I have a few symptoms that I am unsure about. It's mostly the "is it Fibro or is it something else" issue.
So. Today, I was doing marathon laundry washing, since my week has been long and things just piled up. The usual troubles start when I start hanging my clothes up to dry. Everytime I do chores while standing, my whole back starts to burn and tense really bad. It doesn't matter what it is, hanging clothes, cooking, standing around doing nothing but watching the kids at work play...
I can't really tell if it's because my muscles are way underdeveloped or if it's the Fibro... or a bit of both. But I guess when simply standing up straight for a little while hurts, it's not.. entirely normal. I love swimming, but swimming breaststroke (is this the right word?) hurts my back after a while, too. I usually just let myself float around in warmer water (we have a few warmwater swimming pools where I live, it's awesome).
This is probably the most awful kind of n00b question, but I actually really don't know... Is the fibro pain directly connected to working one's muscles? I'm very untrained, I admit, but somehow, I can't quite believe that even the task of pushing a light 4-kids-baby-buggy hurts my arms and my back just because I lack muscles/training.
I feel a little silly for asking such basic questions XD
Does any of you have troubles with certain foods? Sometimes I can stomach the oddest things, and on some days, I eat a little portion of really easy food and I feel like someone blew up a balloon just under my ribs. Also, horrible list of food allergies.
A very warm Welcome to our group - it's the best place to get answers for ALL questions - none of which could ever be silly or too basic.
Any time you have persistent unexplained pain it could, indeed be L' Beast Fibro.
But, since you've been only recently diagnosed and are just discovering the constantly new and weird tricks Fibro plays with your body and mind it's imperative to see an MD.
Now, in the beginning of your exploration, the types of MDs you should consult are:
Your GP
A Rheumatologist
A Neurologist - just for a consultation, you probably won't need to see her/him more than once or a few times. (By the way, N's are notoriously lacking in sympathy & bedside manner - it's not you - these MDs just have NO people skills and tend to come across as both arrogant and cold.)
A therapist or Psychiatrist
Above anything else, try to find out if the MD(s) you're considering work(s) heavily with Fibro sufferers.
As you're a rookie, you should checkout these discussions: The Spoon Theory, A Letter to"Normals" & Hi! My Name is Fibromyalgia. All are, and will continue to be, extremely helpful.
Lastly, Yes, I have both the back pains and food problems you mention - so, you're not alone.You still need to get 'em checked out.
Yeppers, I agree with mama suz. Fibro does affect your muscles, from what I have been told by docs and from my own research. And, as I am now finding out, your muscles can weaken pretty quickly from inactivity. You should try to do some type of aerobic exercise almost every day- walking, biking, swimming. And I have recently, 3 days ago, started yoga, which is way more demanding than I ever thought it was. If you exude to do yoga, do beginners and start slow. I could barely walk after the first day and I only did 15 minutes. I hope this was helpful. But, as mama suz says, make sure you talk to your doc and make sure it’s not something else. Good luck and enjoy that warm water pool.