Question:
I just received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (drove several hours from my
home to a rheumy I waited 8 months to see) after about five years of
going from doctor to doctor. He's says I'm over 35% disabled, whatever
that means. Do the bottoms of anybody's feet hurt? Is that part of the
disease? Does your back hurt between your shoulder blades? Just how
serious is this firbomyalgia and what do I have to look forward to?
Answer:
My fibro pain varies. I have weakness in my knees, pain in my feet
when I overdo it, occasional chest pain, and back pain from h--l.
When I was 12, I injured my back in a tumbling accident and it's never
been the same; it flares up dramatically sometimes now that I'm older.
Right now, I'm dealing with my hands. I'm a network engineer and
computer support person; I make my living with my hands typing rapidly
across a keyboard. Sunday, I struggled to open a new jar of jelly for
my 5-1/2-yr-old stepdaughter. I've had pain in my hands ever
since--at noon will be the start of day three. I tried to stay off
the codeine last night--it's been three days since a dose--but by
midnight, when the aches got so bad I couldn't stand it AND I was
coughing from the remnants of a severe cold, I took half a dose. It
combined with my Doxepin and I was out for the rest of the night.
Bliss.
Still, I'm quite fortunate; I have a great doctor who never hesitates
to see me or give me therapies to try and understands pain management.
He worked hard to diagnose my FM when lots of doctors would have given
up, especially when all the tests--infection, virus, RA, etc.--came
back negative. Here's hoping you have similar good experiences with
your new doctor.
