I feel horrible...........

[flowerseverywhere]

“I eat relatively healthy”

that stuck out to me. Is there a possibility of a food allergy or intolerance?

food today contains all kinds of altered chemicals, pesticides and so on. The gluten we eat today is nothing like what our ancestors ate. All these protein bars and drinks, processed cereals and grains, gmos, artificial sweeteners, colors and preservatives cannot be good for us.

Why don’t you try keeping a food journal just in case there could be a correlation. if There is no obvious correlation nothing is lost.

I just suggest that because if I eat as clean as I possibly can, organic fruit and vegetables, cage free organic eggs, full fat organic dairy, hormone and antibiotic free meat that roamed in a field and was not injected with any solutions, nothing with a label or packaged, no added natural or artificial sweeteners no gluten I feel far superior, have way more energy a very big difference.

For instance a meal of baked highest quality chicken I can find, with baked potato, high quality butter, fresh steamed green beans and an apple for dessert. A meatloaf full of vegetables and organic field grown beef, sweet potatoes and fresh vegetables. Organic steel cut oats for breakfast. Homemade vegetable and bean soup for lunch. Hard boiled eggs with fresh greens. Full fat organic yogurt with fresh fruit. Once you start taking out the natural fat of dairy and adding chemicals and gums and artificial sugars it defeats the purpose.

Treats do do not make us feel better for long yet we are all brainwashed that we deserve it and it makes us feel better. The highest quality unprocessed organic food closest to the way it was meant to be raised full of natural vitamins, protein and fiber has to be the best thing for us. Our bodies deserve it.

[Gardenarian]

Cathy, that is just terrible. I don't have fibromyalgia but my close friend has and it is a beast. She has an identical twin sister, and she has it too. Lyrica helped the sister but not my friend.

She finds anti-anxiety drugs (xanax I think) to be more helpful than antidepressants. She gets regular massages (her insurance will pay for them as she gets them from a physical therapist.) She also gets cortisone shots for certain areas. She spends a lot of time in her hot tub.

I can't come close to imagining having depression and fibromyalgia together. I'm just so sorry.

[JaneV2.0]

“I eat relatively healthy”

that stuck out to me. Is there a possibility of a food allergy or intolerance?
...
...

Good point. I remember Cathy did better without some foods in a previous experiment. Might be time to revisit that. Food can be healing--or the opposite--and our microbiomes are largely in charge.

[SteveinMN]

I'm sorry to hear of that, Cathy.

I have a relative with fibromyalgia and some other illnesses. She experienced a marked degradation in how she felt each day. Visiting a doctor who would attribute the changes to something other than the worsening of existing conditions took a surprising amount of time (as someone in this thread already noted). But she finally got to one. The doctor's call is that my relative experienced a flareup of an illness that has as its precursor a childhood disease (the way chicken pox and shingles are related). So far, treating that illness has addressed the latest degradation).

I mention this not as a long-distance diagnosis but rather as an illustration of how seemingly-unrelated prior health incidents can play into current health. I also will echo the suggestion to find a clinic like Mayo or Cleveland Clinic where all the care and diagnosis can be coordinated rather than spread out over time and many unrelated specialists.

[Lainey]

I've read several accounts of people suffering some of these symptoms and it later turned out to be Lyme disease.
I know you've had many tests, but just thought I'd mention it.

Also adding a +1 to the suggestion of a Mayo clinic or similar complete re-evaluation. It's not as expensive as some would think, but your mental and physical health are worth it. Best to you, Cathy.

[Zoe Girl]

The food thing is also an important factor, I have found that alternative medicine DR's are better at this. However for my kids and myself I had to do all of the work myself unless it was a severe peanut allergy. I found out I had fructose intolerance! It can also be common with the gluten issues, but I have not had to have a gluten free diet.

I am disappointed in how many people I know who have to do their own work and get diagnoses through family members with illnesses that run in famlies. Not cool

[Simplemind]

