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What do I say to my doctor?
My mom was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 25 years ago. If I remember correctly, at that time the disease was not very well known and some believed people's pains were all in their head. I wish I would've paid closer attention because my mom has been gone for 11 years and I see myself headed down a similar path. I am 36. I am hypothyroid, and despite my TSH and T3/T4 levels being in the normal range through meds, I'm always tired and hypersensitive to cold. I have bouts of diarrhea followed by constipation, skin issues that no dermatologist has ever been able to help me with and various aches and pains. I've always been oversensitive to touch (it hurts-espeically in ribs, neck and shoulders). In the past year I've had wrist, ankle, elbow and now hip pain that don't appear for reasons...inactivity is worse than activity sometimes. I'm always stressed out and my husband says I'm moody ;)
So what do I say to my doctor to get something done? We've discussed my thryoid at length and I usually get the shoulder shrug "keep doing what you're doing." What questions should I be asking? What should I be saying to my doctor to get further testing to begin the exclusion process?
So what do I say to my doctor to get something done? We've discussed my thryoid at length and I usually get the shoulder shrug "keep doing what you're doing." What questions should I be asking? What should I be saying to my doctor to get further testing to begin the exclusion process?
I finally got a physicians attention when I had gone to him and said that I couldn't tell him how much nyquil I had taken in the last 3 months trying to ward off the flu I'm fixing to get because I ache all the time. He ran every test imaginable. When I went back and he started telling me that all the test results were fine, listing them one by one, I started crying, how could I feel so bad all the time and yet have nothing wrong with me? He then told me that I had fibrymyalgia and we started searching for something that would work for me.
Thank you so much, everyone. I don't *want* to have fibro, I just want to feel good. I hate complaining to my doctor and always feel as though I am wasting their time. I'll do a bit more research and track my symptoms so I have concrete info to share with my doctor.
Lots of hugs.... it's not easy when you are searching for a diagnosis that will give you some peace of mind, if nothing else!
I went in to my Dr with a list of symptoms written on a peice of paper. I think she thought I was crazy at first, but I'm not the kind of patient that comes to the Dr unless something is bleeding or broken, so there was definitely a problem when I showed up... ya' know?
I did lots of research on the internet and discovered that I basically had all of the symptoms of someone with Fibro/CFS. I went there looking for help and near tears from the fatigue, anxiety, and pain - much to my surprise she listened to what I had to say and along with my documented evidence that I had printed off of the internet, she concluded that I did have Fibro/CFS.
Not to make light of the condition or to make it sound like a flipant diagnosis... In the past 6 months I had seen a Cardiologist, a Neurologist, a Back Specialist, a GP, and a Rheumatologist. Along with extensive blood tests and scans. I had exhausted all of their tests and still had no diagnosis....so the more I read up on Fibro/CFS, the more the words were jumping off of the page at me and I KNEW this is what I had. Luckily my Dr agreed and we've started treating the symptoms.
In the last 6 weeks or so, I've felt better than I have in almost 3 years! It's amazing what a good prescription can do for you! I've been taking Savella, and I'm pleased with the results.
I went in to my Dr with a list of symptoms written on a peice of paper. I think she thought I was crazy at first, but I'm not the kind of patient that comes to the Dr unless something is bleeding or broken, so there was definitely a problem when I showed up... ya' know?
I did lots of research on the internet and discovered that I basically had all of the symptoms of someone with Fibro/CFS. I went there looking for help and near tears from the fatigue, anxiety, and pain - much to my surprise she listened to what I had to say and along with my documented evidence that I had printed off of the internet, she concluded that I did have Fibro/CFS.
Not to make light of the condition or to make it sound like a flipant diagnosis... In the past 6 months I had seen a Cardiologist, a Neurologist, a Back Specialist, a GP, and a Rheumatologist. Along with extensive blood tests and scans. I had exhausted all of their tests and still had no diagnosis....so the more I read up on Fibro/CFS, the more the words were jumping off of the page at me and I KNEW this is what I had. Luckily my Dr agreed and we've started treating the symptoms.
In the last 6 weeks or so, I've felt better than I have in almost 3 years! It's amazing what a good prescription can do for you! I've been taking Savella, and I'm pleased with the results.
Make sure your doctor knows your family history. A rheumatologist is the best place to start.
a lot of the symptoms are thyroid-looking, plus thyroid problems and fibro - they are both irregularities in the immune system. i wonder if your thyroid tests are for FREE T4 [FT4] and FREE T3 [FT3], not just T4 and T3. because the T3 and T4 and TSH can show 'normal' but it's the levels of the FREEs that tell of any abnormality. i'm not saying you havent got fibro, it's just that thyroid is easier to test for and then treat because of the test. i wonder if you could find out more on the THYROID forum?
also, the 'normal' thyroid range being broad, some people function in a low or high part of that range and i wonder if you're in your best part of the range
endocrinologist and rheumatologist might help?
also, the 'normal' thyroid range being broad, some people function in a low or high part of that range and i wonder if you're in your best part of the range
endocrinologist and rheumatologist might help?
Have you considered psoriasis and the arthritis that can occasionally come with it. It was my diagnosis after 2 years of misery but I had to do a lot of the research myself, its pretty uncommon. A lot of your trouble spots sound very familiar. Google it thorougly and remember you dont have to have raised inflammatory markers with it, I didnt and I still have'nt as far as I know. Take care.
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