Fibromyalsia?!

Fibromyalsia?

I was recently diagnosed with Fibromyalsia, and have been having absolutley awful pain around my ankle and heel, as well as my calf. I also have a metal rod in my right leg, so always thought this was the reason for the pain...I guess I always just thought that the Fibro was no big deal and not debilitating, I also suffer from neck and shoulder pain. Is this all related? Does it get better without medication? Please Help! My doctor was no help at all, and I can't sleep at night my leg and foot hurt so bad.

You were diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (also known as FMS). Because of your prior issues (relating to the metal rod) it is hard to say if ALL of your pain is related, but if there is nothing else wrong, then yes it is the fibromyalgia.

Some people have a lot of success with medications, others don't. Generally the most successful mix is a combination of non-narcotic sleeping aids, non-narcotic pain killers, muscle relaxants, and antidepressants. There has also been some success in treating some of the pain symptoms with anti-seizure medications.

If your doctor was no help, then you need to find a new doctor. To be honest, there may not be a whole lot any doctor can do for you, there is no cure for fibromyalgia, but a good, caring, and understanding doctor is a huge asset, especially for someone with this syndrome.

There are a ton of great websites and books out there about living with Fibromyalgia and learning self-advocacy. http://www.fmaware.org/ is a great place to start.

I'm sorry that you have to go through this. It's no fun. But it isn't the end.