Tony,
your experiences & testing interests me greatly.
The more I read of experiences on these blogs, the more suspicion I have that my diagnosis of Fibromyalgia in May 2006 is not the whole story.
I can identify with so many symtoms of CFS as well. I know many physicians believe the two syndromes overlap (while some believe they are two names of the same thing).
Many symptoms which my GP & I have automatically connected to my 3 prolapsed discs in Sept 2005 actually mirror those of recents CFS posts. Eg in recent weeks, my right leg keeps giving way for no obvious reason when walking. It's like the surgically trimmed back lumbar disc has bulged out again & is cutting the circulation & blood supply to the sciatic nerve. The bulk of this disc was surgically removed in June 2008. But the actual feeling of this seemingly paralysed right leg also mirrors that on a recent post. But it doesn't last long. Around Christmas 2007, I kept dropping things (no cups & saucers left at home now) - I solved this problem with squeeze ball exercises every day for 3 weeks. The tingling or numbness in my fingers/hands have virtually gone now.
There is also my lactose intolerance, gluten sensitivities (the colonoscopy in Feb 2004 revealed no cealiac disease), thyroid issues my GP keeps ordering tests (the Endocrinologist said all my thyroid tests were normal in Nov 2006), MCS & a multitude of other symptoms which have actually never been completely assessed properly because I've gotten so used to them that I never realised they were abnormal until I starting reading the Blogs on THIS site.
ProHealth & other sites viewed over the last 3 years never really hit home to me how many symptoms I really have.
Since it was a muscular/skeletal physician who did the nerve blocks on my chronic lumbar pain who finally made the FM diagnosis (after testing my tender points & take a more thorough history), I wonder if I should go further with more tests & diagnosis.
I was so disappointed with the Rheumatologist who specialises in FM (who really didn't seem to know that much compared to what I've read on US & UK websites) who I saw a couple of times. He referred me for a six week course of physio, OT etc (where I was so disgusted with the attitude of the therapists I only went 3 times). I got only about 10 minutes treatment for the 2 1/2 hours it took me to get there after work, treatment & then get home around 8.00pm at night. I was so exhausted at the time, & having seen many physios over the years for treatment of injuries/surgeries, knew almost straight away they were lazy & incompetent. I couldn't get through to them that my lower back pain was so excruciatingly painful I couldn't do the exercises they demonstrated.
What was really annoying was that I used to do many of these exercises some years ago - every morning ie over 30 stretches X some 600 repetitions. I used to power walk about 10 hours per week. Back in early 2003, I was probably more flexible & fitter that your average athlete. I had been to several excellent physios after ankle surgery & other ortho solf tissue injuries, tennis elbow (which was probably FM now that I know so much). I could never make these "Rehab" therapists understand that I used to do all their exercises & couldn't do them any more. They thought I wasn't trying. And the main physio assigned to my case put an ice pack on my lower back which only illicited more pain. She didn't believe me when I said a heat pack (or hot water bottle) worked better for me. She claimed that she knew best.
I am wondering if I should follow your lead getting the fructose malabsorption tests & so on.
But then, I would start the whole medical/financial roller coaster again & as I haven't yet paid off my two lots of back surgery last year, wonder if I should embark on a new round of financial debts.
How did you start your search for an accurate diagnosis? How did you choose your doctor?
Since we both live in Melbourne, it makes sense to direct my questions to you.
Perhaps you've already typed your story & I've missed it. Working full-time & making brief scans of the blogs before I leave work leaves me a little short on who & what has happened during each day's posts.
As I discussed with Jody (off line), I think alot of my symptoms have cleared up by diet & supplements. Even the vitamin D recommended by my Endocrinologist in Nov 2006 seems to have made substantial improvements.
Is your local doctor the key to your diagnosis, or some other doctor which you had read about & subsequently followed up?
Victoria
Paracea Forte worked amazingly well then! Of course I'm now wondering if it would do the same for me...it's worth a shot.
