Can You Have Fibromyalgia Without Pain?
Mar 19, 2016
I have been ill for around 4 years, mainly with persistent fatigue, episodes of intense sleepiness and episodes of lightheadedness on exertion. I have had probably hundreds of blood tests that have ruled out everything from thyroid to diabetes to iron etc etc. I have also had sleep apnea ruled out. I went to a rheumatologist yesterday as I have coeliac disease (which is under control) and wanted to rule out the possibility of other autoimmune conditions. Anyway the rheumatologist prescribed me vitamin D tablets as I am vitamin D deficient but he said if that didn't improve things his next option would be fibromyalgia. However (and I told him this) I don't have any pain! None! I was under the impression you can't have fibromyalgia without pain? I have already been to see an ME/CFS specialist and chronic fatigue syndrome was ruled out as I don't have enough other symptoms, ie I have fatigue but no memory/concentration problems, I don't have periods of feeling worse after periods of activity etc.
Am I right in thinking that I don't have fibromyalgia?
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Does anyone suffer with breast tenderness and breast pain only I've had this for several weeks now . I know us women get breast tenderness and and soreness due to our menstrual cycle. But this has gone on for too long now . Both breast feel heavy too and painful. All the time . Just wondered is this a new symptom of fibro or something else.
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I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 18 months ago and I'm having a really bad flare up at the moment and still trying to work full time! I'm a beauty therapist so I Found I don't go in I let people down! I'm struggling to walk and my back and wrist is really swollen, I'm taking nurofen and paracetamol but they're not touching it.
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to understand fibro pain more
look up complex regional pain syndrome on the NHS choices page its a fairly new article only placed there today .your find it very interesting and might be a step forward to you understanding your pain better.
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Nine months ago I was in active mother of two with very little pain until one day one of my toddlers jumped on my back while playing around in the floor. Since then I have been back pain every day along with fatigue and depression. I have been to a few different primary care doctors, physical therapy for three months and I've tried a slew of muscle relaxers and medication for my middle back pain. I have had an x-ray and an MRI that shows my back is perfectly normal and healthy. I am beyond frustrated about what is causing this pain! I also have slight digestive issues even though I eat fairly healthy, heavy menstrual cycles and recently sharp nerve pain in my right ankle. I used to be pain free and healthy and now I feel like a hypochondriac with no answers to why! Does this sound like fibromyalgia to anyone? I'm at the point where I'm just reaching out for help to find a reason for my pain. My back pain is the worst of all of the symptoms but it seems to get better (still pain but not as bad) for a week and then get worse again for no apparent reason. Help! Am I going crazy!? I don't want to have fibromyalgia but my doctors cannot find anything physically wrong with me!
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Okay so I'm feeling really down at the moment due to chronic pain. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia three years ago but can't tolerate all the medications such as gabapentin, pregabalin and amitriptyline so I'm basically just taking solpadol 30/500s and tramadol 50 mg if it gets really bad. I've now been diagnosed with severe vitamin D deficiency and all they would tell me it was below 20 so I've been started on 60000 units of cholecalciferol per week. I'm now getting sharp pains in my feet which I can only describe as a cross between a bee sting and an electric shock in my heels and feet, and a constant ache of calf muscles and bad bone pain to my shins. Everything is getting me down
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So I was finally able to get in to see a PM doctor and she looked over all of the info that had been sent to her and then decided she wanted x-rays of my hips (where I have the most pain) and spine. She told me that she really doesn't do medications (which is fine) but that injections of some sort might help me and she would wait for the results to make any decisions. It took almost 3 weeks for me to get the results back and then the nurse told me that my x-rays looked ok but that the doc said I could get an MRI if I wanted to. I told her that I really can't afford another MRI (had one of my brain) right now and would rather not have one unless the doc really thought I should. She again told me the doc said I could have one if I wanted and that was it. Never offered another appointment or anything.
My rheumatologist who until my last appointment I really liked is frustrating me too. I told her I hated the gabapentin and would prefer not to take it anymore. She said that's fine the best thing that I can do for myself is to eat healthy, exercise, and get good sleep (impossible with 3 babies! but I try) And I have a very healthy diet and have added exercise as much as I can tolerate. She told me that medication is really for people who can't live a normal life because of their fibro.
