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Posts tagged Doctor
What test should a Doctor run to rule out fibromyalgia?
Aug 27th
Question by *|Ms Girlz|* BLueBe|2|2y: What test should a Doctor run to rule out fibromyalgia?
I am 22 years old and have been suffering from chronic muscle, joint, and tendon pain since February of 2005. My symptoms are as follows:
–shooting pain from my elbows to my figures ( feels like funny bone constantly being rubbed)
–tight muscles in my back and neck, puts painful pressure on my spine .
–muscles around along my spine are like tough strings, you can actually pluck, and make cracking sounds
–sever pain in my wrist and finger joints that causes inconvenience and limitations. can not turn door knobs, open bottles, write long periods of time, drive etc.
–wake up frequently through out the night
–feel sore and stiff in the mronings, as if just completed an intense work out, or hadn’t slept for weeks and can’t keep my balance.
–Have to rely on high amounts of caffeine to get me through the morning and to get me through my daily schedule of work and school.
–extreme exhaustion, even after full nights of sleep. I have fallen asleep while driving on several occasions.
I am currently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and am on:
150mg of Lyrica, 50mg of Ultram/Tramodol, and 800mg of ibuprophene 3 times a day; as well as 150 – 200mg of Trazodone at night for sleep and depression.
These medications started of much lower and have increased as my systoms have. I have also tried cymbalta, vicodine, ambian, Urtram CR, Soma, Flexeril, and Topamax; along with massage and physical therapy, trigger point injections and chiropractors.
Unlike most cases, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia fairly quickly. Only after about a year of seeing doctor after doctor. I’ve had blood test, MRIs of my back, and x-rays of my back and hands. Although they have found deterioration of my bones in my hands, and 3 discs in my spine, I been told this shouldn’t be causing this type of pain. All the other test listed came back normal. I feel as if they are disregarding me due to my age, and that the fibromyagia diagnoses was a quick fix.
My questions is, I have heard fibromyagia should only be diagnosed if EVERYTHING else has been ruled out. What other test should my Doctors be running to ensure this isn’t something else. I have done some research and found these following names, but my little country Doctors out here in NC said they haven’t heard of them. Does anyone have any feed back on these:
Arthrography
Discogram
Epidurography
Facet Nerve and Joint Injection
MRI Arthrography
Myelogram
I would also like to add I overdosed on cocaine and alcohol in August of 2004, 6 months prior to these sysmtoms. It was a mistake I made while hanging out with the wrong crowd, and trying to look tough. Have seeked help for this, and do not drink, or do drugs and am very careful about using my medications only as prescribed. I am alway reluctant to tell my Doctors this in fear that they will think I a pill seeker. Could this be useful information for them, or harmful to my treatment? Could this be connected to the cause of these symptoms?
Best answer:
Answer by bassdoc
Fibromyalgie is a syndrome, not an illness, and there is no way to definitely diagnose it – at the hospital or elsewhere.
It presents with usually (but not always) fatigue, wandering joint pain, stiffness, headache, and exacerbation with stress or overexertion.
There are a lot of things that can also cause these but they usually don’t all present together.
My best way to treat them, because everything on the list gets better except if that person has fibromyalgia. Even it can get substantially better with chiro treatment, massage, stress control, better diet, multivitamin and fish oil, and quitting smoking.
The typical patient is a 30-40-ish woman under stress who smokes.
It can also get started with an illness, or even an accident, and not everybody fits perfectly into this picture.
Best luck – hope it helps.
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How to Properly Talk with Your Doctor about Menopause
Jan 6th
Some women find the issue of menopause rather difficult to address when they need to ask their doctor about it and about what they need to do when menopause begins to wreak havoc on their system and on their lives. Some women even find it difficult to ask about solutions to the many problems that menopause can bring about. How does one talk about menopause with their doctor and what questions should be asked? When should a woman ask her doctor about this phenomenon and should she ask long before symptoms even emerge or should she just ask about this when she starts going through it?
How to Broach the Subject with Your Doctor
The topic of menopause should not be difficult when talking with your doctor if you are comfortable with your medical practitioner. One of the things you need to remember when you talk about menopause is that it is not an illness or a disease. It is a condition that women go through at a certain age and you can experience certain symptoms that can make life somewhat difficult. What you need to think about when you need to address the subject of menopause with your doctor is the fact that they know what needs to be done to help ease the discomfort a woman feels with menopause. Thinking of the subject in this light will make it somewhat easier for you to open up about the topic of menopause – how to alleviate the discomfort that symptoms bring about and what to expect when you are going through this stage to help you better prepare for it.
What to Ask Your Doctor
For you to be able to ask your doctor about what to expect and what to do when menopause starts to show signs that it may be starting, here are some tips you might want to follow:
Make a list of the questions that you might want your doctor to answer. Making a list of your concerns and your questions will give you better insight on what menopause is and what you might expect from it.
Make another list of the symptoms you are feeling should you feel that your menopause is starting. Try to be as detailed as possible so that your doctor can give you concise advice on what you might need to do to help ease the discomfort that these symptoms are causing.
Give your doctor a thorough accounting of your activities (sexual or otherwise), your diet, your medical and sexual history, and what medications you are taking as well as what supplements you are ingesting and what allergies you have. A history of alcoholism and drug use must also be shared with your doctor for him to give you a thorough diagnosis and don’t forget to talk about other doctors that may have treated you in the past as well.
If tests are to be administered, ask questions about these as well. How long these take, what preparations need to be made, any side effects these tests may have and when to expect the results.
Try to go to your doctor with some moral support. Have your spouse, close friend, or family member come with you to help understand some of the points your doctor might bring up.
