5 years of fatigue and body aches and pains

[goofynurse57]

I have seen physicians for several years, chronic pain in back, joints, skin, swollen glands at times, extreme fatigue, fogginess, concentration issues, weight gain, bloating. I feel much worse in the morning when I get out of bed. After I have been up a little while I usually get somewhat better and able to function fairly throught out the day. I am a nurse. I am 50 pounds or so overweight. BMI approximately 36. One physician put me on Dyazide, for fluid retention. Said I have chronic pain and put me on muscle relaxers, slight help, but not an answer to my problems, I also take antidepressant, and another put me on sinemet for restless leg syndrome for the pain. I am also probably perimenopausal, irregular. And have polycyctic ovaries. I am 48. I do not want to not be able to function this early in life, and still have many patients to help. I was wondering if I should look into an endocrinologist for a possible answer. Everyone tells me, lose weight, exercise, and eat right. The pain and burning feeling I expreience does effect my life, my sleep, even my appetite. I take Ibuprofen 800 mg 2-3 times a day. I am just feeling so desperate to be able to function without continuous pain and discomfort, and feeling like I have to drag myself around. At work as long as I keep moving, I can manage, but then when I sit to chart I have difficulty getting up and my energy is just drained. Rest does not seem to help, but hinder. Thank you for your time. I just feel that I help people every day, but I dont feel that many doctors have been interested in helping me.

[RRBerdine]

Get off the diet drinks and desserts.  Splenda causes chlorine poisoning in the blood and Equal cause just an entire disturbance in your body.  And if you are on medications, look it up in the Physicians Pill Directory, you find that most of the medications say not to use aspartame (Equal) with them.

Bottom line, drink water!

[Painfullytired]

I experience many of the same smyptoms.  I even went to a rhuematologist and was diagnosed with Anklosing Spondylitis.  My Sed rate was high but he just diagnosed me with it after pressing on my back.  He never ran tests to verify his diagnoses.  I was placed on many different meds none of which helped.  He just looked at me and said to lose weight even if I have to starve myself.  Later an another Dr. ran the necessary tests and said I did not have the Spondylitis.  He also said
i need to lose weight.  I know this, but I get very weak, shaky and flu like after I exercise. I also have reduces calorie intake and haven't shed a pound. I am 36 yrs old and feel like I am 80.  I ache all of the time and want to sleep all of the time.  I only have energy for about 1-2 hours at a time.  Will there ever be an end.

[Little D.]

Get a dr. to check you for Bartonella bacteria.  Could be the answer.

[teachergloria]

Tatoomom, so much appreciate your comments.  And I agree that persistance is key.  However, many of us don't have insurance and just can't afford to go on a medical adventure hunt through more tests and more doctors.  The U.S. has become a joke in health care.  For $1/2 million they can give you a new heart, but they can't diagnose something that effects more than one body system.  And they keep spending money to develop those high-priced treatments while abandoning the most common ailments people suffer from, because there isn't as much money in it.

[tattoomom]

I have had similar symptoms for 6 years.  I was told MS, then Lupus, CFIDS, fibromyalgia, and now Rheumatoid Arthritis.  None of the tests came back completely conclusive, so the doctors, I believe, just told me something to get me out of their hair.
I am in really good shape, eat extremely healthfully, and live a very "clean" life, and still feel as if I'm 120 years old!  Don't let people make you feel it is all your weight or lifestyle making you feel this way.  I have tried everything, and no matter how much I exercise or eat well it does not change my symptoms.
Doctors have suggested it is depression and tried to put me on antidepressants before, also sleep studies, etc.  
My advice is to keep trying.  Find a doctor who will listen, and take you seriously, and doesn't just write it off as "all in your head".
Best of luck, and don't lose hope!

