I need help with the following question

[newtalk44]

Can anyone tell me if there is a Fibromyalgia Consultant in Sheffield England. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia by a Rhuematologist in 1996. I have now got very bad pains in my right hip, both legs and feet and it's different from what I have had before. I have had my hip xrayed but the results said it looked normal. I'm thinking of going privately to another Rhumatologist. What do you think? Newtalk44

[FionaP]

Hi. In all probability they will just say that it is the fibro. I have hip, leg and feet pain. My legs started to get bad around 5 yrs back and now my muscles pull and knot too.

You are entitled to ask to see a Rhumatologist again to check your progression and find out what treatments are now available. Ask your doctor for a new referral.

You can always go private but it is the same treatment you will get.

I went private to Guy's Hospital while waiting initially for diagnosis to try to keep my job. They gave me diagnosis without an examination and sent me home to my doctor with a flimsy leaflet. Took me a whole day travelling for that. Had a much more thorough examination and treatment advice 1 year later from a local Rhumatologist.

I have found that as the years go by my pain and all of fibro has changed greatly. Firstly take a read at the tags on the right of the screen and see what others have said.

Wishing you the best xx

[RUBY51]

Hiya newtalk 44, I can't help with the rheumatologist but wonder if you have tried googling hime? The reason I am replying is more to do with your pain and managing it. Have you had your vitamin D level checked? If not please insist that your doc does this with a blood test and also see if they will generally test your vit and mineral levels as well as thyroid and usual things. Then are you on meds to aid your sleep such as an antidepressant? If not or if you have been on this a while it may need reviewing. Also it may sound silly but is it worse when you've been to bed or at different times of the day or days of the week? Have you looked at your bed or mattress if its worse after sleeping. If not have you looked at your footwear and if you are shoes are worn at the heels and if your feet, knees etc are rotating in or out? Do you carry a bag on one shoulder? If so is this heavy, does the pain go better if you carry it on the other arm, or can youcut down what you carry? Have you or anyone ever looked at your diet and fluid intake? Do you eat the same things every day, do you drink enough fluids, such as water and juice rather than tea and coffee? Do you have a lot of pre packaged or ready made meals or have a lot of fresh food? Hope some of this might help I know I may be a very long way off with some if not at all of this but these are all things that have helped me and many other people I have come across in every day life and with my work. Also if all else fails have you tried arnica gel? I use this and also the arnica bath soak from QVC the shopping channel and it is made by SBC which is stands for Simply Beautiful cosmetics, I can't guarantee it will help with your pain but I don't know of anyone so far that I have recommended it to that it hasn't helped with their pain. Good luck and let me know how you get on. Ruby

[Hidden]

Hello there Newtalk - I had to change my Rheumatologist to another one because the one I was referred to by my GP refused to acknowledge that Fibromyalgia even existed! Obviously I was getting nowhere with him. I had to follow the hospital's procedure to ask to leave this particular consultant and my reasons why. Once I had done this and he had in effect "freed" me, I then had to apply to another Rheumatologist who was recommended to me by a friend with Fibro. I had to give my reasons why again which I did. The new consultant accepted me on condition that I was seen as a new patient which I agreed to.

I was fully examined and diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, given meds that helped me manage my pain and generally made me feel better.

If you aren't happy with your GP, ask for a second opinion. See another GP. If you don't think you are receiving the treatment you need or the understanding etc with a consultant, it is possible to change as I have explained above. We tend to think we are "stuck" with one.

I changed consultants on the NHS, perhaps you can do this without the need to go privately, might be worth a try. If you need more info about my case, please feel free to private message me any time. Happy to help.

Take a look through our Questions, Blogs and Tags for others' personal experiences, this always helps.

I hope you find comfort and understanding soon. Take care. Here's a hug ((( hug )))

[Ronyag]

Hi there. I can personally recommend 2 good rheumatologist in Sheffield. I live in Chesterfield and regularly travel to The Hallamshire to see either Dr Alkil or Dr Kilding. Dr Kilding has been especially good to me, she arranged lots of different tests for me when I first went to see her and I now have hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions at The Hallamshire and I see Dr Kilding every 3 months as she likes to keep in regular contact with her patients.

I was seeing a rheumatologist in Chesterfield but they were awful, I felt so much better once I started seeing Dr Kilding just because somebody finally understood me. Ask your GP to refer you to her.

Good luck and I hope this helps you x

[LindseyMid in reply to Ronyag]

Ronyag, I want to build up our list of recommended healthcare professionals. Would you mind emailing in your recommendation to [e-mail]? Thanks!

[Ronyag in reply to LindseyMid]

That's fine Lindsey, I'll be happy to do so.

[newtalk44 in reply to Ronyag]

Thankyou for your reply. My GP has written a letter for me to see Dr. Alkil at Thornbury Hospital privately. I hope he will be as good as Dr. Kilding has for you.

I have read some other comments and that Ruby51 has also got pains in her hip, legs and feet.

I have been told that I now have a Curvature of my Spine due to my leaning more to my right side to try to comfort the pain I'm having in my hip. I have also had a M.R.I. scan that has confirmed my 1st, 3rd and 5th vertibra in my neck are out of line, they said it would be to dangerous to operate on it or try to manipulate them back into place, so this is also causing more pain down my left arm and numbness in my left hand.

I was told after an accident, dropping a box of heavy floor tiles on my foot 5yrs ago that the xray showed that I have Arthritis in my foot as well.

After being on Amytriptyline for the last 16yrs I feel they no longer do any good because my body has got used to them. All they have done is make me put a lot of weight on, even though I try hard to get rid of it I can't.

I can no longer take any pain killers that my GP prescribes because after taking Morphine I now vomit or I have bad nausea whenever I take anything. I hope that Dr Akil will be able to help with this problem.

I could go on a lot longer about other things that I also suffer with ie: Kidney Stones, Hiatus Hernia, High Blood Pressure etc. but no point.

I have seen a Neurologist and he is investigating that Fibromyalgia may be hereditory and has also noted, like my husband and I have that everyone we know with it seems to have had an unhappy, not normal childhood, abused in different ways, that no one hasn't attributed Fibromyalgia to be caused by this. I personally can remember that a lot of the symptoms I have I also felt, when I was from the age of 10yrs old. Is anyone else finding this to be so ?

[Ozzygirl64]

I hope you get sorted soon. I was diagnosed in llate 1991 and after trying different meds was referred back to my then GP. He left and I have anew GP, but he is reluctant to refer me back to rheumy, although I really do not mind either way at the moment. I hope you find someone that can help you xxxxxx