Hi Jenn,
My symptoms are similar to yours , I am 48 and have had FMS for 23 yrs
It does sound like fibro to me.. but all auto immune illnesses seem to have similar symptoms.
I sympathise with you as I know how you feel, like I keep telling my hubby if I was a dog I would be humanely 'put down' as no one could stand to see an animal suffer this never ending pain and fatigue.
On the weekend I found a link to a site thats interesting. Its a veterinarian that has suffered with FMS,CFS and other illnesses for some time now.
He has found a 'cure' for himself the first time in four years he is free from pain meds and has the energy to do things he was unable to do for so long. All the information is there, no books to buy, no advertising, no garbage like the other doctors site ( I found there you have to buy this test that book etc)
This guy just wants to let everyone suffering pain to be free from it like he is now. As I say I only found it yesterday and one girl on another FMS site says she is now 95% free from fibro pain following his advice.
Okay now the hard part - no it isnt going to cost you anything in more pills or concoctions.. this doctor believes we have intolerances to food . He recommends a total gluten free and dairy free diet. Well I love my wholegrain braed and my yoghurts but I am desperate to find anything to ease my suffering.
I started it yesterday! as what have i got to lose ?? We are in catch 22, we are in so much pain and fatigue we cannot excercise (when we do we are in ten times more pain for weeks)
yes the pounds pile on especially at our age, I am perimenopausal which again is supposed to make losing weight harder at this time.
Take a look and make up your own mind. I admire the man for taking so much of his time to make all this information freely available to all.
His site is DoctorJ ( fibro fog I cant remember if I can post the actual site address here or not!) Just do a google search and it will come up under his name. Whilst he is a vet , his site will give info for pets and humans and he actually asks for feedback from people and any questions you may have so very accessible.
Heres a snippet from the site -
(BTW he asks people to copy and use and freely distribute his writings in order to help everyone possible..)
So, I know you're ready to tackle this issue now, right? Like so many things, starting out is most of the battle. The really cool thing about the "elimination diet" is that positive results often (in fact, usually) occur quickly...very quickly in many cases. I noticed a difference on day FOUR of eliminating wheat. I awoke with the distinct feeling that I didn't need coffee that morning for the first time in twenty-something years. By the end of the first week, I felt like a new man...my heartburn was gone, my intestines were quiet, and my head was clearer than it had been in years. By the end of the month, my pain was gone. Wow! Now, after nearly four years, my insomnia, IBS, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and even my allergies are all gone. I am prescription drug free for the first time in my adult life and feel better than I did when I was twelve. This is all totally explainable and I know that it can happen for millions and millions of people around the world...thus my passion.
All it takes is a little step of faith and a commitment to sacrifice for a short while to see results. Then, the results become the motivating factor to keep going. It becomes a self-fulfilling process in the opposite direction...an unwinding of the ever-tightening "spiral" in which we find ourselves today. You can do it. Anyone CAN do it. It is just a matter of believing it and being motivated enough to try .....
Hope this helps,
sandi