diabetes and fibromyalgia

[GRANDMASYLVIA]

I went on insulin two months ago. I have early kidney disease and diabetic neuropathy. My ankles and feet are so swollen I can't find shoes. My feet and ankles sometimes hurt so bad I can't sleep or walk. I am on Lyrica for fibromyalgia and it makes the swelling worse.My blood sugar is coming down slowly with the insulin.I was put on another blood pressure pill but it made the swelling worse. I take Lisinopril and a water pill and am trying another new pill. My blood is still high. I wonder if I should go off the Lyrica? I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 40 years ago. I have lumps in all the adipose tissue on my body. They are extremely painful and I have bands of them everywhere. My hips and lower back hurt so bad I can't walk more than a few steps. Some of the lumps are so big that you can see them like on the back of my neck. If you press on me anywhere you can feel them.I think that I have Dercum's but my rheumatologist said he has never seen a case of Dercum's. I have Sjogren's and IBS and migrains. I have to drink water all the time and still feel dehydrated. I have gained 100 pounds in the last five years. It hurts so much to do anything that I don't exercise. I had to quit working and am 62 and on Social Security.I have sciatica so bad I can hardly sit upright and lots of lumps in my lower back and buttocks. Do other people with fibromyalgia have lumps? This is the one question I would love to have answered. I of course have all the pressure points associated with fibromyalgia but also I have lumps from little to as big as walnuts in all of my fat especially around my joints and rib cage.I don't feel up to working on my diabetes as I am in so much pain from the fibromyalgia or Dercum's.

[LLWB]

I too have type 2 diabetes, and fibro, and also throw in degenerative osteoarthritis.  At one time I was seeing a phusical therapist, for the fibro. I had lots of fatty lumps as you describe them. The PT  said they were from myofascial spasm syndrome. He would exert hard pressure to break them up. Stripping up and down my arms, legs, ribcage, exc. Left lots of bruises. Over the years they have come back. My feet hurt too, You DO need to work on your diabetes at least with diet, as it can cause so many dire consequences, kidney failure, loss of limbs, even death. I don't exercise much either, it's all I can do to work 8 hours. Fibro is so awful, but if you can control your blood sugar you may find a lessening of the painful symptoms of fibro. Good luck and God bless, you are not alone.

[GRANDMASYLVIA]

Thank you for your response. I am very interested in knowing if others have these lumps as they never talk about lumps when giving the symptoms of fibromyalgia. They say that you have "pressure points". I want to know if this is the same as having actual lumps that can be clearly felt with slight pressure and hurt like crazy! It sounds like you have the same thing. If enough pressure is excerted on some lumps they feel like they are going down but come right back nearby. I wonder if we both have Dercum's or if these lumps are symptoms of fibromyalgia? I hope that I get more responses. At least I know that one more person has them now! I am taking four shots of insulin a day now along with the metformin and my sugar is going down but my feet still swell a lot and hurt  so I went off the Lyrica to see if the swelling will go down and that is the only drug that I was on for the fibrymyalgia. I send good wishes and I am very glad that you responded.  

[LLWB]

No, the trigger points are different from the lumps. I have the lumps in arms and legs. Trigger points are a distenct pattern than when pressed are painful. There are 18 recognized points. Most fibro websites will show you the pattern. At my last neuro exam, I exhibited pain at 16 out of the 18. Big time flare. Good luck.

[GRANDMASYLVIA]

My rheumatologist said today that I have fibromyalgia but also Dercum's. The painful lumps in my fat are Dercum's. He put me on Neurontin and I will gradually increase the amount which may help the pain but won't cure the diseases. He also gave me shots near my tailbone in two trigger points, just a temporary help. My trigger points now cover my body in addition to the ones they always show on the charts, but I have had it for forty years. I can't take Lyrica for my diabetic neuropathy as it makes my ankles swell too much.

[GRANDMASYLVIA]

I hope that you read this as you also have Dercum's Disease from your description of the fatty tumors that you also have. I will let you know if I find any help. My foot pain is diabetic neuropathy as I was just tested. You may also have neuropathy and we are in danger of losing our toes or feet. You need to inspect and protect your feet. I have no reflexes now in my legs or feet. It came on fast within the last few years. Now my feet feel like they are asleep and I have shooting pains in them. I can't walk at all or my ankles really swell up. I have both fibromyalgia and Dercum's. My grandparents came from Sweden and most of the research on Dercum's is being done in Sweden. I wonder if this disease is more common over there.

[singerpoet]

In my experience  it took a long time to realize I had lumps that were causing specific symptoms with the fibromyalgia, and after many many years I am almost pain free   most of the time.  Hard as it was I started using pressure massage in the general area where the pain/pressure/tingling seemed the worst.  After persistent messaging the swelling lessens and I would actually feel a lump, (nodule) about the size of a pea, that was at the centre of the lump.  I have found that heat (I use microwaveable bags) applied to that area and then more massaging would give a lot of relief and eventually the lump would dissipate.  Sometimes the lumps move while massaging them and sometimes they move on their own,  thats a weird feeling I can tell ya...lol.
I'll leave it at that for now and if you have specific questions I am adding this to my watch list 'don't give up'.

[singerpoet]

I don't know anything about Dercums, but over thge last year and a half I have fought with a fibromyalgia lump in my left foot