# What I am Feeling



## knothappy (Jul 31, 1999)

I am 64 and of yrs have had extreme fatigue, pains all my body and a feeling of at times "not being withit" like my mind is not working right. I have yet to find a dr who will say I have fibro. I have chest pain, but feel as though all mychest muscles are sore and aching. I am very disgusted, my Dr now gave me Ultram for pain, I am afraid to take it because I am very medicaton sensitive, I have bad side effects ...also I have dizziness and IBS diarreha......help I am one big mess!!!


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

Hi Knothappy!I am so sorry that you haven’t seemed to have gotten many answers from your doctor as to what’s going on with your body! It’s so hard sometimes to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, and figure out exactly what is wrong.Has your doctor done any tests to rule out any specific illnesses or diseases? Or does your doctor dismiss your symptoms entirely?I’m thinking, if your doctor is currently trying to help you find the cause of your symptoms, it may be good to just keep pushing him/her to keep looking for the cause. But if he/she is just blowing your symptoms off, it might be time to find a new doctor! One who actually takes your symptoms seriously, and wants to figure out what is causing them.From the symptoms you describe, it could easily be Fibromyalgia, but at the same time, it could be a number of other illnesses too. I think maybe it might be good to try to get a 2nd opinion, maybe even from a Rheumatologist. (They’re the treating specialists for Fibro.)Then, you could either diagnose it as Fibro, and start the appropriate treatments, or you could at least rule Fibro out, and figure out what is going on – and then start the appropriate treatment for that.This happens so often, and it just frustrates me so much! Patients come in with symptoms, but hit brick walls, and their doctors give up on them. I hope you will keep pushing, something is obviously going wrong in your body, and if you can figure out what it is, you might be able to get some good relief!I hope this helps, at least a little.


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## cyndiew (Jun 16, 2007)

knothappy said:


> I am 64 and of yrs have had extreme fatigue, pains all my body and a feeling of at times "not being withit" like my mind is not working right. I have yet to find a dr who will say I have fibro. I have chest pain, but feel as though all mychest muscles are sore and aching. I am very disgusted, my Dr now gave me Ultram for pain, I am afraid to take it because I am very medicaton sensitive, I have bad side effects ...also I have dizziness and IBS diarreha......help I am one big mess!!!


Hi Knothappy,So sorry to hear of your plight! I can identify with how you're feeling, as it took 13 years for me to get a diagnosis. I got fibro in 1980 and was not diagnosed until 1993. I felt so alone. I used to keep asking my co-workers, "Do you ache all over your body?" or, "You hurt all over like me, don't you?" Their answer was always, "No." I thought it was just the first part of growing old. I was 33.How long have you been seeing doctors for this problem, and has it been one doctor or more than one? If it has been just one, definitely seek out another doctor's opinion. Even if it's been more than one. And as M&M said, a rheumatologist is your best bet. And, whatever you do, DON'T let them ship you off to a psychiatrist! That is what my primary care doctor did to me about 10 or 12 years ago. It used to be that the doctors didn't know what to do with a fibromyalgia patient, so they figured they were all hypochondriacs and they sent them to the shrink. I do hope they aren't still doing this type of disservice to patients today, but I don't know. It is NOT all in your head. It is real, and you deserve to have help in coping with this illness.You've come to the right place for support. You can find lot of answers to your various questions by using the search feature, and you will also find it beneficial to compare notes with this board's very kind members.Welcome!Cyndie


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## knothappy (Jul 31, 1999)

Thank you for a great replys Cyndie, and M&M Ihave been going to one general practice doctor for a long time and he does not refer you to rheumotologists unless you have tried every option he has and I cannot take a lot of the nsaids he gives , Ihave IBS..and the rhemos around here will not take you without a referral!! I am going to make an appt with another dr to see if he can do more for me.


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## cyndiew (Jun 16, 2007)

knothappy said:


> Thank you for a great replys Cyndie, and M&M Ihave been going to one general practice doctor for a long time and he does not refer you to rheumotologists unless you have tried every option he has and I cannot take a lot of the nsaids he gives , Ihave IBS..and the rhemos around here will not take you without a referral!! I am going to make an appt with another dr to see if he can do more for me.


Hello again, Knothappy,Well, as you may well know, IBS and fibromyalgia go hand in hand for most people; with a few extras thrown in too, like depression, back troubles such as DDD, and so on. For your IBS you would need to see a gastroenterologist, and for the fibro you need the rheumatologist. Check your insurance to see whether you must have a referral or whether you have the right to go to whatever doctor you choose. If you MUST get a referral (or the rheumys in your area will not see you without one--which is odd) and your primary care doctor will not give you the referral(s) you need, then it's time to get a new PC doc. Do not waste any more time on him. For far too long fibromyalgia patients have been kicked around, disbelieved, ignored, etc. You need to be your own advocate and do what ya' gotta' do. Take action for yourself toward getting some relief from that pain because it's not going away by itself.Good luck, and keep us posted.Cyndie


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