couple blood tests you can do for inflammatory markers and
factors but b.c of inaccuracies, lack of specificity,negative findings etc. I find that they are of little dx value, to my opinion.
On your own:
One is a gluten intolerance test, which is often connected with various types of arthritis.
For this you can just do an elimination type of diet, but make sure you stick with for a few weeks, so any suspected inflammation and other effects of gluten are totally out of your system.
If you feel strong enough to do a low carb,low lectin (look it up) no sugars (including artificial sugars), no grains diet, then by all means try it for a couple weeks and see if this makes a significant difference. I think it will.
You can also do a Candida (fungal infection) self test.
Just search on YouTube: "Saliva Test for Candida".
A modification you can do in your diet,
that has to do with inflammation by consuming the wrong kind of fats,
is to switch to the "right"fats.
For example most people consume too many omega-6
fats, canola, corn, soy and vegetable oils, which lead to high levels of inflammatory factors like high interleukin-6, specially when used in cooking.
So by eliminating these completely and replacing them with Coconut Oil and butter for cooking , olive oil for drizzling (not cooking) and fish oils as a
supplement would help reduce inflammation in your body.
Coconut oil is also anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal,
sometimes more effective than prescription drugs, but without the unwanted side effects!
So any underlying infections, would be contained better when you consume
3-4T of good quality coconut oil daily, but it must be built up gradually starting with one tablespoon daily for a week and adding another one each week. This is to avoid any symptoms from the die-off effects.
There are also supplements such as chondoitin/msm/glucosamine (combo)
that help reduce inflammation, but must be taken for up 3 months to experience notable improvement.
Light weight bearing exercises, under the guidance of a PT or physical trainer may prove beneficial for osteoarthritic conditions.
There are more things you can explore, but at this point I don't want to overwhelm you.
At any time in the future you need more details or more suggestions, just pm me or post again. Just make a reference to this post by date.
Please note that this is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.
Best Wishes.
Niko
factors but b.c of inaccuracies, lack of specificity,negative findings etc. I find that they are of little dx value, to my opinion.
On your own:
One is a gluten intolerance test, which is often connected with various types of arthritis.
For this you can just do an elimination type of diet, but make sure you stick with for a few weeks, so any suspected inflammation and other effects of gluten are totally out of your system.
If you feel strong enough to do a low carb,low lectin (look it up) no sugars (including artificial sugars), no grains diet, then by all means try it for a couple weeks and see if this makes a significant difference. I think it will.
You can also do a Candida (fungal infection) self test.
Just search on YouTube: "Saliva Test for Candida".
A modification you can do in your diet,
that has to do with inflammation by consuming the wrong kind of fats,
is to switch to the "right"fats.
For example most people consume too many omega-6
fats, canola, corn, soy and vegetable oils, which lead to high levels of inflammatory factors like high interleukin-6, specially when used in cooking.
So by eliminating these completely and replacing them with Coconut Oil and butter for cooking , olive oil for drizzling (not cooking) and fish oils as a
supplement would help reduce inflammation in your body.
Coconut oil is also anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal,
sometimes more effective than prescription drugs, but without the unwanted side effects!
So any underlying infections, would be contained better when you consume
3-4T of good quality coconut oil daily, but it must be built up gradually starting with one tablespoon daily for a week and adding another one each week. This is to avoid any symptoms from the die-off effects.
There are also supplements such as chondoitin/msm/glucosamine (combo)
that help reduce inflammation, but must be taken for up 3 months to experience notable improvement.
Light weight bearing exercises, under the guidance of a PT or physical trainer may prove beneficial for osteoarthritic conditions.
There are more things you can explore, but at this point I don't want to overwhelm you.
At any time in the future you need more details or more suggestions, just pm me or post again. Just make a reference to this post by date.
Please note that this is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.
Best Wishes.
Niko
I did go see a rheumatologist. I have done no other tests. Is there some other tests I should consider. I have read other comments and my heart goes out to the people who suffer from fibro. I have just a few of the symptoms listed above, but most of my pain is my lower back, feet and the awful pain in right lower arm. thank you for the info.
Hi kimmers53 and welcome to the forum
How were you diagnosed and was the doctor a Rheumatologist?
As you are suspecting that he's just guessing, this kind of answers the question, so there's a possibility that it could be symptoms of arthritis or something else in addition to arthritis
Osteoarthritis (degenerative spinal arthritis I think is part of osteoarthritis)and Rheumatoid Arthritis as well is likely.
New FMS dx criteria from the American College of Rheumatology.
2010 Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria - Excerpt
2010 PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA (EXCERPT)
CRITERIA
A patient satisfies diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia if the following 3 conditions are met:
Widespread pain index (WPI) ≥7 and symptom severity (SS) scale score ≥5 or WPI 3 - 6 and SS scale score ≥9.