Did she not listen to me? Is it "normal" to come home from the grocery store in tears? Is it "normal" to spend a week recuperating from a trip to Coney Island or a family BBQ? Is it "normal" to take 2 hours for your body to work in the mornings?
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I was prescribed Gabapentin for fibromyalgia like pain - neuropathic pain. About 90 mins after taking one 300mg capsule I was experiencing some strong side effects. My spatial sense was distorted - I seemed bigger or smaller than I usually experience myself. I kept hearing indistinct voices - whole sentences in voices I did not recognise. I felt intense nausea. At one point I caught sight of my face in a mirror and had the feeling that the image was somehow independent of me, and that the face there was malevolent, and I was unable to break away for several minutes despite quite strong fear. I went to bed and as I lay there I felt like I was not quite in my body - lying beside myself somehow. My mind was caught up for a while in a series of incredibly violent and distressing daydream-like images over which I seemed to have little control. My body twitched and convulsed irregularly - although I've experienced this with intense anxiety and at this point I was really quite afraid! I woke early after a fitful sleep with an intense headache - behind the forehead, temples and also pain in my neck. Also some nausea. The headache lasted all day and into the night. It felt on a par with a moderately bad migraine (maybe 7 out of 10). I was unable to do much of anything except lie down and wait for it to pass (pain killers had no discernible effect on the level of pain).
That was one pill of 300mg. And needless to say I won't be taking another, let alone the prescribed 3 a day!
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I have just got worse throughout the day I had a seizure early this afternoon and the pain has just got worse. I have to stay strong for my husband and kids but inside I am crying right now . I am completely fecked off with it. I confess I am due on and the pain all over seems to be stronger. I am 42 and I am sitting in a chair propped up by cushions a blanket and a hot water bottle for my arms watching emmerdale , tried knitting a bloody scarf but my hands/ arms hurt.
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After reading some of the posts lately, I started thinking about what diversion tactics I use to block out the pain. It got me wondering what tactics you all use.
Apart from getting on with life as best I can, I do a few things to take my mind off it all. Doing simple crosswords, I don't have the
or patience for cryptic. Watching TV programs like Antique
Roadshow and watching movies. Reading novels, and going online to read articles.
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I had a very successful pain clinic appointment yesterday, by successful I mean i saw a Dr who wasn't a complete arrogant idiot, he was very nice and tried to think out of the box a little. I asked him for lidocaine patches and although he said he did not think they would work because of the pain being deep he was willing for me to try them, he couldn't prescribe them so he's written to my GP, he also suggested capsaicin cream and finally he thinks i should try cymbalta/duloxetine. I explained that id tried various anticonvulsants and hated them due to side effects and that i was not depressed (i probably should be) but i'm not, i get angry more than sad for the chronic situation but i don't feel hopeless and apart from super hellish days i cope fairly well.
The thing is my little boy is my world, i'm so concerned taking an antidepressant when i don't feel depressed will kick off depression, especially if they don't work and i come off. I used to suffer with depression when i was younger and i know how horrible it is and when your i was in that cycle nothing or no one mattered anymore so i'm concerned as i'd rather continue to live in daily pain knowing my son is getting the "real" me than be on any meds that might change how i feel or how i am towards him.
Does anyone have experience with these specific meds? Especially taking them for just pain and not depression?
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I've been taking Gabapentin for 10 months and found it relieved the pain associated with Fibromyalgia. Unfortunately I have gained about 12 pounds in weight since I started taking it and feel the is the most serious side effect for me.
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3 days ago I began, by accident to go through the nightmare of tramadol withdrawal.bI'd been prescribed up to 400 mg daily 4 months ago to relieve fibromyalgia pain. Luckily,I settled on a dose of 200mg taken early evening and last thing before bed,not realising at the time that I was using them more to aid sleep than for pain.I absentmindedly forgot to order my repeat prescription,hence the withdrawal.Can't believe what I am going through.The worst thing is the restless legs and complete inability to be still,especially at night times,which seem to go on forever. I am so tired through lack of sleep and the constant fidgeting is horrendous.Cannot settle to watch tv,read,or anything else that would distract me from other unpleasant sensations like the whooshing in the head,electric pulses,irritability,etc.My gp,usually very good,never mentioned any possibility of addiction,or even that tramadol are opiate based.I am now determined to get off and stay off this drug.Believe it or not the chronic pain I have is more manageable than tramadol withdrawal.Hoping someone has some positive feedback to encourage me,but also want to make people aware of the dangers of this drug,and the need to ask more questions if prescribed.