[bbird]

Obviously you have never been told you have an auto-immune disorder; otherwise you would never dismiss someone's pain as a "made up disease".  
I went from being on the verge of suicide to living an almost normal life because I finally found a doctor who listened and treated me.  There are so many people out there with this "made up disease"- who knows, maybe one day you'll get it and then see how quick you are to dismiss it.

[shortofbreath]

Fibromyalgia seems to be a made up disease. Just another label doctors give patient's instead of really diagnosing them. My sister has had a 'quack' of a doctor telling her for years she has it. Not she says she will treat her for Lupus even though she is asymptomatic for Lupus. The problem is doctors not taking time to diagnose patients properly. All the doctor's have managed to do for her is get her hooked on prescriptions drugs like Wellbutrin, put her on chemotherapy for a disease they can't prove she has and make her sicker than ever. Research Fibromyalgia before you buy into it. Everyone can fit into the description.

[bbird]

First of all, you need to find a new doctor.   I am almost certain that you have Fibromyalgia.   I was diagnosed about 5 or 6 years ago and thanks to an understanding doctor, have found a great deal of relief.  I too had extreme pain (all over) could hardly get out of bed, had trouble sleeping and was extremely depressed.  I finally found a doctor who was familair with Fibromyalgia and I now am able to function at a somewhat normal level.  I take muscle relaxers, sleeping pills, anti-depressants,  pain meds (sometimes) and the best thing ever invented - the transdermal pain patch which is Fentanyl.  You wear them for 3 days and they help to control the pain.   I have never found anything for the fatigue, but when the pain is lessened, you are able to do more and have more of a life.  

The first time I went to my new doctor and explained all my symptons, he took his index finger and pushed it into my chest.  He immediately removed it and asked me if it still hurt.  When I said yes, he told me I had Fibromyalgia.  I had never really thought about it before, but whenever someone had gripped my arm or patted me on the shoulder, it hurt really badly.   Through this doctor, I found that this is one of the indicators of this syndrome.  

You need to go on-line and research Fibromyalgia - I think that this is what you have and that you need to find a doctor who will help you.   Since there is no blood or other kind of test that can confirm this syndrome, some doctors do not believe it actually exists.................but please, keep looking because I have finally found relief.

[Floxie99]

For anyone who has been experiencing these sensations: have you, in the past year, been treated with a fluoroquinolone-based antibiotic (levaquin, tequin, cipro, floxin, etc)? If so, you are likely suffering from a severe adverse reaction to that drug. These reactions can come on long after you are treated, and cause long-lasting pain and other symptoms. Very often those hurt think they have MS, or ALS, or fibromyalgia, or a host of other maladies. They spend thousands of dollars getting MRI, blood and other tests done. Doctors just give them more drugs and tell them it's all in their heads.
The reality is, they have been poisoned by an antibiotic that wasn't thoroughly tested before being released on the public.

If you are suffering these weird symptoms, I suggest you check out the following sites:
www.medicationsense.com
www.fqvictims.org
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/quinolones

[Carol in PA]

goofynurse57:
Compare your symptoms to this list:
http://www.canlyme.com/patsymptoms.html

Here is an article geared towards medical professionals:
Scroll down to pages 9-10 for symptom checklist.
http://tinyurl.com/l54z8

Your symptoms sound like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue, both of which can be due to Lyme Disease.  FMS and CFIDS are not diseases, but a collection of symptoms.
Restless leg syndrome can be due to Lyme.
I was diagnosed for 15 years with fibromyalgia, before I finally figured out that it was Lyme.
I had many problems with fatigue when I was in nursing.

Wishing you the best,
Carol

[NoAspartame]

If you use artificial sweetners (and not many people don't because aspartame is in 6000 products or so) you might want to eliminate them!  Check out this site: www.dorway.com

I had many troubles for years, and all my tests came back 'normal'.  Turned out it was aspartame doing it.  The recent news said that the government has done another test on it and declared it safe... which isn't what happened.  There are details of that available on the web.

Best Wishes to You.