# Great, now I've got another syndrome, and another part of the BB to frequent..



## atp (Jan 18, 2001)

I was told today that I have fibromyalgia, most likely. Does it have to be diagnosed by a rhuematologist? I saw a physician's assistant today because my regular dr. is out, and he has IBS, fibro, TMJ, etc... He doesn't get the bad menstrual cramps tho







He didn't check all the pressure points, but some of them. And he made some fine scratches on my forearm, which turned into raised rows and a red area, which is another indicator, I guess.This is rather a surprise to me!! Altho looking at some articles he gave me to read, it makes sense! I especially get achy in cold temps, or in over-air conditioned buildings, and weather changes give me weird aches and headaches. I thought I just got all these muscle aches from stress...physical and emotional.Well, I'm going to go back to reading the info the doc gave me...I'm still rather surprised! No one ever mentioned this to me before!Any advice, tips, etc. for a newly diagnosed person? I've been reading some of the older threads on here...some interesting stuff. And I'm only 23...the IBS and achiness already had me feeling old...







If I do have this, I think I've had it for a while. I read that it sometimes follows a viral infection... I got a bad virus, that sure seemed like mono, but didn't test positive for that, when I was 15. I was flat on my back for a week, and pretty much recovering the whole summer. I had my tonsils and adenoids out at the end of the summer, and they were full of infection. I still had a low grade infection at that point, and had my good and bad days that whole summer. <sigh> I already had sinus problems before that, but they continued.I'm also very interested in the possible links between IBS, FMS, and sinus problems. Postnasal drip is just a regular occurance for me...


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## weener (Aug 15, 2000)

Welcome Atp to the fm board. I was diagnosed with fm by a rheumatologist 9 years ago, but feel that I've had this since l986. Rheumy's are supposedly the specialist in this syndrome, but I believe that it is still a mystery to the medical profession. The arm scratching sounds like they were testing for allergies. I did not have this test done. The weather does affect the fm. I find that hot humid weather and damp cold weather affects the way that I feel. Try to not get cold. It seems once the cold hits the body it stiffens up and all the muscles tighten up. Learn to take a lot of breaks, pace yourself. For headaches and pain I use extra strength tylenol (althought I must admit tht it doesn't always help), but my tummy is sensitive to other pain meds. I also go for walks and do yoga and am in a hydrotherapy exercise group now. Gentle stretching exercises are great for fm'ers. I also take a warm bath before bedtime to help me relax and hopefully get a good nights sleep. How are you sleeping at night? Ah, yes I can relate to the sinus problem. Chronic sinusitis here. I use Nasonex and a saline spray. FM is such a mystery and it's through trying different things ie) exercises, meds, vitamins, supplements that you will hopefully find some relief. The members on this board are a great group of people. Very caring and willing to share and listen. Here are a couple of other sites on fm: http://www.sover.net~devstar/ http://www.muhealth.org/~fibro/index.html Please let us know how you are doing.


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