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So much pain (?)

P95
The pain I experience ranges from my hip to my neck, along my spine mostly and can be debilitating in my mid-back section, between my shoulder blades, mostly on the left side. It also effects my left shoulder, arm, my elbows and wrists and neck and I struggle with chronic migraine headaches. I am currently being treated with Topamax, Axert, Cymbalta, Soma and Lortab. I try to stay active. I have raised 5 children and spent most of my life being physically fit. I am generally healthy. But everyday is a fight to do the things I need and want to do. My doctor says that it is a condition called fibromyalgia but the pain is relentless and I don't seem to be making very much progress although I have medications and a supportive family. How could I be in so much pain for seemingly no reason? I find it to be depressing and very discouraging. I have not had any other tests such as MRIs or x-rays. I am a very different person than I was 8 years ago. What happened? (I am 52 years old)
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello!

You have to understand that you have a condition called Fibromyalgia. It may be caused by Genetic predisposition, stress or Psychological factors along with or independent of some neurotransmitter problems.

Fibromyalgia makes you feel tired and causes muscle pain and "tender points." Tender points are places on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms or legs that hurt when touched. People with fibromyalgia may have other symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, morning stiffness, headaches, and problems with thinking and memory.

There is no necessary for MRIs or X-Rays and the American College of Rheumatology has its criteria as:
1) A history of widespread pain lasting more than three months.
2) There are 18 designated possible tender or trigger points.  During diagnosis, four kilograms force of force is exerted at each of the 18 points; the patient must feel pain at 11 or more of these points for fibromyalgia to be considered.

Fibromyalgia a ‘non-disease’ because of a lack of abnormalities on physical examination, and the absence of objective diagnostic tests.

Exercise improves fitness and sleep and may reduce pain and fatigue in some people with fibromyalgia. You should continue the medical therapy and consult your neurologist for regular consultation.

Take care!


Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
P95
Thank you. I have been to one before but I was considering a second chance with someone new. They seem to understand the pain I experience but I am hesitant as there are so many out there with so many outlandish claims! I am going to have to take a risk I think. It has to be better than what I am doing now. Thank you for your tip.
Helpful - 0
757137 tn?1347196453
I hit upon your post quite by accident, and, also by chance, I may be of some help. After reading the various entries on this forum I looked up fibromyalgia on the internet to get more information.

My youngest daughter was a semi-invalid from the age of 8 to 12. We took her everywhere without any alleviation of the illness. If there was a  definite diagnosis we were not told what it was. But sounds just like fibromyalgia. To every doctor we visited, I said her condition might be the result of an injury. Our car had been rear-ended and demolished while she was in it. This was pooh poohed.

Then we had a bit of luck. The headmaster at her school was out for the day because of a back problem. In talking with his secretary I found he was being cared for by a chiropractor. I took my daughter to that same chiropractor who examined her carefully. and found back and neck problems. He said it was the compression of nerves that was causing both the pain and the sensitivity to pain. After six sessions the adjustments finally held. He saw her once more and told us to come back in six months. That was in April. By summertime she was riding a bicycle. Some years later  she developed mild arthritis, probably because the injury was not treated in a timely manner. The arthritis is easily taken care of with natural supplements (collagen, MSM, etc.) and vitamin B5.

I don't know if your problems are the result of an injury, but it wouldn't hurt to rule it out. If you do that, make sure you go to a first-class chiropractor. Some can be ham-fisted. We were lucky. I hope you are too.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My suggestion to you is similar to P95 of the forum. From my personal, i think you may try to use herbal liquid for diseases caused by rheumatism & Hyperosteogeny, which main could cure following illness:
For Symptoms:
   Cervical spondylosis includes arm numbness,weakness, neck swelling, movement inconvenience, Sciatica includes legs` numbness and pains, lumbar vertebrae disease, rheumatism and hyperosteogeny.

Unique Treatment: cure and care, reduce the pain in the shortest time.

Their websites is www.bkcq.com, possibly you could buy the medicine from your country. As far as i have known their products has been exported to abroad as well.

One year ago, i always feel pains in low back and lumbar. At the beginning, i doubted the liquid could help me reduce the pain. However, i tried and found it was real helpful. I am not sure if it could help you as well. But nearly all of my friends think the medicine is good for pains.

In a word, hope you will be good luck and will recover soon from the pains.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
As far as i have known in our chinese market, there are some herbal chinese medicines could reduce the pains.
Such as:
1)  Herb Plaster for hyperosteogeny, Periarthritis Humeroscapularis and Soft Tissue Injury, which could main cure following illness:
Curable Diseases:
   Hyperosteogeny:  
- Cervical hyperplasia: Stiff neck pain, activity limitation, frozen shoulde, upper limb pain and numbness.
- Lumbar vertebrae hyperplasia: Low back pain, Lower Limbs distending pain and numbness.
- Knee joint hyperplasia: Anchylosis, Arthralqia and Activity limit
- Heel hyperplasia: Pain caused by heel hyperplasia
Periarthritis Humeroscapularis:
- Pain, the activities of the obstacles and other diseases cacaused by Periarthritis Humeroscapularis.
Soft tissue injury :
- Acid, swelling and pain caused by soft tissue injury.

