Morning everyone, I have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis in most joints in my body. Since Christmas I have had extremely weak legs to the point now that even going from my chair to the bathroom I’m near collapsing. My legs go very wobbly and start to shake then my whole body shakes and I get breathless.
I was never able to walk far anyway but now I’m panicking that eventually I won’t be able to walk anywhere.
The doctors have taken bloods and that’s shown I have low folate and borderline low iron, he prescribed me folic acid and iron tablets but it’s not getting any better if anything it’s getting worse! He has also done a referral to haematology.
Sorry about the long post it’s just I’m at a loss at what to do and what it could be. 😔
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Cockerspaniels2
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Hi hun, I can sympathise. If you haven't already, get a walking stick to help balance you and give you confidence when you're feeling particularly weak.When this happened to me I had a bad fall in a supermarket carpark. My legs just buckled and I fell forward landing on my shoulder. Hospital diagnosed a torn rotator cuff. I wished at the time that I had of put my embarrassment aside and just brought a walking stick.
I hope that you feel better soon. Iron tablets take a while to build your levels up x
Please be mindful of your back if just using one stick. My Mum had a really painful back on the side she held her stick, the physio told her it was because she was putting more pressure on that side and it was always better to use 2. The pain went away a couple of weeks after she started using 2 walking sticks. I use a rollator as my legs go numb after a few minutes of standing or walking and goes when I sit down for a couple of minutes. It was embarrassing at first but better in the long run than falling or having to sit on the floor and have 2 people help you up, at least I have a seat with me when I need it.
Hi, thank you for your reply I really appreciate it.
My husband has told me to order a rollator with a seat, especially today as I was out this morning quite early (06:30) with my dog and my legs give way and I ended up on the floor. It took me 45 minutes to get myself back up and back in my house, it has really knocked me for six as no one was around to help. 😔
Yes sounds like it would help you. I certainly can't be without it when shopping or going for a walk. I got mine from Argos, was about 3 years ago though.
So sorry to hear you're going through this. I would suggest that you get your thyroid checked as I had extreme weakness in my legs when I was diagnosed as having low thyroid. I had no idea! Once I started taking thyroid meds the weakness vanished. I hope you get this resolved quickly as I'm sure it's very frightening.
Always get a copy of blood test results. Compare the levels every time. What may be normal for someone else may not be normal to YOU. Are your vitamin D levels OK?
Yes my vitamin D levels are ok as I already take calcium and vitamin D. All my bloods came back ok apart from folic acid and my iron levels were low but I have tablets for both. x
I'm sorry to hear you're having such a bad time with your legs right now. I too have osteoarthritis in both knees and need to walk with 2 sticks.
The only way forward was for me to lose weight to help my knees support my body.
I had issues with balance and walking. My options were to lose weight and have knee replacement operations in the future.
I decided that I needed to lose weight and ask my GP for help.. he put me forward to a program called( Way Forward Bucks) a weight program with support and workshops over a period of a year and a half course.
My program has just finished, and I have lost 2 stones. Of course you may not need to lose weight, but I did.
To build my muscles, I brought a low sitdown bike to build my muscles up in my knees and legs, and it's working. I still have to stand, rest a bit , and walk rest a bit. However, all problems have improved.
My fibromyalgia plays a big part of pain and energy levels not 100% but l do what I can do. The main thing is to keep moving and with stretching exercises. Do chair exercises to keep the muscles building strength.
I brought myself a stool on wheels that supported me around the house as I could not stand for too long without support.
Osteoarthritis is very painful. However, there are ways to help support the pain levels . Your GP should be getting you some support to help you move, like a physio therapist. The moving part is very important to your muscles. I do hope you feel better soon . I am not sure my advice will help because we are all different individuals and it could be something esle going on . Use a walking stick to give you support this will help you move better .
Keep pushing your GP and big hugs and stay safe. There will be some self-help you can research on chair exercises if you think it may help Xx
Thank you so much for your reply I really appreciate it.
I’m pushing my GP all the time but don’t seem to be getting anywhere, but I will keep trying. Might have to invest in one of those bikes and give that a try.
My GP wasn't one to offer. I had to say to him, "You need to help me as my mobility is getting worse 🙃 and I want to know my options to self-help myself. I shared with him that my mental health was getting affected by my fears and confidence and much more. He said fair enough and offered the help. He also put me forward to healthy minds, which also helped me with living with long-term illness courses for my pain levels. help is out there, but the GPs don't appear to offer much . I would get the lower sit-down bike, my legs, and back feel so better for the exercise. Good luck and stay safe. Xx
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