What is this pain and whats causing it???

[astrogirl7]

I have been suffering with pains in lower back, neck, face, hips, legs, arms, anus, vagina and now feet, started in Summer 2012. The pains are achy, sharp, spasms, nerves, stiffness, numbness and I get dizziness, abdominal bloating (which never seems to go down) and sometimes blurry vision.

Yes, I have disc bulges (7 from C -L spine) but have been told these are not the cause of the pain as they do not impinge on my spinal cord. CT on internal organs (abdo) show no abnormalities. Laparoscopy showed no Endo but confirmed PBS for which symptoms subsided after 2-3 wks after op. Medication has been painkillers and anti inflammatory ranging from Codeine - Amitryptilene. I have had allergic reactions to Naproxen, Amytryptilene and could not adjust to the weird sensations of Pregablin or Gabapentin. I have recently had an MRI brain+contrast for which I am awaiting results. Initially the neurologist seemed dismissive he was sure this had nothing to do with CNS but when I asked what he thought it was, he replied lets look at your bloods first then get you a brain scan done and we'll see. I was very upset. My bloods have always shown that I am fighting an infection (my eosinophils are raised - that's white cells to you and I). And finally my doctor has referred me to the pain clinic, appt in June.

I think that I may have an auto-immune disease..... but which one, symptoms seem so similar. If anyone thinks they recognise what I may have would love to hear your comments and suggestions..... am at my wits end with pain and depression. Love this community who were very supportive to me when I was going to have my Laparoscopy.

Regards Angie

[earthwitch]

Would be worth checking out autoimmune disorders. Have you ever seen a rheumatologist? Has your GP screened for inflammatory rheumatology conditions? (ESR,CRP, ANA, etc)

[Reykua]

Hi Astrogirl7,

I hope today is slightly better.

I was wondering why you didn't have a full body MRI as your symptoms are so varied and complex? It would probably have given you more information to go on.

Some of your symptoms sound are definitely auto immune related although I have no idea which one but some others sound as though you may have some problems internally - as in, some sort of gynae problem. I have no idea what you had done when you had your laparoscopy but my suggestion would be to have another look at whatever is going on in there.

Wishing you all the very best with your tests and don't give up, really push for answers.

Stay strong and stay positive.

[johnsmith]

"not the cause of the pain as they do not impinge on my spinal cord." The consultant has forgotten that you have less space for the nerve roots. The Less space for nerve roots can create uncomfortable issues when the muscles tighten in the back.

How old is the consultant. Consultants who qualified in 90's often dismissed chiropractors as quacks despite the number of people who received pain relief from them.

Try a McTimony chiropractor. They are not going to cure the problem. They may help to reduce the problem caused by over tight muscles in the wrong places.

There is a concept of what you can call a stress breakdown point. In a performance versus stress graph. Before the stress breakdown point despite the high stress you function. Above the stress breakdown point the slightest increase in stress causes a breakdown in the body's functioning. If the stress the stress is above the stress breakdown point the body is not functioning well.

A small reduction in stress could well take the stress on the body to below the stress breakdown point. This small reduction in stress could cause a great reduction in discomfort. An improvement in body posture and muscle balance is a small reduction in stress which could result in vast improvement in function.

Similarly a visit to a McTimony chiropractor could reduce the stress to that below the stress breakdown point with the result that there could be a vast reduction in discomfort.

Hope this helps

[juliansmom]

Research fibromyalgia perhaps. Muscle relaxers help quite a bit before bed, they cause drowsiness, alprazolam is an antianxiety med that relaxed my whole body and mind. Huge pain reliever and I take nortryptiline, same drug class as the amitriptyline but no side effects for me personally and I'm very sensitive to meds. Good luck.

[rowantree]

It's so hard isn't it when all your symptoms don't seem to add up to one thing. You could have two or three things at the same time, but I would think it's more likely it's one thing causing all the problems. But I say that just because if my own story. I had all sorts of seemingly unconnected problems that didn't point to one thing. Then I found one thing that it did point to, got referred to the HMS clinic and yes- it is all one thing! But my symptoms are auite different from yours. Research EDS too as there's lots of different types. And quite obscure symptoms. I hope you find an answer. For me it was such a relief to join the dots and get a diagnosis, but it hasn't made any difference to all the pain I'm in!

[red_skye]

Hi poor you, just stumbled across ur post.a lot of it sounds very similar to my mum.she was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness called polymyalgia / polymialgia (sorry can't remember spelling!) after two yrs struggling to get answers.i suggest you look it up asap just in case, as if left untreated can cause things like loss of eyesight. Thought id mention it on the off chance, really hope you get it sorted soon.all the very best xx