Resolved question:
I am a 27 year old female from the northeast.Three years ago (1/1/12) I was at work and began to shake, I was light headed and had nausea and a horrible stomach ache. Also, my arms felt weak, like they were being pushed down whenever I tried to use them, and I began to have this pain in my calf muscle, about midway down like someone was pushing their thumb into the middle of my calf. After a few days, I went to the ER. They ran a series of blood tests and a CAT scan and found nothing wrong so they labeled it a pinched nerve and told me to follow up with my pcp. The next day I went in to see my PCP and he again ran a set of blood tests and did an MRI of the head and neck. He found nothing wrong with the tests but decided that I had high blood pressure and put me on 120mg of Propranolol daily. About 3 months later (end of March) I left my job as a store manager at a restaurant chain and moved back to my hometown. In that time period I took about 3 months off from work (and my stress level decreased considerably in that time.) My ongoing symptoms during that time period was pains still in my arm, dull aches, sharp pains, numbness and tingles down to the fingers. I would clench and release my fists and a pain would rise up through my hands to my forearms and then up to my shoulders and back down through my chest. I also began to experience pains in my legs and muscle spasm or twitches all over. I had stiff joints in the morning, and had headaches, nausea and diarrhea as well as a ringing in my ears (don't know if these symptoms are all connected). I went back to my PCP for a follow up in April of 2012 and he again did another set of blood test which came back normal. About a month before I went in for this appointment, I began working again. At the time I was working in a deli on my feet a lot but I had a relatively low stress level compared to how over stressed I was at the beginning of the year. After learning that for the most part while I still had many of the same symptoms that brought me in in January, they had subsided in intensity when I wasn't working and got worse again when I went back to work. He decided that what I was experiencing was fibromyalgia. I did some research and decided that he could be correct. However since there is a debate regarding whether or not fibromyalgia is even a true disease I have been quick to dismiss this diagnosis and just go about my days since no one can really tell me what is going on. I have noticed that when I use my hands more (i.e playing video games, typing on the computer (I now work at a desk job, where computer work accounts for about 80% of my job.) or when I have arm specific workout days) the pain is worse, starts in my hands and then again moves up through the arms to the shoulders. After the last three years I have continued to have these symptoms, some come and go. The pain's seem to start in the arms, then after a few days my arms get better and the pain moves to my legs and it follows this cycle. More often than not, if I have pain in one arm or one leg the pain is in the same spot on the opposite side. I am, if anything, seeking a second opinion. Next month I will be switching to a new PCP as my doctor is going into semi-retirement and will be only working 2 days a week. But I would like another doctors take on my situation as over the last few months the intensity of my symptoms has gotten worse. If it is helpful to the situation I had carpel tunnel surgery in 2004, the doctor said it wasn't true carpel tunnel rather there was scar tissue wrapped around the nerve and he removed that scar tissue to relieve pressure.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Neurologist, Medical
Hello,
Thank you for your query at DoctorSpring.com
I have noted your symptoms over the past three years or so. I agree that the most likely diagnosis is fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a well-researched disease, and has a specific diagnostic criteria.
At this stage, we can confidently call it fibromyalgia.
Another possibility in your case was pinched nerves in the neck and back, however, the same has been excluded by doing MRI of spine, which were normal.
Treatment would consist of medications such as pregabalin or gabapentin capsules. In addition, physiotherapy would also help.
Stress and excess work load are known to worsen the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
I hope it helps.
Best wishes,
Dr. Sudhir Kumar MD (Medicine), DM (Neurology)
Senior Consultant Neurologist
Regards.