# Advice please



## 20680 (Apr 8, 2006)

To cut a long story short, I have had severe IBS symptoms for a couple of years, made worse this year by major life stress. I have had all the tests/scans and these were ok.However, there have always been lurking "background" symptoms which have got much worse recently. I had a severe bout of flu and a chest infection earlier this year and am suffering bereavement as my wife died also earlier this year.These are as follows,NauseaBrain fog (severe)Sleep problemsTerrible tiredness/ stiffness in morningsConstant fatigue/tirednessEasily tired/breathless when excercising/doing choresSore legs (often)Painful shoulders/collar bone areaBurning pain in back (sometimes)Tight sinuses/breathing (often)Flu like feelingSlight temperature/face burning (often)Agitation/AnxietyCould this be something like ME/FM or is it likely to be part of the IBS symptoms? I am on an AD called citalopram, which has helped a bit with the gut symptoms.I would appreciate some help.


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

Hi Hampshirebear!Well, this is kind of a hard question to answer. My first thought, as I read your list - Well, I noticed that you said you aren't sleeping well. Honestly, all of your symptoms COULD be caused by lack of appropriate, adequate sleep.I read a book not too long ago that was about sleep disorders. The doctors who wrote the book did an experiment. They had a group of patients who they deprived of (adequate) sleep for a period of time.At the end of that time period, each of the patients (who had previously been healthy) had each and every symptom of Fibromyalgia Syndrome. But, that being said, the doctors knew that it wasn't truly Fibromyalgia Syndrome. It was the physical manifestations of sleep deprivation. At the end of the experiment, the patients were again allowed to sleep, and each recovered fully from their symptoms.So, all that shows is that lack of sleep can make you sick. And lack of sleep could cause you to suffer from every symptom you listed, AND every symptom listed on the "Fibro Checklist". That's just one idea.On the other hand, having an already compromised body system (such as one would have with IBS, or having some chronic "background symptoms" as you mentioned, etc), and then on top of it, suffering acute, severe stress (such as when one would lose a spouse) can very well trigger the onset of Fibromyalgia Syndrome.I have a very good friend, in fact, who developed FMS after a VERY severe explosion and fire she was in. The doctors considered it "Post-Traumatic-Stress Fibromyalgia". So, that's just another idea.I'm not sure if anything I've mentioned will actually be of much help to you, but they're just a couple of things that popped into my head quickly. I would suggest you keep a detailed log of your symptoms, and definitely approach your doctor about them. It will kind of probably be a search and destroy mission, in the sense that it might take a while to find the root cause of your symptoms, but eventually something will help. Make sure and let us know how you're getting on! I hope that maybe some of the info I've shared might help point you in a direction that's helpful!


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## 20680 (Apr 8, 2006)

Thanks M&M, that is very helpful. My symptoms are quite severe at the moment, so it is hard to get a restful sleep. Even when they have not been so bad, I was not getting a refreshing sleep and I wake up exhausted.My main worry is that if the symptoms get worse, it will be very difficult to keep working. I have been off a lot in the past year as it is.


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

I can imagine! Between your physical symptoms, and everything else on your plate!You might want to ring your doctor first off, to at least address your sleep issue.There are lots of meds out now that help with sleep. Two prescriptions I've tried are Sonata and Ambien. Now, Ambien even has a new formulation called "Ambien Controlled Release". When I first started seeing my doctors many years ago, the first thing he addressed was my sleep. He said nothing else will help until that gets a little better.I sure hope you can get something figured out that will help, even if it's just a little. Not sleeping makes it truly impossible to live your life!


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