2) and herbal liquid for diseases caused by rheumatism & Hyperosteogeny, which main could cure following illness:
For Symptoms:
   Cervical spondylosis includes arm numbness,weakness, neck swelling, movement inconvenience, Sciatica includes legs` numbness and pains, lumbar vertebrae disease, rheumatism and hyperosteogeny.

Unique Treatment: cure and care, reduce the pain in the shortest time.

Their websites is www.bkcq.com, possibly you could buy the medicine from your country. As far as i have known their products has been exported to abroad as well.

Hope you will recover from the illness soon and good luckness with you. Please take care :)

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello!

The most important thing you have to understand is medical science will deal and help with all the conditions which will help without causing any harm while treating a patient. Limiting the adverse effects of all the drugs is very important. Titrating of the dosage is done so that the adverse effects of a drug are limited; with high dosage any amount of pain can be controlled. There are narcotics also and you can try some which cause little harm like low dose naltrexone(LDN).

The pain which is short term is called acute pain and is often reversible in cause and may require only simple measures and the correction of the primary cause cures the pain.
In your condition the chronic pain which is very difficult to diagnose and treat properly as it will take long term to reverse the pain as it is due to neuropathy and referred pain.

Whiplash injury causes complete paralysis in patients and this is a difficult proposition for any neurosurgeon to inflict a painful, risky surgery on the patient where the disadvantages far outweigh advantages.

You need to go to a good medical school and follow up near the best neurosurgeon who is an expert in managing problems after spinal injuries like whiplash in road traffic accidents.

Do not lose hope and never consider suicide, I can understand living with patients that there are fighters and people like you who set an example to many more patients who are seeking help.

Take care!


Helpful - 0
1037445 tn?1252805419

Hi, I couldn't find a place to post my question but I need some advice on my pain problem. I was in a three car MVA in 1998, and got severe whiplash. I don't think it was just a neck strain due to the excruciating pain I have had since. I've been on medications, physical therapy, chiropractic, daily traction at home now, heat/cold, hot tub, vitamins, walking, stretching, massage, and RFA in my cervical spine, which really helped with the pain (then it returned with a vengeance only months later).

The docs in the past said my problem is not a surgical one, or one said that surgery is not performed for a pain disorder. From the methods of treatment that have helped me the most: traction, and the explanation from the doctors/x-rays etc.. I have did quite a bit of research and found that there are several procedures which could reduce my painful symptoms if done, like the decompression type surgery where the nerves are being encroached upon.

The disc in my cervical spine look great they say, its the vertebras which are out of whack (but) apparently not enough for a neurosurgeon to take much interest. I have almost committed suicide in the past because the pain was so intense and it last for so long, my hope ran out. Thankfully, I found better ways to cope with my depression due to the chronic pain, and I'm really working hard on managing the pain.

It seems to me it is either a problem with good health coverage, or doctors see most females as "complainers" or everything is about mood/emotional pain, etc..
I have sat at my desk for a mere 15 minutes and I'm almost in tears because of the pain, it never, never, never goes away.

I tried to explain to the doctors to grab the back of their own neck and hold it as hard as they possibly could, then keep holding it while trying to do simply things like walking around the house, watching the news, or eating dinner, things a person age 37 should be able to do without severe agony.

Pain pills cover up and even make the pain worst over time, because it does not allow the person to learn how to live with a certain amount of pain.

Traction helps right after doing it, and then the pain is back.

When everything has failed, what’s next?

What happens when the medical profession fails its patients?

Please forgive my vent, but I'm really in pain tonight, not just in my neck but my low back has begun to go out on me with doing simple things like cleaning my home. I can't handle pain in both areas like this. I don't know what to do anymore.

Should I just get loaded up with a bunch of narcotic drugs and stop pestering the doctors to try and help me, to accept this life?

I don't know anymore,
I am not a quitter, but I'm nearing that avenue, it is getting to be too much of a fight to find someone to listen to me to try and make them understand how much this pain has affected my life, (what life) and all of the lives of the people who are around me (when they are).

Thank you for any advice.

*****If you know of a doctor you feel could offer me some help, a real treatment with freeing up the space in my cervical spine (to get the vertebras) off of the nerve that it is pressing upon, please, please I beg of you, to send me their way.

Thank you again,
-- K
Helpful - 0

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