Maybe I've asked this question before. Pardon my horrible brain these days.
I think I was born with some genetic disorder.......but since I'm 69, I guess it wasn't immediately fatal, for which I'm grateful........but I have suffered physically (and mentally), way too much in my long life.
Fibromyalgia is the kind of "syndrome" that can send you to doc after doc after doc, just trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I've been on way too many wild goose chases, had way too many tests, radiation, etc.
But here I am today, in more pain than ever. I also have osteoarthritis in every joint. I don't use meds much, since my system is so funky and they cause more problems than they are worth.
Another problem is that I don't trust many docs, and I have what you might call a phobia about going to them, especially now that I'm older.
Here's my present dilemma........I want to figure out which kind of doc to see first, that might rule out or deal with some other problems. (The footbone's connected to the kneebone; the kneebone's connected to the hipbone, etc.,) Docs these days know shit about the body as a whole or what connection their specialty might have to the rest of the body.
Anyhow.......I have bone-on-bone knees, bad feet, severely aching thighs, muscle spasms all over, bent fingers (osteoarthritis), TMJ, etc. And the last few weeks I've started having constant mid-back-to-the-side pain (and now an eye that won't stop tearing....but that's low down on my list of pains).
So........it seems to me that I might have a lower spine problem, even though an MRI several months ago was fairly normal (for an old fart).
My one leg is shorter than the other. (Hahaha......I'm laughing to myself here, from this image I have just painted of myself). Yes, I look like either Quasimodo or Grandpappy Amos when I walk.
My possible choices for who to see first are: Podiatrist, knee doc, hip doc, spine doc, sports medicine doc (who might be slightly more likely to consider other parts, in addition to his "specialty" within sports medicine. He/she may also be more likely to encourage physical therapy.) Then there's some other types to maybe see (chiro, acupuncture, etc.)
I'm just trying to get some varied opinions about which thing to approach first. Whatever "specialty" I go to first, will no doubt order MRIs, surgeries, injections, etc., etc., ........without much thought for the neighboring joints, so I want to proceed with caution.
Then there's the problem of my fears/phobias to see anyone. I'm feeling like quite a loser these days.