not sure if this is the right forum but...

[mangowl]

hi everyone, my name is Pat.

I've had joint pains since I was 12. Was told it was growing pains. It settled to pains in knees by 14 and by 16 I was told I had juvenille arthritis, then patella arthritis by 19. At 23 and almost weekly knee dislocations and pain that had now spread to both hips and ankles I had lateral and medial reallignments of both knees. This eased problems for a few years.

Since then I've had random painful joints and been told everything from "what do you expect if you want to try doing silly things like kayaking, hillwalking and mountain biking", to "loose weight and do some exercise" (I have been around 13/14stone since 1994 and kept trying to do activity every week regardless of the pains ever since).

In 2009 I fell up the stairs at school resulting in a dislocated knee and sprained shoulder (left side). Since then my weight has got closer to 15stone, had the worst sick record for me ever. My GP referred me to an Orthopedic Consultant who said the xrays and scans show there is only a little wear and tear which doesn't match the pain I say I have. He then told me to do some exercise and loose weight as that would make me feel better.

My GP then referred me to a Rheumatolgist who after a whole lot of tests (MRI, CAT Scans, bloods, ultrasound scans, physio) told me last April I had FM mainly due to the fact that the only medication that relieved my symptons was pregabalin.

Now I'm feeling really p*d off today. I have on and off pains in my left shoulder, arm, hand and left hip, knee, shin and ankle; headaches on the right side of my head; irratable eyes with what feels like a changing prescription for my glasses as the best way to deal with these is to keep changing my glasses.

I have pregabalin that I take daily, tramadol and diclofenic which I take as and when my joints swell and I can't cope with the pain and lidocane plasters which I was told to use on the painful knee if it helps.

I am not happy I can't seem to lose weight despite the really boring diet I have of lean chicken, quorn, fish, salad, fruit, vegetables and potatoes (I avoid bread, rice and pasta as much as possible as it really makes me sluggish).

I tried for a GP appointment only to be told there weren't any for 2 weeks unless it was an emergency. After the 4th call I have managed to get an appointment for Thursday as I want to review the medication as I think that is why I feel ratty and unable to cope often and why I can't seem to shift the weight.

Any advice would be great as I'd like to see the GP Thursday with as much information as possible.
Thanks for letting me vent here as I'm not sure what else to do.

Pat

[FluppyPuffy]

to the forum Pat I've split your post up into smaller paragraphs as a lot of us on here find reading large blocks of text difficult

This linky tells you about the different types of meds used for trying to manage FM http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Fibromyalg ... tment.aspx There may be something in there that could be suitable for you, so have a look and then see which your GP thinks may be of some more help to you. Pregabalin is one that is often used for FM and can make a difference to how people feel, maybe just a change in it's dosage could make a difference to you

Info wise, if you have a look around the forum, you'll find there is a lot on here, some of which may be helpful to you We also try to support each other thru the turmoil that follows with FM

Anything you want to know about, just ask and we'll try to help you with it

[mangowl]

thanks for the revamp of my post Fluppypuffy

- sorry I didn't think about layout when I typed the message earlier as I was in a really foul mood.
It is a lot easier to read like that.n

Pat

[denys]

Hi Pat and to the forum

[shazq]

to the forum Pat

[FluppyPuffy]

thanks for the revamp of my post Fluppypuffy

- sorry I didn't think about layout when I typed the message earlier as I was in a really foul mood.
It is a lot easier to read like that.n

Pat

No problems Pat When you're in posting mode, your main focus is what you're wanting to get out, so don't worry about layout too much. Glad you think it's easier to read