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Does anyone else suffer from leg and feet pain when they get up so bad that you lose your balance at times?
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I've been on LDN - Low Dose Naltrexone for a few months now. It's been a bumpy road and the journey has had both positive and negative points.
I've been adjusting the dose but in so far the 3 main benefits I can claim from it are:
- some sleep improvement;
- less pain intensity;
- apparent normalising effects on some blood markers such as LDH (lactate dehydrogenase).
However I feel exhausted to an unbearable point and continue prone to inflammation. I've decided to continue treatment with LDN because I've read extensively about it and many authors say it may take up to a yer to come to fruition.
Meanwhile I've resorted to naturopathic medicine and I'm under treatment as well.
We're all different in the way we react to medications and because I've been reading so much suffering here with so little hope of remission that I thought of encouraging you of not giving up and trying new things.
I would like to share with you a recent study on LDN whose Abstract is:
"The use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) as a novel anti-inflammatory treatment for chronic painJarred Younger, [corresponding author] Luke Parkitny, and David McLain
Abstract
Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) has been demonstrated to reduce symptom severity in conditions such as fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and complex regional pain syndrome. We review the evidence that LDN may operate as a novel anti-inflammatory agent in the central nervous system, via action on microglial cells. These effects may be unique to low dosages of naltrexone and appear to be entirely independent from naltrexone is better-known activity on opioid receptors. As a daily oral therapy, LDN is inexpensive and well-tolerated. Despite initial promise of efficacy, the use of LDN for chronic disorders is still highly experimental. Published trials have low sample sizes, and few replications have been performed. We cover the typical usage of LDN in clinical trials, caveats to using the medication, and recommendations for future research and clinical work. LDN may represent one of the first glial cell modulators to be used for the management of chronic pain disorders.
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory, Chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, Glial cell modulators, Low-dose naltrexone, Microglia"
Younger, Jarred, Luke Parkitny, and David McLain. “The Use of Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) as a Novel Anti-Inflammatory Treatment for Chronic Pain.”Clinical Rheumatology 33.4 (2014): 451–459. PMC. Web. 13 July 2015.
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I just wondered if any other female sufferers of Fibro had pain in their vaginal areas? I am newly diagnosed and just coming to terms with the symptoms and pain that this illness brought along with it but this new pain has begun recently and seems to accompany my hip and lower back pain ..
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I don't know where to start really but I'll give it a go. This may end up all over the place so I’ll apologise now.
6 years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. 3 years ago I had a fall trying to take my jeans off and had pains in my left wrist. I never had a diagnosis for the pains. I was given a few steroid injections and splint treatment and eventually the pains stopped.
Whilst I was pregnant with my daughter last year, I developed SPD (where the pelvis loosens too much during pregnancy) and ended up being on crutches for the last month of my pregnancy. I had a traumatic delivery with my little monster and ended up with an emergency c section. I was still on crutches for about 2 weeks after her birth and then seemed to end up using her pram as a support whilst we were out and about. If I take her out and about on my own I have to take her buggy as I can't lift her pram in and out of the boot (it's only double the weight of the buggy!) The longest I can stand holding her is 10 minutes before I'm in agony with my back, pelvis, ankles and feet.
Continuing from her arrival I have been getting the pains in my left wrist again and I'm now randomly getting them in my right wrist and the insides of my elbows too. I have even had to remove my wedding ring on the odd day because that causes pains in my finger. My daughter is now 10 months old and I am still getting the pains around my pelvis and back. I struggle to get comfortable at night laying on both sides and wake in agony with my neck and shoulders. I'm also waking during the night with the loss of sensation in my hands and/or pins and needles feeling. During pregnancy and now I get pains in my ankles and feet (I was in and out of hospital at the end of pregnancy over pre-eclampsia fears) to the point where I can only walk around for a maximum of an hour before I'm in agony. Fairly recently I've been getting pains in my jaw where no matter how I try to "rest" it, it hurts. I was given a mouth guard a few years ago as my dentist felt I was grinding my teeth during my sleep.
