So I went to see my GP doc last week. The past several months I’ve been feeling lousy, no energy, pain levels going up, etc. And with a history of cancer in my family, and considering I’ll be 40 next year, I figured it’s time I start getting some serious baseline tests done. He ordered a ton of bloodwork and referred me to a GI doc for a colonoscopy.
Over the weekend, while helping a friend move to Ohio, I tripped up there and severely sprained my ankle. Spent the few hours before my return flight to Florida in a Columbus ER. Lucky me.
My follow-up with my GP was yesterday, and he starts out by saying that he wished all his patients had such “perfect” test results. I was hoping he’d say you have hypothyroidism, here’s a pill, but no.
He thinks I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
*That thunk was the sound of my head hitting the desk in frustration.*
The good news is, however, that he’s starting me on Cymbalta to see if that helps some of my symptoms. And as I start researching FM and CFS and looking at things others have reported about them, yeah, there’s a huge chunk of stuff about me that fits that diagnosis. Not exactly the diagnosis I would have wanted, but it beats a lot of others I guess. So a new phase of my life is beginning, and I’m heading to the bookstore tonight to add to my knowledge base. I hate feeling like this. Hubby has been so good over the past few months as my energy as tanked and I haven’t been able to do a fraction of what I normally feel I should be able to do, goddess bless him. And he’s just relieved to have any diagnosis that gives us a direction to head in. And I guess I should be thankful that my doctor does believe in FM and CFS because apparently a lot of docs don’t.
That’s been my crazy week. 🙂
And a new chapter begins.
I think I have CFS as well. I also have had tons of tests done, and although my thyroid is on the high side of normal, it’s not overactive. I am *constantly* tired. It doesn’t matter if I get 6 hours or 12 hours of sleep, I still feel the same every day. I take a multi-vitamin and try to eaty healthy, but nothing seems to make me feel better. Some days I’d kill just to be energetic for once. I hope you start to feel better; hopefully the cymbalta will give you a bit of a boost. Take care 🙂
Thanks Meghan. I bought a ton of books last night and skimming through symptom lists, there’s a lot of symptoms I thought had nothing to do with this that I also have. Like chronically low bp, temperature regulation issues, tinnitus, and a lot of other stuff. It was almost easier to check the stuff I DIDN’T have on the lists. LOL
I had some similar issues a couple years ago and started with a chiropractor. She had me tested for Vitamin D levels and we found out I extremely low. Did they test you for that? If not, have them do it. I got on supplements and feel so much better. There is some controversy over what the appropriate levels are too and how much supplement you can take. I had similar symtpms to Fibromyalgia and CFS. I still take a supplement called FibroEase which is also wonderfu. I hope you feel better soon.
I have Lupus as well as Fibro, so I can definitely relate to what you are going through. It can be hard to explain to people just how overwhelming the fatigue can be. Some days it hurts just to put a finger on the keyboard. Hopefully the Cymbalta will help. I will keep you in my thoughts. I don’t know if you have checked it out yet, but there is fantabulous website for people with a chronic illness:
http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com they have tons of info and support available.
I’m sorry to read about your diagnosis. However, sometimes putting a name to and having a professional acknowledge what’s wrong with you can be a bit of a relief.
I have rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. I’d caution you to be careful with all of the medication that could be coming your way. The side effects of many of the medications can be horrible; sometimes it’s hard to tell if I’m feeling poorly because of the disease or because of the meds. Cymbalta was particularly terrible and getting off of it was one of the worst experiences of my life. But others have found it to be a life-saver.
I wish you luck on this not-so fun journey.