Hi! Years ago I went to my doctor who felt ‘sore points’ on my shoulders and told me I had fm. That was it. I noticed this flu like feeling, extreme tiredness, horrible neck / head pain occurred after I’d been using my very heavy camera lens up high for lengthy periods. The next time was when I was sitting very tense for 3 hours in a car. It started up all over again. I was given Tripiline but couldn’t deal with it as I was a zombie. Symptoms returned about once a year but lately I’ve had it almost continually. The base of my skull is excruciatingly painful and the pain goes into my shoulder and top of my arm only on one side. When this pain is in my neck it brings extreme tiredness with it. Sometimes the tight muscles are around the middle of my back but I have no tiredness and feel fine. It’s only when the pain is in my neck that I get super tired even though I sleep well.
I know the above sounds a bit vague but I really don’t know if this is fibromyalgia. More especially as the doctors now don’t use trigger points to diagnose fm any longer. A few weeks ago I also felt as if I’d got sunburn on my shoulders and my skin felt tight and tender to touch. This passed after about 3 days.
Thankyou for any light you can shed on the above.
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Mabula12
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Hi Mabula12 , you have quite a lot going on there.
Fibromyalgia is only given as a diagnosis when all other conditions with similar symptoms have been ruled out by blood tests, and other diagnostics. Sometimes it can take years to get a diagnosis.
There is no specific treatment for Fibromyalgia and it is very much an individual response of trying different medications to see if they help, and what suits one doesn’t always suit others.
A good idea is to pace yourself, only do a little at a time, and stop at intervals especially when it gets too painful. Light exercise is recommended, as is healthy eating.
You can also try alternative treatments like Hydrotherapy, hot & cold packs, Acupuncture etc. A soak in a hot bath with a handful of Epsom salts in it also helps some people, as does a Tens machine.
In the meantime, make an appointment to see your Dr and explain what is going on with you, and you can also go to our Website fmauk.org.uk where you can get more information.
Thankyou very much. I actually just took a 40mg PROPANANOL to see if it relaxed the muscles in the neck and top of shoulder and it has helped by about 95%.
Hi and a warm welcome to our community. Here you will find information, support, friendship and laughter too. You will find more general information on fibromyalgia at our website fmauk.org
If your gp based your diagnosis on the tender points only, and did not do any tests to eliminate other conditions then it is possible that your diagnosis is incorrect.
You may wish to seek a second opinion and have other conditions eliminated prior to diagnosis being confirmed
Fibromyalgia pain is widespread and affects all 4 quadrants of the body. Other main symptoms include severe fatigue, cognitive dysfunction (memory/concentration issues), sleep issues (unrefreshing sleep) and IBS symptoms.
Hi Mabula12 it took years before they finally diagnosed me with fm. I also have continuous pain and tightness in my neck and shoulders with hotness particularly on my right shoulder. And to be honest I find it hard to accept that this is going to be for the rest of my life. I do light exercises to keep myself mobile and am eating healthier. My doctor gave me email address for a free 6 week course for me to understand triggers and to learn what and how much I should or should not do etc in trying to keep it more on a level instead of it up and down. This will after be now after this pandemic is over. Keep well keep safe 🙂
I got a phone appointment with my doctor and described everything in detail and the type of pain it was. My upper arm on the same side is tender on the muscles. She diagnosed me with a pinched nerve. I also asked her if this could radiate into my back (behind the waist) as a mild sort of ache and she said yes. I have to take Naproxen for at least 3 days at 250mg twice per day. The nerve can become damaged unfortunately. I asked her if it could be fibromyalgia but she said not with the type of pain that I had described.
In my experience with fibro, I get all kinds of the worst pains in different parts of my body that can each last from a couple of weeks to months and then just seem to away. For example, pain that felt like a groin injury, a rotator cuff injury (very painful), tingling, burning sensation, and so on. I have restless legs, IBS (which I treat) and all the other typical symptoms of FM. When something new begins I just now say to myself, “It’s just the fibro,” and try to not aggravate the pain and wait for it to go away...
A really good reply from Greenpeace, differently agree book to see your GP again you really need some clarity with some of your health issues, I sometimes make notes so I don’t come away and forget something I wanted to ask whist on my appointments. My body is very sensitive to touch in a lot of parts now, I never knew why until I was diagnosed. Hope you can move forward and get your appointment soon x
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