Curls and others

[uk2]

Hi All,

Well i'll keep it short as tired, the neuro today said i proberly have fibro and is refering me to a rheumy, i also have bulging disks at L4 and L5 and a narrowing of the spinal colum but will let the rheumy investigate that further.He offered me spinal injections for the pain but i refused as i didnt like the thought of it.

I guess its a case of manging my condition and waiting and seeing what the rheumy says.

Happy Holidays

Samantha

[FemmeFugazi]

Yeah, you're right there... even though sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, etc. are very common in CFS, you don't absolutely have to have them to be diagnoses.

I didn't start having the sore throats until about 5 months after being diagnosed with CFS.

But, I have had the swollen glands for the full duration of the illness.

My symptoms are more of the muscle pain/fatigue variety, and my autonomic nervous system is severely effected.

[Curls]

The sore throat/glands stuff ISN'T needed for a CFS diagnosis.  My comments to Sam were based on the background she'd given me.  ...not good ones for generalizing!!!  (Hope anyone else reading this thread sees my comment on this too.)

[sfbaygirl]

Happy to hear you are going to the rhemy. Sure sounds like you have an awful back. I didn't realize until I came here that injuries can cause FM. I have had so many injuries, the last being this summer during a fall that luckily didn't break anything but I was in a wheel chair.  

Curls;  Doesn't sound like I would have CFS. I don't have all the sore throat gland stuff either.  I took my Dr. about 9 mos to decide I had FMS.  For now I am hoping that some slow exercise and the Lyrica are going to help.  

[uk2]

Hi

Glad you got my card, its so exciting christmas is nearly here!!

I never get the gland problems or sore throats, i do get the body aches after overdoing it but thats along with muscle and nerve pain, so i guess its FM.

My chrio is sure its not chrio and says its delayed whiplash sydrome that appears as the same as FM and that they mark everybody with FM who they cannot DX but ill see what the rheumy says anyway.

I'm going to get pro-active about this now and look forward, my life has been on hold for too long!!
with exercise,diet and pain meds ( though i want to come off these one day) i want to learn how to live with this disorder.

I always thought i might have two conditions going on and i guess the back thing proves it, i will be pleased when i get to see my ENT as my GP thinks this will help with my dizzyness and ringing in my ears and sinnues issues.

I'm hoping i wont need surgery but we will have to go down other routes first to see if they work.

I know you always knew it was not MS, i always thought if it was not MS it had to be fibro.

Hope your well and prepared for the holidays.

Samantha

[Curls]

On thinking about the CFS/FM - I can put it more simply:
If you have symptoms of immune dysfunction, swollen glands, soar throat, or post exertial maliase, I'd think of CFS.  If not any of those, then I'd go with FM....

[Curls]

Hi Samantha,

You're neurologist knew what FM is and had the courage to say you prob have it?  Good for him, for not making you more dizzy by telling you how it doesn't exist.  That's a lot of back damage at your age : (.  They are making headway in the surgeries for it, but not just ready for prime time yet.  (My mom has spinal narrowing, and there's a much improved surgery recently in use that's just hours, not the marathones that it's always been.)  

I'd agreee that you have exhausted less invasive treatments yet, from PT and back exercises (which can help so much with back stuff), to accupuncture.    

Hope you are doing okay, and less tired tomorrow.  At least you are getting closer to a diagnosis.  And it's not a degenerative one like MS!  (Trying for the silver lining here.  You sound exhausted and fed up with the whole thing.)  In a lot of ways the FM and back stuff are two separate conditions and can be approached with different angles.  There is one thing though.  An increase in pain someplace, and turn around and cause an increase (or it's been theorized, a triggering) of FM pain.  The body pain systems are activated and generally more reactive.  Therefore, if you can get the back stuff down, it may give the system a break and enable you to function better when you go off the pain meds later on.  

All this reminds me, there's a (US) national pain management organization, I think their magizine is The Pain Connection, with lots on the topic.

I got your card today!  Thank you!!  Very pretty.  
Merry Christmas!!  It's coming soon.  (I'm sure I'll write before then, but saying it anyway.)
  Cheri