My doctor found the reason for my fibromyalgia

[donjoe341]

I have been suffering with CFS then Fibromyalgia for almost 3 years. I was finally diagnosed with insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is where you produce enough insulin but it doesn't work to break down the glucose in your blood. Therefore you develop sore muscles, brain fog, fatigue and many more. My doctor also discovered that I have mild inflammation of the thyroid (developed 2 1/2 years after the fibro.) with normal blood levels. I believe this was brought on because of the insulin resistance and chronic stress my body was under. I am currently being treated with metformin for insulin resistance and armour med. for the thyroid. I am more than half way there. I have more energy and a lot less pain. My muscles are able to handle mild exercise without screaming at me. Insulin resistance is treated though diet (no sugar, complex carbs only, and 5-6 small meals a day), exercise (mild, at least 30 min a day) and medication.

[Rosie8]

Yes you are right I do you think there is a link between insulin resistance and fibro. I started metformin last night and this morning woke up with less pain and more energy. I'm amazed. That's why I am here doing research on how metformin can help fibromyalgia and I found your post. Thanks for your information. I am going to look up a diet for insulin resistance now.

[Medic0055]

Thanks for all information I too have severe hypoglycemia I have fibromyalgia/ chronic fatigue and a lot of pain. I was a firefighter medic and   working 30 plus years on the job a lot of orthopedic surgery and later was dx with fibro it has got to the point where the pain and fatigue is so bad its badly interfering with my daily life..so the specialist sent me to an endocrinologist after multiple tests I now have been dx with severe hypoglycemia and was told by taking the metformin it hopefully will resolve the fatigue pain I am hoping also they told me hypoglycemia can turn to diabetes by taking this medication can prevent this happening , I was also advised on metformin it can make one loose weight which is a plus as I would like to loose another 8 pounds so I guess I am hoping I can get pain relief be less fatigued and the weight thing would be a bonus . I add I don't do sugar or eat badily all natural so this was a huge surprise to me ...

[Medic0055]

Thanks for all information I too have severe hypoglycemia I have fibromyalgia/ chronic fatigue and a lot of pain. I was a firefighter medic and   working 30 plus years on the job a lot of orthopedic surgery and later was dx with fibro it has got to the point where the pain and fatigue is so bad its badly interfering with my daily life..so the specialist sent me to an endocrinologist after multiple tests I now have been dx with severe hypoglycemia and was told by taking the metformin it hopefully will resolve the fatigue pain I am hoping also they told me hypoglycemia can turn to diabetes by taking this medication can prevent this happening , I was also advised on metformin it can make one loose weight which is a plus as I would like to loose another 8 pounds so I guess I am hoping I can get pain relief be less fatigued and the weight thing would be a bonus . I add I don't do sugar or eat badily all natural so this was a huge surprise to me ...

[Medic0055]

Thanks for all information I too have severe hypoglycemia I have fibromyalgia/ chronic fatigue and a lot of pain. I was a firefighter medic and   working 30 plus years on the job a lot of orthopedic surgery and later was dx with fibro it has got to the point where the pain and fatigue is so bad its badly interfering with my daily life..so the specialist sent me to an endocrinologist after multiple tests I now have been dx with severe hypoglycemia and was told by taking the metformin it hopefully will resolve the fatigue pain I am hoping also they told me hypoglycemia can turn to diabetes by taking this medication can prevent this happening , I was also advised on metformin it can make one loose weight which is a plus as I would like to loose another 8 pounds so I guess I am hoping I can get pain relief be less fatigued and the weight thing would be a bonus . I add I don't do sugar or eat badily all natural so this was a huge surprise to me ...

[dirtyelf1]

Wow this definitely helped me also, I have done every single test there is out there and also had 3 epidural shots which have not worked much. I am going for a follow up with my doctor on Monday, I will definitely mention that to her. Thanks :)

[donjoe341]

My doctor said I am doing great and the pain I feel 1-2 weeks prior to my period is because of hormone fluctuation. She doesn't want to give me any more medication due to fear of side effects and expects this problem to go away with time, loss of weight, diet and exercise. The discomfort I feel so far is mild. If it gets any worse I am going to ask for more metformin. Maybe to take just 2 weeks before my cycle. My low blood sugar at this time is very difficult to control even while being on a low glycemic diet.