Symptoms have been present at a similar level for at least 3 months.
The patient does not have a disorder that would otherwise explain the pain.
ASCERTAINMENT
WPI: note the number areas in which the patient has had pain over the last week. In how many areas has the patient had pain? Score will be between 0 and 19.
Shoulder girdle, left
Shoulder girdle, right
Upper arm, left
Upper arm, right
Lower arm, left
Lower arm, right
Hip (buttock, trochanter), left
Hip (buttock, trochanter), right
Upper leg, left
Upper leg, right
Lower leg, left
Lower leg, right
Jaw, left
Jaw, right
Chest
Abdomen
Upper back
Lower back
Neck
SS scale score:
Fatigue
Waking unrefreshed
Cognitive symptoms
For the each of the 3 symptoms above, indicate the level of severity over the past week using the following scale:
0 = no problem
1 = slight or mild problems, generally mild or intermittent
2 = moderate, considerable problems, often present and/or at a moderate level
3 = severe: pervasive, continuous, life-disturbing problems
Considering somatic symptoms in general, indicate whether the patient has:*
0 = no symptoms
1 = few symptoms
2 = a moderate number of symptoms
3 = a great deal of symptoms
The SS scale score is the sum of the severity of the 3 symptoms (fatigue, waking unrefreshed, cognitive symptoms) plus the extent (severity) of somatic symptoms in general. The final score is between 0 and 12.
* Somatic symptoms that might be considered: muscle pain, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue/tiredness, thinking or remembering problem, muscle weakness, headache, pain/cramps in the abdomen, numbness/tingling, dizziness, insomnia, depression, constipation, pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, nervousness, chest pain, blurred vision, fever, diarrhea, dry mouth, itching, wheezing, Raynaud's phenomenon, hives/welts, ringing in ears, vomiting, heartburn, oral ulcers, loss of/change in taste, seizures, dry eyes, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, rash, sun sensitivity, hearing difficulties, easy bruising, hair loss, frequent urination, painful urination, and bladder spasms.
What other tests have you done besides the x-rays on your spine?
Take care.
Niko
How were you diagnosed and was the doctor a Rheumatologist?
As you are suspecting that he's just guessing, this kind of answers the question, so there's a possibility that it could be symptoms of arthritis or something else in addition to arthritis
Osteoarthritis (degenerative spinal arthritis I think is part of osteoarthritis)and Rheumatoid Arthritis as well is likely.
New FMS dx criteria from the American College of Rheumatology.
2010 Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria - Excerpt
2010 PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA (EXCERPT)
CRITERIA
A patient satisfies diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia if the following 3 conditions are met:
Widespread pain index (WPI) ≥7 and symptom severity (SS) scale score ≥5 or WPI 3 - 6 and SS scale score ≥9.
Symptoms have been present at a similar level for at least 3 months.
The patient does not have a disorder that would otherwise explain the pain.
ASCERTAINMENT
WPI: note the number areas in which the patient has had pain over the last week. In how many areas has the patient had pain? Score will be between 0 and 19.
Shoulder girdle, left
Shoulder girdle, right
Upper arm, left
Upper arm, right
Lower arm, left
Lower arm, right
Hip (buttock, trochanter), left
Hip (buttock, trochanter), right
Upper leg, left
Upper leg, right
Lower leg, left
Lower leg, right
Jaw, left
Jaw, right
Chest
Abdomen
Upper back
Lower back
Neck
SS scale score:
Fatigue
Waking unrefreshed
Cognitive symptoms
For the each of the 3 symptoms above, indicate the level of severity over the past week using the following scale:
0 = no problem
1 = slight or mild problems, generally mild or intermittent
2 = moderate, considerable problems, often present and/or at a moderate level
3 = severe: pervasive, continuous, life-disturbing problems
Considering somatic symptoms in general, indicate whether the patient has:*
0 = no symptoms
1 = few symptoms
2 = a moderate number of symptoms
3 = a great deal of symptoms
The SS scale score is the sum of the severity of the 3 symptoms (fatigue, waking unrefreshed, cognitive symptoms) plus the extent (severity) of somatic symptoms in general. The final score is between 0 and 12.
* Somatic symptoms that might be considered: muscle pain, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue/tiredness, thinking or remembering problem, muscle weakness, headache, pain/cramps in the abdomen, numbness/tingling, dizziness, insomnia, depression, constipation, pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, nervousness, chest pain, blurred vision, fever, diarrhea, dry mouth, itching, wheezing, Raynaud's phenomenon, hives/welts, ringing in ears, vomiting, heartburn, oral ulcers, loss of/change in taste, seizures, dry eyes, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, rash, sun sensitivity, hearing difficulties, easy bruising, hair loss, frequent urination, painful urination, and bladder spasms.
What other tests have you done besides the x-rays on your spine?
Take care.
Niko
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