Swollen limbs and body

[RedLottie]

Hi, I’m newish to the forum, I’m what’s known as a ‘lurker’ lol 😂 I read and take a lot from the posts here, thank you.

I’m just wondering if anyone has the same issues as myself. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and I get the usual pain, lack of sleep, mobility issues from pain etc however I also swell up. My hands, arms, legs, body all swell up when my pain is really bad. I’m assuming this is a flare as I have constant pain, but some days are worse than others.

I don’t have water retention, I worked healthcare and know the signs etc, but even though my GP has checked for inflammatory markers in the past, my blood work comes back normal.

So I was wondering if anyone else experiences something similar or if I should be pushing for another GP appointment.

Many thanks in advance.

Pamela

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

Hi there, yes it might be a good idea to speak to your doctor for a piece of mind and follow this up , glad you read the posts , horrid when pain is high and we have to find ways to try and relieve it , hope you get on okay Pamela xx

[RedLottie in reply to Yassytina]

Hi Yassytina, thanks for the speedy reply 😌, I think I will thanks, as I need to speak to him about the meds they’ve recently tried me on, (caused worse insomnia with little relief) it’s a horrible condition isn’t it, I take things day by day but the swelling is bad when it happens, hope you get by ok too xx

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer in reply to RedLottie]

Yes differently speak about the meds as can be trial and error but it’s making you sleep even less that’s not nice for you. I have sleep apnea 9 years with a face mask now, the trick is to get off to sleep as quick as possible but I do have nights when of course that dosent happen. Let us know how you get on , hope your having a peaceful Sunday, the smell of roast beef from my kitchen always makes me hungry xx

[RedLottie in reply to Yassytina]

Will do. He tried me with amitryptyline first, and the weight gain was the worst, caused more pain which made me less mobile, then they prescribed duloxetine which on reading the side effects I wasn’t keen to take them (I’ve had a TIA in the past and other health conditions that limit what I can take) and recently he tried me with nefopam and I couldn’t sleep at all on them so stopped taking them. All I’ve asked for is something to take the edge off a little, but nothing has worked yet and as you say it’s all trial and error. I’ll push for another appointment and perhaps a referral to another rheumatologist as the first wasn’t the best although a lovely gentleman. My lunch is currently cooking too, and I’m looking forwards to it! Take care and have a lovely Sunday also xx

[LoneEra]

Hi Pamela. Inflammatory markers don’t always tell the whole story. I have seronegative RA and my ESR and CRP are always normal, even when I’m in a flare! So it could be worth asking the GP to reassess. Some people with fibro benefit from lymphatic drainage techniques to ease any slight build up of fluid, but “swelling” as such is not typical of fibro. Hope you get to the bottom of it soon x

[RedLottie in reply to LoneEra]

Thank you so much for your reply. I think I will make another appointment with the GP (if I can get anything other than a phone call with everything going on right now). Hope you are well and staying safe xx

[Hidden]

Hi RedLottie,I swell up too, especially hands and legs, really puffed up. It is worse in afternoons, especially when it is warm or when I use central heating for a long time. I have fibromyalgia. But I also get water retention. The swelling up tends to go away while oedema does not. But ofcouse you should get it check up.

Have a lovely day.

[RedLottie in reply to Hidden]

Hi, thank you for your reply. The swelling makes the pain so much worse I find. I’ll get it checked out again, see if they say anything. Hope you are well xx

[Hello21456]

I get this as well One of my legs gets bigger and my hands swell my wedding ring won’t fit anymore

[RedLottie]

Thanks for replying. It’s crazy isn’t it how the body reacts, hope you are well xx

[Helensumber]

Hi, I'm another lurker here, but I also have swelling issues, tbh I haven't pushed my GP or pain specialist over this because I'm tired of pushing stuff in general, especially seeing as I moved last June and the new doctors still don't have my notes, so I would be very interested to hear how you get on if you do follow this up xx

[RedLottie]

Hi, I will be ringing my drs at some point this week to see if I can get an appointment, I’ll update when I’ve seen them with what’s said. Sorry you’re going through this too, I hope they sort your notes out so you can get some relief xx

[Alecinthesun]

Hello,

I suffer from swollen and stiff feet, especially at night time. I would definitly get checked out by your GP. I think perhaps some of us suffer from poor circulation and this can contribute to edema, whether that is causing the swelling, I really wouldn't know, a medical opinon is best. I do find magnesium oil is really good for muscle stiffness and I use the one with lavendar oil at night time, massaging my legs helps a lot with pain and helps with circulation.

BetterYou Magnesium Sleep Body Spray with lavandar is super good.

[RedLottie in reply to Alecinthesun]

Hi, thank you, I’ll look into that. I’ll try anything right now, take care xx

[Aurorasparkle]

Hi Pamela have similar symptoms and have been diagnosed with lipodema and I have lymphatic problems.I wear compression tights to control the swelling,. Might be worth having a chat to your doctor about it. Xx

[RedLottie]

😊 thank you , I will be as it’s hard some days to move due to the swelling and the pain that then causes. I’ve got lots to speak with him about, take care xx

[Lifelessons]

Yes, i get that. Ive had my rings altered twice now! Xx

[RedLottie in reply to Lifelessons]

Thanks for your reply. Has anyone said what it is? xx

[LisaSnow FMA UK Volunteer]

Pregabalin, a common medication to treat fibromyalgia pain, can cause swelling as a side effect.