I have been diagnosed with Fibro and have been dealing with it for about 20 years. I was chasing aches and pains as you have been and after awhile just stopped looking into them after being told over and over that it was Fibro and I needed to accept it and deal with it. I have been given drug cocktails for years. After I retired a few years back I really took on my health as job one. I walked the talk. I was surprised because I wasn't seeing a budge in symptoms. After an endoscopy for yet another ulcer the doctor made a comment "You really need to get your stress under control". Actually, I didn't have anything to feel stressful about. I was doing everything to combat that (Exercise, diet, Yoga, Mindfullness, Massage, Accupuncture etc..) The only thing that none of the doctors ever questioned was the meds I was on. Each doctor would always ask at the beginning of the appointment but never questioned who put me on what and why and how long. I finally started researching that and decided to take myself off. Oh.... my.......GOD. So much of what I have been experiencing has been drug related. As soon as I stopped Xanax my stomach problems cleared up within a week and I haven't needed so much as a Tums since. My sleep was terrible and I have apnea but after finally getting off Ambien I am getting naturally tired in the evening and sleeping normally. Doctors are prescribing meds and not discussing possible side effects. Xanax should never be taken for more than two weeks. Dependency can kick in even sooner for some people. Getting off is very difficult. Sleep drugs are not much different and many muscle relaxers (a fave for Fibro patients) work by the same mechanism. They work for awhile and then begin to cause the same problems that you took them for in the beginning. Doctors will misinterpret that as you needing a higher dose or adding something else on top of it. It is crazy. Coming off isn't easy but I was determined. I'm 10 months off everything now and feeling better every day. I still have Fibro symptoms but they are a walk in the park compared to what they were when I was taking a handful of meds. I basically followed the protocol that we used for my husband after his stroke. He was great support for me. I'm thankful to have my life back. Research all your meds, look up support groups with members dealing with problems with them. When you start reading information from users as opposed to doctors (who probably wouldn't be caught dead using what they are tossing out) you will see you have a lot in common.

[JaneV2.0]

Thank you Simplemind, for illustrating my point above. I heard a doctor once say that his father (also a doctor) told him "All drugs have side effects, and they're often worse than the conditions they were prescribed to treat. My advice is to avoid them if at all possible."

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone. My system has been so complicated since I was little. I don't think I'll consider Mayo or Cleveland clinic. I've known people who went to both and got no help. Strange, how I've heard so often (even from a neurologist), that many people who have fibromyalgia, have been abused in some way as children........like it's a permanent reaction to stress.

I was given an acupuncturist's name by my dentist, who liked her a lot. I may check her out. But I've heard you might have to go a lot, before you know if it might help.
I have 2 conditions (fibro and osteoarthritis) that pretty much wreck every part of your body......except major organs, thankfully.

I also have a doctor/test phobia. Yes, DH is a doctor, but he has trouble being a doctor to his relatives. I, on the other hand, love using my nursing skills on everyone.......but everyone is different in what they feel comfortable with.
I've told DH a number of times that if he had my symptoms, I'd be doing a lot more for him in helping to figure this out. It's like he doesn't know how to help. At least he can order tests for me.

But maybe there's nothing to figure out. Maybe some of us just get the short stick as far as genes/life experiences. My brother was a drug addict when he was younger. He went through years of rehab. He retired 2 years ago, bought a huge RV and spends almost every day hiking and biking out west. And here I am, having led a good life, eating right, no drugs, and I have trouble walking and am in tons of pain. Go figure. I tell DH, "I should have done drugs".

I try to stay away from "bad" food.......like I try to avoid potatoes and bread, since they give me problems. Some dairy bothers me, while different kinds doesn't. I try to limit sugar.......which is VERY hard for me.

I think I eat too much, even of good stuff. My mother told me once "When you were an infant, I fed you every 4 hours. If you screamed the whole time, you just had to wait." Thanks mom. I think I've been feeling starved ever since.

I'm only on a tiny dose of a beta blocker and sertraline. I keep refusing to go on a different SSRI, and I'm sure it irritates my doc, but I have a hard time handling the things it does to my mind. I've had so much pain lately, and depression because of it, I'm almost feeling open to taking something. The doc wanted me to take Cymbalta, since it supposedly works on pain too. Anyone take it?

I'm wondering if a lot of this is from my bone-on-bone knee. It hurts a lot and has hurt for years. Some people think I'm stupid for not getting a replacement, but I don't want one. Period. I would be interested in the stem-cell thing, if I live long enough for it to be more widely available.

But I'm wondering.........with fibromyalgia, is all this other pain everywhere else, just a reaction to that bad knee?

It's a very difficult place to be in, to need so much doctoring, but have a phobia about docs and tests. This just started up with menopause. Before that, I didn't hesitate to see docs and have tests.

I will definitely check out the CBD oil, since it's now legal here. Have any of you ever heard of the CBD cream?

I'm really trying to do things, but it's hard. DS is getting married in 2 weeks, then I will go see the ortho doc. But I have the feeling he'll say......"nothing left but a knee replacement". I would be open to even having surgery to somehow straighten out my lower leg. The doc who "trimmed" my meniscus in that knee 12 years ago failed to tell me that my lower leg would probably bow out.....which it did, and then that cause a lot of foot problems. Don't these guys know that the foot bone is connected to the knee bone and the knee bone's connected to the thigh bone, and......................

Man.........I'm whining too much! Sorry.

Thanks for listening.

[JaneV2.0]

A friend used CBD oil topically plus an edible combination for insomnia; she said she had the first full night's sleep in forever. (Mr. Moxey's mints plus Luminous products Earth Blend. https://www.luminousbotanicals.com/ )