Hi, I'm looking for advice

[Mookaite]

Hi

A friend gave me the link to this site for some advise.

I was 12 when I had to stop doing PE at school as my knee hurt and I collapsed, physio therapy didn't seem to work and before I knew it my other knee hurt too. My doctor said it was just growing pains and signed me off from PE but warned me I would need to do something or my muscles will become too weak. My knees weren't the only thing that started to hurt, all my joints did but it was still classed as growing pains. At the age of 16 we found out we had suffered from Carbon Monoxide poisoning for three years before my mum came up with the idea of what it could be and the doctor confirmed all our families symptoms fell into place. Nothing was done other than sorting out where the poisoning came from. We were really lucky, school saved my brother's and my life, my mum some how managed to survive being in the house most of the time.

At 18 I went to see an osteopath, who thought all my joint pains was systematic and wrote a letter for the doctor advising what needed to be done to investigate the issue, nothing was done.

A year later I was in a different city so with a different doctors, I explained to them that I was still suffering joint pains and I couldn't see how they were growing pains still, he sent off for bloods to test for osteoarthritis, it came back negative, but I was sent to see a specialist.

It took the specialist about a minute of poking certain area's around joints for me to get diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I got given a leaflet with info and a prescription for antidepressants to help me sleep. The information leaflet, helped me a lot as it mentioned other symptoms that I was suffering from but didn't want to mention them to a doctor as I felt like I would be accused of hypochondria. The meds messed me up so I chose to go down the holistic route - crystals and treatments - reflexology, massage etc and well I seemed to start feeling better.

A few years later I was living back at home and thought I would see if I could see another specialist and see if the medication has changed a little as I was feeling quite bad, but also hearing someone else in the doc's waiting room saying they has ME and Fibro and most days they couldn't get out of bed - I'm thinking crikey I have two jobs... do I really have it??

I got to see another specialist, they checked my blood sugar levels and did some resistance testing, they advised me that I didn't have fibro, I just don't know how to sleep and suggested I see a sleep nurse. This specialist was an hour and half drive away from me and so was the nurse, I could afford in time or petrol to drive there every week to see this person, so I ended up not going.

I'm now nearing 28 and I just want this tiredness and pain to go away, I have seen two specialists with two different idea's. I have a mother who doesn't sleep well (worse than me by all accounts) who doesn't have fibro or the symptoms of, although she does have severe arthritis in her back.

Is there a set diagnosis? Is it worth me getting another specialists opinion?

Thanks

[FluppyPuffy]

to the forum Mookaite

Sadly, what you described is something a lot of us have experienced, with having symptoms, being told they are being caused by one thing and it turning out that there is something else responsible for them I'm sure you've already come across this, but FM itself doesn't show up in blood tests and things. Tests are usually carried out to see if there are other things responsible for the symptoms as there are other conditions which have similar symptoms to FM. It is only when that these have been ruled out that a dx of FM is usually given.

The person who was in the drs waiting room with FM and CFS and couldn't get out of bed some days was affected by it in their own way, just as we all are. Because you aren't affected in the same way, it doesn't mean you don't have FM. You can get up, go to work (well done for being able to do that, I can't and have been retired due to ill health, yet I'd love a chance to be able to do some useful and constructive again ) and sound pretty mobile, but some of your other symptoms could be very different and worse compared to someone else with the same symptoms you suffer with.

If you do think and feel that something else could be the cause of your problems, you need to see your GP to start things off again. Maybe taking details of what and how you're affected by things with you would help as you talk thru them, and maybe explain why you think it might not be FM. Hopefully from there, your GP will start tests and anything else they think necessary to try and find out what is wrong, hopefully finding an reason for your symptoms.

[Mookaite]

Great, thank you... just got to find a doctor who will listen and not make me feel like a hypochondriac! :-s

[FluppyPuffy]

Good luck finding a good one They are out there, they're just hidden in the herds of dinosaurs and troglodytes It seems to be the younger and more recently qualified ones that have a better understanding of FM, hopefully there's one not too far from you

[shazq]

to the forum Mookaite

flup has given you some good advice. I think you should go back for another opinion for answers.

[denys]

Hi and to the forum, I agree with the advice from Flup try to get a referral to a rhuematologist

[Mookaite]

Thank you everyone. I went to see a doctor today. He doesn't agree with sending me to a rhuematologist, as he can conduct most of the tests that they would and would end up looking after me anyways after the diagnosis.

He believes I do have Fibromyalgia but I'm not that sensitive when he did some sort of pressure test, but surely after fifteen years of suffering would I not have gotten used to the pain? I've not taken much medication for pain relief and so cope with the pain myself.

I'm having lots of blood tests tomorrow and will see the Doc in a month, when all the results will have come back and then I suppose see what treatment he will give me. He was talking about a anti depressant - amytriptaline (could have spelt that wrong).

[FluppyPuffy]