What could my symptoms mean?

[Tree-tops77]

Hi - I am just at the beginning - wondering what my symptoms mean. For MONTHS the soles of my feet have been sore but there's nothing to see. Also I get sudden very sharp stabbing pains in my toes. They last almost less than one second. Then I get painful aching in the bones of my toes. Nothing to see - no swelling or colouring. But more recently I had what I thought was an itch on the skin of my shoulder blade. But this itch persisted and became sore and mildly painful. Again nothing to see. The only other change has been regular night sweats which happen at around 4 am. I have no heating in the bedroom. I am over 70 so the sweats aren't menopausal!

The sore skin on the shoulder blade area seems to be spreading now towards the other shoulder. I can't work out if this is related to the foot pain. Final symtom is that I seem to be feeling cold when the weather is mild.

A friend suggested that this might be Fibromyalgia. Its impossible to get a doctors appoinmtent You have to fill out a form called 'Klinik' outlining the problem. Then you get a message saying that 'a clinician' will contact you by phone in 5 - 10 working days. I just waited 14 working days and got a phone call from a Receptionist (not a 'clinician' offering to arrange a TELEPHONE appointment with a physiotherapist! I said this was unacceptable so she said she would get a triage doctor to phone me. He did. He suggested rubbing in ibuprofen gel and talking to a physiotherapist. This was just for my feet as I hand't linked my sore skin on my shoulder blade at that point.

Does anyone have any theories or advice? The foot/toe bone pain is worse at night. The sore skin just feels red raw as though it ha been sandpaper, but it looks fine!

[EarthSitter1]

Hi I would suggest you take a look at the website fmauk.org there is lots of information and advice on there. Hope you soon get some help

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

Hi and a warm welcome to the forums. You can find general information on fibromyalgia at our website fmauk.org and our patient information booklets at fmauk.org/publications

While your symptoms *could* be fibromyalgia, a doctor would need to check for other potential causes of your symptoms.

It can be useful to keep a diary of your symptoms, and whether they get worse or better at certain times of day, or what makes them worse etc. This can then help the doctor when making a diagnosis

[Cakeygirl]

if you think it is fibromyalgia ask your doctor to be referred to a rheumatologist. He can give you a diagnosis.

[Fibrofatigued]

Hi there. You are not alone, suffering from those symptoms. I have very similar to you. The soles of my feet are very sore, mostly in the night. My toes and some of my fingers suffer high levels of pain.About the only thing to give relief to this, is to keep your feet as warm as practical.

I have started to take some fibro specific pain killers, to get me through the night on a bad flare up.

I tried the ibuprofen gel... but it didn't provide any help for me..

Good luck.

[KimiJay]

Hi Tree tops. Don't know if this might help. Hope so.

My feet and hands have felt swollen and unpleasant for weeks now. They weren't swollen, but they felt it like they were pressured from inside. So, today, so I could go to our village post Coronation gathering, I rubbed on a load of voltarol muscle pain cream and found it gave me a lot of help. Put some on sacrum, glutes, around right shoulder and ribs too and that made socializing a lot more tolerable. So did some gentle warmth from the sun, sitting at long table blocking the road and talking to peeps I know and those I didn't. - It was all about picnics, free ice cream, tea, forbidden cakes, kids, country dancing etc, tho the last was not for me. It was just the atmosphere that really helped me (and my ageing cronies) too. Lots!

Suggest just rub something like E45 on the really sore bits of toes, unless it's athletes foot or something, and think about having some antihistamine cream handy for those tiny insect nibbles that you didn't know had nibbled you, which start to get inflamed.

Hot and cold is a characteristic of May I think. I bet your clothes wash doesn't like it either because it is neither one thing or the other and it can't get dry quickly anymore if the heating already gone off. - Hope everything improves for you and you get to have some relaxation and moments of fun.

[Nothing_but_books in reply to KimiJay]

I saw you recommended E45 for pain in feet. I looked it up, and it looks like it's a dry skin cream, is that right? Just curious, because I have found some relief from pain in my feet from dry skin cream too. In my case, it only works if my husband rubs it in, when I try it doesn't help. The doctor dismisses this, and I'd like to know if I'm not the only one skin cream helps. Thanks.

[KimiJay in reply to Nothing_but_books]

Yes it is for dry skin and I know someone who has mild psoriasis who uses it all over. Perhaps it is the massaging in that helps too and the love that comes with it. Good for hubs. - Must train mine up! Meanwhile ... my acupuncturist massages my feet while the needles are in and we chat about everything. - I think I've seen people writing about magnesium cream on here. Perhaps we should both try that though there is one that I did not like the feel of so best to ask around on that.

[Nothing_but_books in reply to KimiJay]

I think I'd like to try magnesium cream. If you find one that helps, please let me know.

[KimiJay]

My husband has just started seeing a podiatrist and pleased about it. I think they have a much broader knowledge about feet than a doctor. Perhaps the National Health can give you one, or perhaps not! Try asking at your nearest holistic Health Food shop. Good luck!

[MaggieSylvie]

In the feet it sounds very like peripheral neuropathy. The way I experience it is a feeling that I'm wearing socks when I'm not. Very recently I have been having occasional stabbing pains and it seems to be spreading beyond my ankles. I've been given Pregabalin for it. It doesn't seem to be doing anything but it helps me sleep. I don't know whether you can get PN anywhere other than hands and feet, so I would suggest you ask which ever doctor you see most of about that. I say that because my haematologist has helped me over a number of things unrelated.