I have posted to other discussions before introducing myself to the group, my apologies. I just very much wanted to share info on some of the topics/questions on this board. I'm glad I finally found an active forum site for fibromyalgia.
I am a soon to be 55 year old. I have two grown children and no grandchildren—yet ;) I received my designation of disability from Social Security in 2013. I was diagnosed with FM in the early 1990’s. I, like a lot of people at that time, was run through the gamut of blood tests to see what was wrong. When those turned up negative, they put me through the “crazy” tests. Turns out, I was saner than the people administering the tests! LOL
Along with the FM, or some possibly because of it—“side symptoms” as my old doc use to call it—I have TMJ, degenerative disc disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Bursitis, PTSD (from 3 major traumas), Irritable Bowel Syndrome, “Sensitive” stomach, Vertigo, Brain Fog and the list goes on. The one blood work-up that my current doctor was able to do before I lost my insurance showed that I was VERY positive (her words) for 3 ANA’s. I’ve known since I was 21 that my sed rate was positive for RA. Fortunately, it has waited till this point in my life to exert itself. My doctor suspects that the third ANA might be lupus. However, I do not exhibit all the symptoms of this.
I do have damage to my lower back, although I was told it is only soft tissue issues, from a train wreck that I was in when I was 19. I should have had problems with my neck from that wreck, also, had it not been for divine intervention. I have also sustained 3 concussions. Of those, only one was diagnosed as severe.
I look forward to getting to know the people here and learning from them more about this horrid disease and how to handle it.