[donjoe341]

Our bodies are so complicated. The next problem my doctor has to tackle is my fibro coming back during my period. I am going to ask her to check my DHEA, Testosterone, progesterone and estrogen. I no from saliva testing that I have low levels of progesterone. I already take prescription progesterone cream every month and it has helped a great deal with my irregularity, pain and bloating. I believe that it is probably not enough since I have PCOS and insulin resistance. I think fibro has many things that have to be addressed before you can get back to normal. You should have your endo check all of your hormones when you are there. Just a little more tweaking and I will be pain free. Good Luck

[bamamom02]

That is very interesting.  I have a history of insulin resistance (due to PCOS-an endocrine disorder that affects females) and was diagnosed with fibro in 2006.  I will have to ask my doc about the link between insulin resistance and fibro.

[bridgeovertroubledwater]

Yes,  you're so right.  That's all the medical profession does is treat us with pain meds, anti-depressants and whatever else will help to cover up the symptoms, rather than discover the underlying cause.  Thanks

[bridgeovertroubledwater]

Another comment which was written by selmaS and I think I need to present this to my doctor.  I too have changed my diet and suffer with the thyroid imbalance and pain that they believe is fibro.  Thanks for all this info.  I believe I will get the answer one step at a time.  

[acker]

interesting.

[donjoe341]

One more thing. My doctor believes it may be genetic because my sister has it as well.

[donjoe341]

In case your are interested the Endocrinologist I see is located in West Chester,PA. I can give you her name and number. She is absolutely wonderful and worth the drive. I drive an 1 1/2 hours to see her.I have been to one other endocrinologist prior to the current one and he didn't even bother to check my blood sugar or insulin levels. He wanted to label me with chronic fatigue syndrome. Two months later I had my gall bladder removed (no stones) and six months after that I came down with fibromyalgia. You have to have a 3 hr. glucose test that checks your insulin levels. My doctor checked my glucose and insulin and it showed high normal and that I had reactive hypoglycemia. So, she treated me for the thyroid inflammation, thinking that was causing the fibromyalgia and reactive hypoglycemia. A few months later we discovered what I had because I went off my strict diet of no sugar and my condition came back even more severe. She then decided that I must have insulin resistance due to my symptoms (ovarian cysts, darkening of the skin around areas that are rubbed by my clothing and skin tags on my neck. If you know other fibro. members or friends with fibro please spread the word. For some reason this insulin resistance is over looked and they treat us with anti-depressants, pain medication and so on. I never took any medication for my condition because I knew if I was medicated I wouldn't be able to determine if I was having side effects from the drugs or symptoms from the fibro. I new I could find out what was wrong with me and taking medication wasn't going to fix the problem. A test you can do with your mom is a strict diet for a week. The diet consists of no sugar allowed, no artificial sugar, no honey etc., no caffeine, no white flour, 5-6 meals a day that consist of 20mg or less of carbs and 10mg or less of protien. The carbs need to be complex carbs. For example; brown rice, triskets, wheat chex, whole grain bread. Drink only water, water with lemon, and herbal teas without caffeine. The protien should be   chicken, turkey or fish. This is a very hard diet because the blood sugar issue causes you to crave carbohydrates. She will never get rid of this condition if she continues to eat carbohydrates. The longer you are on the diet the better you feel. If your mom feels better it is very likely this is what she suffers from. Medication is very important also. Metformin helps your body to become more sensitive to insulin, in-turn your body will start utilizing your glucose. My diet alone wasn't fixing the problem but it helped. If she needs help let me know.

[selmaS]

Wow..congratulations and thanks for sharing this info...I am calling my mom to see if she was ever checked for this.

Thanks again : )