At the Rhuemy today

Can I just say God is sooooo good! I am surrounded by such great doctors that have been so very helpful and so caring. Thank you for all your prayers for me as I continue this long road.

So today I went to see the Rhuemy. He remembered me. I handed him my last post from here so he could see everything I am dealing with. He read through some things here and there and then asked questions. I was totally shocked when he questioned me about my GI issues and was almost word for word what I was feeling although he hadn't even read that part of the paper yet. (how do I knw? it was the second page and he hadn't flipped yet.) LOL He said I have A very severe case of Fibromyalgia. At first I was a little put off and shocked to hear that. Then he explained. It was a HUGE eye opener. It made perfect sense. Here is a little explination of it:

Explanation of Fibromyalgia

We understand that Fibromyalgia is caused by a constant contraction of the membranes that surround in the brain and spinal cord.  

Picture this membrane surrounding the brain and the spinal cord. All the nerves coming from the brain and the cord have to pass through this membrane to get to the organs, muscles joints and every other place in the body.

When this membrane is constantly in contraction, the nerves are constantly firing. (Think of what happens when you slightly tap your funny bone).

1 The pain nerves are constantly firing, thus you have pain

2 The sensation nerves are constantly firing, thus sensitivity

3 Muscle nerves are constantly firing, leading to the muscles constantly in contraction

(those tight muscles you feel in the neck and shoulders etc.), leading to lactic acid buildup. This leads to fibrous tissue.

This is why when many of you push yourselves you are in pain for days with a flare-up because you are ripping this tissue.

The sympathetic nervous system is constantly on, thus you’re producing constant adrenalin, and thus sleep is impossible, yet you’re so tired. Excess Adrenalin also interferes with dopamine receptors leading to the “Fibro fog “. This also leads to depression. When the sympathetic is on all the time, the parasympathetic system is off, leading to digestive problems. Food is not totally digested; the bacteria digest the food sitting in the gut leading to methane gas which leads to I.B.S. and Reflux.

This is just about exactly what he told me. Honestly with everything I am going through and feeling it makes perfect sense! BUT...he also said a few other things. He wonders if I am starting Lupus. So he wanted to test more into that one. Many women with Lupus have fibro. It usually starts as just Fibro but then as they get older or sicker it is more obvious they  have Lupus as well. Prayerfully that won't be the case with me. 

He also mentioned something else. He wanted to test me for another thing, can't remember the name. It has to do with anemia and red blood cells being smaller than normal. It is possible as my mom is also extremely anemic and it is a genetic disorder. So that's something we are waiting on. 

He then examined me and definitely said Fibro and IBS. So it is good news to hear most likely not gastropereisis or Lupus. Now Fibro is no walk in the park and will require life changes as well as a new medicine for me. But I have some great doctors that are going to stand by me and help me get better and be able to handle the flare ups. 

He is putting me on Lyrcia, which has some side effects but helps with all the nerve firing issues. Prayerfully m y insurance will cover it so I can get some relief. Now on to research to see what I can do to help myself. So much to learn.