I should probably also mention that I have been diagnosed with Post Natal Depression (PND) and have been put on a low dose of Fluoxetine. I recently went to see one of our GPs as my hubby was quite worried about the fatigue I have been struggling with. I can't get through the day without feeling tired. Come an hour or so after lunch I have to summon up all the energy I've got to continue with my day, I just don't seem to have the energy to do much at all anymore. The GP just said it's probably a side effect of the anti-depressants and wasn't worried about it. I haven't mentioned anything else as I just feel like I'm over reacting. Just typing this out I've got aches and pains going through my fingers and wrists.
I had been receiving physio on my back from a fantastic therapist, but at the end of my maternity leave we were moved to a new unit. I went to see the physio at my new unit and had an awful session. She basically turned round and told me the only way my back was going to get fixed is loose weight, get back in the gym and get on with things. Not really what someone with PND needs to hear on top of everything else that they're dealing with. I didn't go into any further details about all the other problems I've been having as I just wanted to get out of there as quick as possible. This was 3 months ago and I haven't been back since.
My other concern is that I’m in the RAF. I still have just under 7 years left to serve until I reach my 22 year exit point. I just can't help think that if I do have this condition then I could end up being medically discharged. I wouldn't know what to do if I was. The RAF is all I've ever known, I joined when I was 16.
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Have had hypothyroidism for 10 yrs. 2 yrs ago started with lots of joint/pain/tenderness and extreme tiredness. Had blood tests to check thyroid function - told that my symptoms were because I was on too high a dose of levothyroxine (125mcg). Told to reduce to (100mcg). Done this. Symptoms lot worse now and just been diagnosed as having fibromyalgia but I am so tired etc. and my symptoms are very much like when I was hypo and was awaiting a diagnosis - very dry skin, hair loss etc. (I have no record of my function test results so I cannot gauge what the pattern has been) Anyone else who has hypo and has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia? I cannot help but wonder if my symptoms are more to do with inadequate treatment for hypothyroid than fibromyalgia. Any ideas please?
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I have these symptoms for over a year and each time it's a little different.
1. I get burning back of head usually back of left side neck at the base of my head then it goes up to my top of head.
2. I get dizzy or drunk like feeling, usually with a bowel movement.
3. confused feeling, lots of gas.
4. My back of the left side between my should blade and spine has a constant pain.
5. I crack in weird places I never used to. Example, the back of my head makes a clicking noise. Sometimes my chest will pop. 5. Burning in my abdomen, sometimes.
6. Pain by my heart or breathing, usually when I have to poop or pee.
7. Feeling like I have poor circulation when I sleep or awake in the morning. I will often wake up because of numb body parts.
8. jaw pain or jaw burning.
9. I will get like heat or burning in chest to face then, I sometimes break out in a rash? I get red bumps on my skin, often. This comes usually with my hot face feeling. It kind of prickly.
10. tingling in hands of both. 11. I get weird beating or heart beat beats faster sometimes.
12. I feel nauseous when I drink water, often. Or when have to poop, sometimes.
13. short of breath at times.
14. Floaters in the eyes.
15. head pressure or eye pressure.
16. Tired arms, usually left arm.
17. If I push on my chest with my fingers at the right time, it will hurt so bad MORE than normal with just a push.
18. I bruise so easily on my legs.
19. twitching in different areas more than norm.
20. I find pain in certain area of my body that should not hurt.
21. crawling skin on head at times and, muscles moving or slightly tightening for no reason on my upper body.
22. Tooth pain all of a sudden, then goes.
23. I feel different in my mind.
I have been to the E.R. a lot, it's annoying. They usually do not find anything wrong. I went to my Doctor she said nerves and I have ibs irritable bowel. I have a heart ultrasound looks good. I have bad tooth decay. I had a bad tooth infection 1 year or 2 ago. I used to drink a lot of energy drinks and WAS addicted to painkillers for about a year. All my basic blood work came back normal. I had an allergy test my Doctor said I don't have any. Of course I was diagnosed with anxiety. I say of course because, it seems like a trend that most people have.
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Does anyone have any coping strategies that they could share with me. I have to have a cleaner because I'm too exhausted to even wash my clothes and a carer to shower me. My body is killing me with pain from top to bottom,especially in my back. The pain relief isn't working. I feel like bursting into tears. I can't go on like this any more.
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I was looking for some help a couple of weeks ago i felt really ill like i was gonna get the flu aching all over only lasted about a day and a half but last weekend the same thing happened again was in tears with the pains and it lasted about 2 and a half days this time but now when i have the chance to get to docs i feel fine but am worrying its gonna happen again.
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