Think I might have Fibromyalgia

[Sunflower41]

Hi, I think I might have this as from reading about the condition I suffer with just about every symptom. I have heard of the condition but never read about it before until a couple of days ago. My Dr has been doing blood tests past 6 or so months as my inflamation markers have been up, just last week I had bloods at hospital to check for cancer and bone marrow probs. Not got results yet. Just wondered if other people have raised inflamation in blood due to this condition? And also wondered how your Dr confirms if this is what you have? Have read about checking pressure pints on body for pain, but is there anything else or just going by all your symptoms? Thanks

[Greenpeace]

Hi Sunflower41 , welcome to our forum.

How Fibromyalgia is diagnosed is by your Dr running a lot of blood tests, xrays, scans etc. If all the tests come back clear or without abnormalities, then you can be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Sometimes it can take years to get a diagnosis..

The use of pressure points is no longer used in diagnosis, although some Drs still use them as they haven’t kept up to date with current practices.

Fibromyalgia is not an inflammatory disorder, so your Dr will want to get to the bottom of why your Inflammatory Markers are up. Also bare in mind that many other diseases/disorders can give you the same or similar symptoms as Fibromyalgia. It is a process of eliminating everything else.

I hope you get some sort of diagnosis soon, as it is not very pleasant having symptoms without a diagnosis to make a plan of care and treatments.

Good luck.

GP.😊😊

[Sunflower41 in reply to Greenpeace]

Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes she has been trying to work out why my bloods show inflamation, they are not up massively but have been for years, higher the past year. I have had a very stressful past 10 years really and the pain i'm in has got worse the last couple of years, my mum passed away, I had a baby on my own and lockdown, especially my neck, when your in this much pain would that not show as inflamation in your bloods? What if you have other medical problems and fibromyalgia, I have hip dysplasia, foot and back problems, I have put the pain down to this over the years but I have so many other ailments and they all seem to be suffered by people with fibromyalgia. Thanks

[Greenpeace in reply to Sunflower41]

Hi again, you certainly have had a lot of trauma in the past. Certainly traumatic experiences can result in Fibromyalgia further down the line, but there are also people who get it without past trauma.

None of us on the forum are trained Medics, so we can only comment on what we have experienced or have gained knowledge of.

Your Dr would be doing you a dis-service if he/she didn’t investigate as to why your Inflammatory Markers are up. Having raised Inflammatory markers are a sign of Infection somewhere, or Inflammation in joints, or bones, or I suppose Muscles, or Internal Organs, but it cannot be ignored. Fibro is a disease of the Muscles. I see you have Hip Dysplasia, that can cause back pain, and foot pain, and also Arthritis.

I sympathise with you having neck pain. I have that, and it is very painful at times. My neck pain is not Fibro related, but is caused by Arthritis wear & tear. The Medication I take for Fibromyalgia doesn’t help my neck pain, I use warm wheat bags, or I use an electric cape, this helps sometimes.

Getting a diagnoses of Fibromyalgia is just the start of another journey. Not all Drs believe in it, and often it is left to your GP to treat you. You may or may not be given pain killers, Antidepressants, or Anti-Epileptics to help, but what helps one, might not help others. In normal times you might be sent to a Pain Clinic, but they vary in how helpful they are. At the best of times Consultants, and Pain Clinics have long waiting times, and with COVID 19 it may be longer.

Work with your Dr just now, as they may be able to find something that can be treated fairly easy, and if at the end of the day you’re given a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, either along side another condition, or on its own, then take it from there.

Please read some of the posts on this site. If you go to the top of the page to Search, and type in “getting a diagnoses” you will see other people’s experiences. Also, you can go to our main Website, fmauk.org where you will find lots of info on Fibromyalgia and other helpful stuff.

Good luck.

GP.😊😊

[sali10 in reply to Greenpeace]

I have had raised inflammatory markers for around 20 years. I had a strep throat infection and a few weeks later swelling in the joints on my left side. I was given high dose penicillin for a few months then nothing. I was getting joint paint but the GP just gave me painkillers. My achilles ruptured out of the blue and to cut a long story short I am on co-codamol and nortriptyline to help with pain in spine, legs and arms. I had a parotid infection recently that has resulted in more swelling. I have decided to book a private appointment with the pain clinic as my GP says they may never get to the bottom of why my inflammatory markers have been high for so many years and cannot explain the swelling. The only referral I had was to a rheumatologist who told me the parotid infection had cleared and I was discharged back to the GP. My GP is not willing to give me a diagnosis for anything. Even though I meet the criteria for Fibromyalgia. My tendons in my arms and my other ankle are now inflamed I was told physiotherapy may be the answer.

[Greenpeace in reply to sali10]

Hi sali10 , thanks for sharing your experience. I hope you get to the bottom of what is causing your Inflammatory Markers to be raised.

Fibromyalgia on its own is not an Inflammatory disorder. It can be diagnosed alongside other disorders, or on its own.

Reading your experience and Sunflower41 experience, it makes me wonder why our Drs and Consultations don’t seem to be identifying the cause of these symptoms. Is it because of lack of knowledge, lack of interest, or just lack of funding? Either way, it is leaving patients in pain, and uncertainty as to what is wrong.

Even if you get a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, the Meds that you are offered are Painkillers, Antidepressants, or Anti-Epilectics, and sometimes not even that. The Meds that you are taking are commonly prescribed for Fibromyalgia.

I hope when you go private they get to the bottom of why you’re having these symptoms, and you get a diagnosis and a treatment plan.

Good luck.

GP. 😊😊

[Sunflower41 in reply to Greenpeace]

Thanks for your replies.I have had physio and accupuncture on nhs about 7 years ago which helped my back, siatica and hip for a while but then the nhs stopped using that clinic. I had blood tests really to look at diabetes risk as had gestational when pregnant, it came back pre diabetic and high cholesterol, I need to loose about 2 stone, I think this will help me pain wise and mobility wise too so will get on and try harder when the weather warms up and we can get out more. But on those bloods my platelets were high and due to my mum passing away from cancer and a family history of it she wanted to check them again 6 wks later ( it can be early sign of cancer) she has been checking bloods since Aug and they have gradually gone up, but looking back they said have been up for yrs. She has referred me to hospital and last Fri I had bloods there, these are looking more in depth for cancers, being sent to Kings and also bone marrow probs. I have been worrying it might be cancer which in turn makes me more stressed. My Dr has been helpful but I just feel I have so many ailments when I read just by accident about Fibromyalgia the other day it made much more sense that the majority of my ailments are more likely the result of one thing. I have been tested for lupus, that was neg, tested for gluten and food issues as get dodgy stomach sometimes, all neg, liver stuff came back neg, will wait and see what these newest bloods say but have a feeling they will be neg too and then I will suggest this to my Dr, she is nice but no idea if she knows much about this condition. I can literally feel the stress in me, I have not been able to deal with it due to a baby and lockdowns. I feel if I can get myself mentally better and loose some weight my other ailments will be helped for sure but I have had a lot of these symptoms around 10 years since my son was born.x

[Midori]

With Fibro, the doctors have to exclude other things before they can give you a diagnosis, because Fibro shares many symptoms with other conditions.

Your doc will be working hard to try to find out what it is, as the wrong treatment will not help you. Be patient, its a long journey.

Has your Doc referred you to a Rheumatologist or a Neurologist? These are two Specialists who usually give you a Fibro Diagnosis.

Cheers, Midori