I still have a week to go until my dreaded and much anticipated trip to the doctor. I am scared to go afraid of what I will find out, Do I have fibro or something else. Or is this pain I am having all in my head. I am so confused and lost. I have never felt this way. I rub my neck sitting here and it is burning, I can't comphrehend this, I get so confused when I think, my memory is slowing up. I lose my words often and it ends up in an argument with my family. I stop to think and I stumble into a walk, thank GOD it is there or I might fall down. My eye starts to twitch as my nerves are getting the best of me. I am losing control and I dont like it. I have always had control.
I know what you mean. Everything you have mentioned sounds like fibro to me. I have had all the symptoms you've mentioned and then some. I pray you dr.visit goes well and you get the needed help. It is very hard when you realize that you can no longer do all that you have done in the past. Take a deep breath and try to relax. Easier said than done. I will be watching for a report on how your dr.visit went. I see a new dr. myself on March 15th. Blessings Sue
Hi CHELE , I saw your thank you on chat, and I responded, not sure if you saw it. I also sent you a friend request, id love it if you accept, then we can send each other messages. Once you accept I will send you a message & you can see that on your home page on the right side in the… IN BOX.
Please don’t think for one min, that its in your head… It’s real !!! However I know this is a very confusing time right now… It gets better, we have all been there, you can trust what I am saying !!
In order to have a proper diagnosis, your dr’ will have to rule out a lot of things, this takes time… While you are going through that period, educate yourself as best you can about your symptoms and other possible causes, ex. MS, arthritis, low iron, thyroid disease ect…
Most important finding a dr. That will work with you, believe you and listen, sometimes this process is exhausting & frustrating.
Also stay connected with us… There is so much support & information right here, research old discussions, look through profiles and send out friend requests. This sit has helped me so much!!! And has been such a blessing!
When you go to see your dr’ go with a list of your symptoms… Stay strong, and ask him/ her if they are willing to help you figure this out. Set up apt with specialist, rheumatologist, neurologist … Ect…
Being fearful is normal, but understand you won’t get a lot of ans. right away, what you want to determine in this visit if this dr’ is right for you, mention fibro, you will get a good idea of how knowledgable they are in one visit, and if they are willing to explore all your symptoms and help you.
CHELE I so totally understand that feeling of not being in control, and it stinks !!! But I can honestly say I am finally in a place where I have some control back… It was a hard road, but I am so much stronger emotionally now that I understand so many more things, now, that I know I’m not alone, I’m not crazy, and my team of dr’s that took me two years to build are on my side.
The war is on, and we fight each battle together !!! You will get through this, we will help you !
Hugs& blessings
dee
thank you so much dee for the incouraging words of wisdom, sue I thank you too. I am in a emotional worldwind right now. My pain is getting much worse, this is the longest the pain has lasted, I so am regreting my vacation last weekend. I think that is what has caused me to lose control of this situation. BUT I do believe in all things happen for a reason, I just wished I had that reason in my hands right now, I am a very impatient person, this is something else I have to work on, they say it is a virtue......
Hi Chele,
I am to the point after all of these years that I look forward to Dr appointments, yes, sounds strange, but I value them so much, and always have high hopes that there is a med or treatment that will help, maybe it's just a further explanation, and sometimes its just a kind word or laugh. I look through all of the 'hand outs' for different rheumatic conditions, and sometimes can come back and post info on a new med that can help someone else.
There is an understanding of what I am going through and what I'm up against that really bonds me to my Drs, they really know what that long list is all about, they are careful not to 'freak me out' by telling me too much at a time, but they know I need their honesty. The men that I have caring for me were born to be healers, and I hope that somewhere in you list of Drs there is one of those for you.
I hope that you will develop this kind of relationship with your Drs. It takes time in the trenches with them, none of this is easy to differentiate and they need time and tests to eliminate what you DON"T have, but if chronic pain causes fibro, like my Rheum tells me, then we all need further diagnosis.
The memory, comprehension, retention, my Rheum explained simply as chronic pain and lack of proper sleep from chronic pain. You can get into in-depth research and reasoning, but it simply comes down to pain. So now it's finding the cause of the pain.
Work on your list of symptoms, if you fill out a paper each time, write it down somewhere, or give it to them to just tape on you visit sheet, sometimes one or two small things we think are inconsequential are really paramount in diagnosing us.
Please let us know how it goes!
Wishing you well,
SK
Hi Chele, one thing I find really helpful when I go to my doctor is to make notes on what is happening. About four months ago, I finally got frustrated. I’d already been diagnosed, by 3 doctors including my GP, a rheumatologist, and an internal medicine specialist years ago, and had decided I just had to live with it , My fibro was getting worse, other than pain meds I wasn’t getting any help; then I joined this forum which made me realize there were other things that might improve the quality of life.
I went through the list of fibro symptoms, and made a list of the symptoms I had, and then pared it down to the things that affected my life the most. I also made sure I had a current list of my prescriptions, and put together a list of questions that I had for my GP, and made an appointment.
One of the problems in communicating with my doctor is that I usually under reported, or because of fibro fog, I forgot to tell or ask her about things, and she never really saw the whole picture at one time. As well, although she has gone through a lot of medical issues with me, I’m not sure she knows much about how to work with fibro patients. As a result of our discussion, she has scheduled me for a number of tests to rule out other problems which may exasperate the fibro or vice versa; is trying me on another fibro medicine, and referring me to a fibromyalgia clinic.
I really found that having a list of symptoms, meds (including vitamins or natural health products) and questions with me helped me communicate better and get the results I needed. It gives you a tool to help you and your doctor structure the meeting, and gives you some control and something to refer to if you run out of words.
Most of us have been in the confused state, I know I lose words, walk into walls occasionally lose my balance; walk awkwardly sometimes, forget what I did with something I just had, put things in the wrong places etc. Help is out there, we gain control through educating ourselves and our families, using this forum to understand the issues, doing what we need to, working with medical professionals to change what we can; and using humor, love and support from family, friends and this forum to deal with the things that can’t be changed.
Be prepared for your Doctor appointment, and don’t let him/her intimidate you. Please let us know how your appointment goes, and what assistance you’re getting. Hugs and blessings.