visit with Rheumatologist

[flamepro2003]

Hey,I had seen the Rheumatologist yesterday and she thinks I have fibromyalgia,yuck. She had looked at my record and saw that I have arthritis but when she pressed on the trigger points,some of them hurt soo bad and thats when she told me that I have it. She gave me a booklet on it. She also told me that tingling finger's and toes is part of fibro. I get tingling finger's(hands)and didn't know what it was from,now I know. I just wanted to let you all know how my visit went. Talk to you all later,byee!! :)

-Tracie

[patsy10]

I was also diagnosed with FMS.  I do have the tenderpoints but I also have other symptoms that I feel are not consistent with fibro.  Unfortunately this is the diagnosis people usually get when they have symptoms and the cause is not readily apparent on standard testing.

[gorbybelle]

   I was told I have fibro. -  but it started approx. one month after a tick-bite -[the tick was attatched for more than 24hrs. and was very swollen] - previously I had been in pretty good health - no arthritic type pain or muscle probs.

I do have some of the 'tender points' described in the dx. of fibro. - whilst reading a book on fibro. I came across 'lyme disease' - I have had good results from taking antibiotics - reccommended by an LLMD.

If I were you I wouldn't accept fibro. as a dx. without atleast a trial of abx. - that is what I have done - I would rather risk the fairly high dose of abx. than leave - possible - lyme untreated.

[JackieCalifornia]

If there's a chance that you could have Lyme, think twice before taking steroids, because it suppresses the immune system, which is the opposite of what your body needs to do against Lyme.

If Lyme has been ruled out to your satisfaction, that's different.

I think this happened to Wonko (having Lyme+ but it was misdiagnosed as something for which the treatment is steroids), and she wrote about it here a while back.  Rheumatologists aren't big believers in Lyme.

*I'm not medically trained, so don't rely on me -- check things out for yourself!!*

[kailau]

Hi,
My mom's rheumatologist also says she's got fibro.  She tried the med that the FDA has approved for fibro and it made her feel worse.  I can't remember the name of it.  Just be careful, a lot of the meds they prescribe for fibro are anti-depressants and many of them can have really bad side effects for some people.  She's been on Cymbalta for several weeks now and that's helped her the most, but she's still got good and bad days. Hopefully what the doc gives you will work well!

She's also had cortisone shots in her knee, and they work for a while, but eventually it wares off and you're back at square 1.  With the shots, they can only give them to you 3 or 4 times before they're ineffective.  The good news is for some people they last for up to a year or even longer, the bad news is they could only last a few weeks.  They usually last shorter a period of time every time you get one.  They do provide a lot of relief though, and they were a god send and gave her enough relief to regain her strength.  For her hips, she had epidurals and facets (a stronger type of epidural) and that worked really well.  She had to go back every few weeks, to have another, but eventually she stopped going and it gave her a LOT of relief.   She sees a pain management specialist and only gets pain treatment from her.  I definitely recommend you look into seeing one if at all possible.  They are experts and know more about the specific medications used for pain and what works best for regions of the body.  
Good luck! :-)
-Kai

[patsy10]

Ditto what skarey said.  Fibro is a group of symptoms.  It is not a disease.  Lyme is one of the causes.  Also many people get diagnosed with FMS when all other testing is normal and doctors feel they have to give a diagnosis.  So even if you get a fibro diagnosis you still don't know what it wrong.

[flamepro2003]

I will deff tell you how it goes. I hurt everyday..some are good days and some are bad days. She was telling me about cortisone shots,so I might get those in my hips and shoulder's. I heard they hurt at first,but it's all worth it. I just told her that I'm tired of being in pain everyday. So,I need to talk with my regular doctor when he gets back and see what I should do. I'm soo happy I'm moving forward on this and know whats wrong.

Oh and she said to do plenty of exercises..I've been doing that,but not to over do it. I've lost 18lbs in 4 1/2 weeks,yay!! I'm not trying to do alot,just mainly walking and eating healthy.

Well,I will talk to you all later and I will keep you all updated. :)

-Tracie

[skarey]

Fibro is a condition with an unknown cause.  It's basically a name for a bunch of unexplained symptoms.  Many believe Lyme is the cause of fibro.  What did he say would be the treatment for it?  

Good luck.

[JackieCalifornia]

Stay in touch and let us know how your treatment proceeds -- best wishes to you!