How do I get a diagnosis?

Bones, joints and muscles
1

Hi All,

Im 28 yr old Female from Australia.

I had a baby who is now 15 months old.

Since having her I've suffered odd pains here and there but I found after having her I got costochondritis which hasn't ever gone away and becomes severe when I do simple tasks like vacuuming and mopping.

It flared up so badly one day I couldn't move, I'd only gone for a walk/ exercise.

I now find that im completely intolerant to exercise, which wasn't the case before having her. I can exercise but I'll be left exhausted and out of breathe for much longer than I should be. I also then get joint pains afterwards too.

Im always fatigued, I struggle to sleep but then I also have times when I sleep a lot but never do I feel rested.

Im also experiencing sensitivity to touch, it hurts so much if someone touches a joint or grabs me. Even hugs can hurt.

I also have heat & cold sensitivities.

With heat I tend to swell, which just never happened before.

I suffer severe anxiety since having my Daughter and her birth and post birth medical issues have left me with PTSD.

I have so many symptoms:

Heart palpitations

Headaches

Thumping in my ears upon standing

Sweating

Internal tremors as well as external

Migrating pain

Itching skin (no known cause)

Jaw pain

Eye sight issues, My eyes get fuzzy when I look at different things

Hearing problems ( my hearing can go in and out)

Urgency to urinate

Stomach issues & abdominal pain (sometimes quite severe)

Mood swings

Anxiety

Light and sound sensitivity

Difficulty seeing in the dark

Burning mouth sensation

Dry mouth (comes on suddenly)

Tingling in hands and feet

Prickling burning pain in forearms

Honestly there are more but when I show this list to Drs I just get treated like I'm hysterical and in all honestly I'm getting to that point.

Im miserable and I just want answers, I was perfectly healthy before my Daughter other than suffering Coeliac Disease which is under control via diet and has been for years.

I don't know what to do, I wake up in pain and then I get panic attacks.

Any help or guidance as to what I can do would be appreciated because I'm honestly in tears nearly all day everyday now.

Thank you xx

P.s. im in the care of a psychiatrist & psychologist. Im on an antidepressant

2

Really feeling for you Louise, I’m in Oz too, I’ve had Fibro now fir over 39 years, a heap of your symptoms I can relate to, but beating in mind that we all have such different symptoms there’s loads of the.,you need to see a Rhumatologist as soon as you can.they are the ones who diagnose you..please try not to stress as stress makes it really bad, Fibro loves it when you stress, it feeds on it,  it gives you really bad  sometimes different and more ugly symptoms..hope you get the help you need soon,  Be blessed  Louise and have a lovely rest of your day.,😍😍😍🙏🙏🙏

3

Hi, waw you have a lot of problems,. Ask your Gp to send you to the cardiologist and rhumatologie.advice don't take anxiety meds as you have a baby . Talk about your problems.your symptoms are like you have fibromyalgia but you need to be checked and blood test is required to know if you have it ,for the palpitations it could be a panic attack 

but still need a 5 days monitor to be sure why the palpitations.dry mouth is the meds you are talking 

.osteorthrites and fibromyalgia and osteoporosis can do all your symptoms.i hope you will be fine and healthy as you're young to have all this problems take care x

4

Where abouts do you live in Aus I’m in Kingaroy Queensland I have GCA,PMR, Fibromyalgia and got great doctors  specialists 

5

Hey Alley,

Im in Perth, Western Australia.

I really need a good Dr.

Most Drs I've seen have just done nothing. It's now getting to to the point I have panic attacks upon waking. Just in fear of brand new pains and symptoms

6

Hey,

Thank you for your reply.

I've seen 3 cardiologists, had 4 holter monitors and been on ekgs for my hospital stays.

I've had 2 echocardiograms and 1 stress test.

Their conclusion normal sinus rhythm with occasional tachycardia ( when im stressed )

Like I said im under the care of a psychiatrist and psychologist, the antidepressants and anti anxiety meds do not stop my ability to take care of her especially since she's over 1 and isn't breastfed.

Dry mouth isn't a side effect of my meds.

I truly appreciate your comment but please don't suggest I shouldn't be on meds and stress me out more. Especially with telling me to see a cardiologist. I am young but it doesn't mean all these problems aren't real.

Take care xx

7

Hey hun, omg that's awful!

I hope you've found some relief?

I think I'll be going to a Dr tomorrow and just demand a referral to a rheumatologist.

Im trying not to.

I wake up everyday now feeling overwhelmed and not in control and I instantly get anxiety symptoms, palpitations, sweating & sense of doom.

You aren't wrong, in my eyes anxiety symptoms shouldn't chop and change like mine do.

I really appreciate your comment xx you too xx

8

Ask your GP for a referral to see a Rheumatologist they are the specialist that can diagnose you if you have fibromyalgia which to me sounds like you absolutely do and you can get it after your body has gone through trauma and giving birth a lot of women say that’s when they got fibromyalgia so please definitely go see a Rheumatologist if you live in Perth ask to see Dr Rob Wills in vic park 

And you need to find one that believes in fibromyalgia sometimes that’s half your battle sending you lots of love just rest when you can and definitely don’t over do it or you’ll be so sore so slow and steady and maybe some Valiums for your anxiety will help you ❤️❤️❤️

9

Definitely ask your doctor to refer you to professor Rob Wills he is awesome I live in Perth to what suburb are you in I can give you my doctors name he is awesome I’m in ballajura the lakes happy to help you if you need someone to talk to ❤️

10

And you can’t tell by a blood test if you have fibromyalgia only a Rheumatologist can diagnose you by pressure points ❤️

11

Hey Donna,

Im in Waikiki near Rockingham. Wasn't expecting to find another person from Perth so that's made me happy.

Im happy to travel or if you know of anyone else near me that'd be great.

Thank you xx I'd really appreciate it. Its been weighing me down heaps.

12

Hey Donna, thanks for replying.

I will, I think if she refuses I'll just have to seek out other GPs.

I see there is a specialist centre in Palmyra which is about 40 minutes from me. I was looking at them last night.

Thank you, it's nice to hear/ read that im not going crazy and mighty actually have this.

Oh, Vic Park isn't too far. I'll look him up.

Thank you, I've basically sat on the couch all day today, feeling super tired but all my stomach pain has vanished from this morning, I was so anxious because the pain was so intense and I thought jeez, I'm going to have to call an ambulance but I'd have no one to collect my Daughter.

I ended up taken an Ativan (Lorazepam) tablet which honestly I hate taking but I've needed at least 1 tablet 0.5mg a day this week. Which I just hate... If I don't the pain intensifies and I become so worked up and panicked I can barely move.

It's honestly what came first the pain or anxiety?

I really appreciate your comment xx

13

Louise, it definitely sounds like fibromyalgia. I'm not a doctor and I'm not trying to diagnose but 90% of the symptoms that you mentioned I have. When someone that I know and haven't seen in a long time goes to hug me, I back up. Literally because hugs hurt. My husband and mother are the only people that I allow to hug me. I'm hearing you. Weather sensitivity is horrible.

14

Louise I forgot to say that you need to see a Rheumatologist as soon as possible. I also feel your pain having a small child, that's gotta be rough. Rheumatologist are actually trained to know about fibromyalgia. It's really something that someone else has exactly all of the symptoms that I have. Wow.

15

Get referred to a Rheumatologist as soon as you can as they are the docs who diagnose it..it does take years of suffering before we get diagnosed, often thinking each symptom is something else as do our gos...be bkessed Louise ..have a lovely day.🙏🙏😍😍