to everyone with Fibromyalgia - question
#213432 - 09/14/05 08:02 PM
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dmdentre
Reged: 06/09/04
Posts: 47
Loc: New England
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Hello
My name is Danielle and I have had IBS since I was 19 (7 years). I have also had accompanying symptoms that have either been ignored by my doc or that I have ignored and just attributed to stress. I am curious becuase I see a lot of you have fibromyalgia and I think that my symptoms match the diagnosis well. I have a lot of the tender points, sensitivities to chemicals (especially meds), minor brain fog and fatigue, and I have muscle soreness that is not associated with working out (VERY VERY VERY associated with stress). Most of the stuff that I have read states that people with fibromyalgia have constant pain - I don't -so would that prevent me from having the diagnosis? I have read a lot of the postings about fibromyalgia on this board, but I would love to know your experiences and how you have treated it, especially in relationship to your IBS. Going to the doctor in two weeks...Thank you so much for your ideas!
Danielle
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Could well be Fibro...poor you! The standard diagnostic (which isn't foolproof anyway) is to have pain for three months - that doesn't have to be every second of the three months! 
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I fought diagnosis because I too thought that I wasn't hurting enough or for long enough to have fibro. But I do.
My pain comes to the forefront when I am stressed or from lack of sleep. For the most part it lingers in the background. It isn't something I would even notice unless someone would ask if I hurt today. And then I kinda roll my shoulders back or stretch my back to test and then usually say yeah a little. Ya know what I mean?
In other words I think I am used to the everyday dull pain and achies that I send it to the back of my mind. I am used to it because it has been a part of my everyday since I can remember. My parents used to say it was growing pains and as I got older I told myself it was because I am out of shape, etc.
I am fully aware of the pain when I get into a flare and there is no question in my mind at those times that I have fibro. I just came out of a flare that latest a month due to a cold I had. And on several days I could barely move my neck without screaming in pain.
So anyway I think the pain is always there in the background but you grow accustomed to it and then when you get into a flare up it increases the pain and symptoms. But that is just my opinion.
Hope I helped,
Christie
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Christie
~Hoping and Praying for Sleep!~
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my best friend has fibro, and her pain varies, too. there are days when she's basically pain-free, but then she has attacks that are so bad she can't move. i know humidity is a huge trigger. she's found that yoga helps, and she's just finished a course of physical therapy. best of luck at the doctor. my friend was diagnosed seven or eight years ago - she had to go through many doctors and much 'it's all in your head.' i think awareness about fibro has come a long way, though. best of luck.
jaime
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jaime
ibs-a (mostly d) // vegetarian
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Hi Danielle, I have had fibro. for 10 years, and I am disabled with it. My daughter has severe IBS, and I have a mild case of it. I am in pain everyday with my fibro. , but it varies. Some days I am unable to move much with my neck, back, and leg pain. Other days I am able to do more. The key I found is not to over exert yourself-even if you are having a good day. Moderation is key. My IBS definitely flares in relation to my fibro. flares. It also seems to flare monthly with my period. I use flexeril, chiropractic care, heat/ice, pain meds ( but be careful-many people with fibro. end up using many meds, but are still in pain). Gentle daily stretching also helps. My thoughts are with you. Best of luck.
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Mom of a 9 year old with severe IBS
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Nope...
#213679 - 09/15/05 02:17 PM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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...tho it can feel like it! And myofascial trigger points are like a knot under the skin.
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Just curious if it HURTS, i.e. is excruciatingly painful to attempt to sleep, i.e. certain points ache incessantly and one simply cannot sleep for more than an hour/hour and a half without moving, i.e. walking around.
Does it hurt to eat, i.e. the thought of chewing is a chore because your muscles spazz, especially around the neck/jaw or are just too stiff and tight? Does it cause pain to smile?
I'm just intensely curious. Sorry, if this isn't the appropriate place to inquire.
Kate. 
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I don't find that it is painful to sleep just hard to get to sleep and stay in a deep sleep. Although I do kick during the night which usually jars me awake and is followed by a leg cramp which is painful. But sleep in and of itself is not painful and it is actually what restores us fibromites if it is deep sleep. The achies do not keep me awake or awake me in the middle of the night. But someone with dibilitating fibro may find sleep painful??
And I do get a stiff jaw from time to time which causes discomfort when chewing but on a daily basis the day to day aches do not make it painful to eat. And I smile frequently through it all and that is not panful either.
This might vary from person to person with fibro due to the extent of their fibro. Some people who have fibro are dibilitated by it so chewing and smiling may cause them pain. I don't know? But for me it does not.
Christie
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Christie
~Hoping and Praying for Sleep!~
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is widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body (above and below the waist, right and left sides) and 11 of the 18 tender points. At least that's what my fibro doc told me the official American College of Rheumatologists criteria are.
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Melissa
Friendship is thicker than blood. ~Rent
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