Question:
I have found myself
in a brand new situation. My fm. has been under control for many years now
with periodic flare-ups. I now find myself unable to work since July. I am
seeing my GP, Physiatrist, Counselor, Rumitoidoligist, and am now being sent
to a Neurologist. This is all after going through all the tests a
Gastroligist can put you through. I found myself with high blood pressure, a
racing mind, sleepless nights, severe depression, lack of balance (usually
falling or staggering to the right), head spinning or dizziness, tremors,
shakes, hands turning white in the cold (and I live in Arizona). I am now
on BP meds, 2 kinds of sleeping pills which I take double dose of both,
Lithium 2 tablets twice a day.
I still have no answers for the lack of balance, head spinning or dizziness,
tremors, shakes, and hands turning white in the cold.
If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.
Answer:
Do any of your doctors see a lot of fibromyalgia patients? There are a
lot of secondary conditions that often seen with fibromyalgia, and the more
experienced a doctor is with fibromyalgia patients, the more likely they would
be able to easily evaluate them. So if your present doctors are useless for
your new symptoms (which I would assume they are, if you haven't been able to
work since the summer), I would suggest getting a recommendation for a new
doctor, even one that you might have to travel a fair distance to see, so at
least get information that you could then give to your present doctor. Trying
to diagnose oneself can be a major source of stress in itself! :)
What conditions have your doctors ruled out, and what meds have you tried for
your new symptoms? Have you tried switching whatever meds you are taking for
sleep? Some meds, such as klonopin, can not only help sleep, but can also
help problems like tremors. There may be better meds for fibromyalgia than
you are on. Some people with fibromyalgia initially get by with certain meds,
but then have to switch when symptoms get worse.
Many people with fibromyalgia have problems such as Orthostatic Hypotension,
Neurally Mediated Hypotension, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome,
Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome, etc. You should find out if any of your
doctors are familiar with these syndromes and can evaluate whether you have
any of them. You can find lots of information about them on the web, so
might want to look them up to see if any or your symptoms match.
Many people with fibromyalgia also have different forms of hypoglycemia, some
of which can't be easily tested for, such as reactive hypoglycemia, and which
could be the cause of some of your symptoms. Many people have found various
symptoms have benefitted from a low carb diet.
Some people with fibromyalgia and mineral imbalances, i.e. not enough
potassium & especially magnesium. High blood pressure is one of the symptoms
of a mineral deficiency. Taking too much calcium without taking magnesium can
also lead to a magnesium deficiency. Taking BP meds would help the high blood
pressure, but not the other symptoms from the mineral imbalances. You might
want to try taking extra magnesium and/or potassium. Not enough potassium
and/or salt can also lead to low blood volume and could also be part of your
problem, especially if you are avoiding salt due to your BP problem. Do you
drink lots of water?
Have you had anyone do any hormone tests to make sure there isn't any hormonal
imbalance? Depression and sleep problems can be due to hypothyroidism, but
also other hormone conditions. Sometimes, even a subtle imbalance can affect
people with fibromyalgia, more so than the average person, i.e. some people
have benefited from thyroid T3 hormone supplementation, even if lab tests only
show a "low normal" level, rather than an actually below normal level. Of
course, doctor aren't willing to do that unless, perhaps, everything else has
failed to help you.
In any event, there are many different reasons for your symptoms, so hopefully
at least knowing this will give you some hope that you can find a solution to
your problems.
