My mom thinks I have fibromyalgia, but I'm not sure. What else could it be?

I get random aches and pains a lot. I don't think this is enough to think I might have fibromyalgia, but then I looked it up... I have a lot of the other symptoms, too. But there are holes in it... Oh, and I'm 17. I know it's a lot less likely... but then, there are a lot of things wrong with me.

According to Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromy... I have a lot of the symptoms, but am missing some key ones...

-I do not get pain when pressure is applied to the points they have listed, except perhaps upper back and neck, but I usually attribute this to my neck being out (my mom is a chiropractor, so I've had adjustments all my life and definitely feel the absence of them.) I do, however, have an unusual amount of pain when someone applies pressure to my upper arms. Even a poke there to get my attention hurts.

(Cont'd)

Also, by upper arm I mean specifically between my shoulders and elbows, not past either.

- I do sometimes have sleep disturbances and fatigue, though not more than oh, half the population I would say... Yesterday I did wake up with a racing heart however, and couldn't get back to sleep.

- I'm not SURE if I have IBS... but I've certainly been getting a lot of strange stomach symptoms recently, mostly daily nausea and diarrhea.

- I don't have a lot of headaches, but I DO have TMJ.

- Heightened sensitivity... well I'm very ticklish, but I don't know if that counts. I do have a good nose, though. I once correctly identified the smell of dry cheerios from across a large room.

Pains like you are describing are a little mysterious, and they could be caused by any number of things. For the most part, its not too important to put a label on the problem since a diagnosis of fibromyalgia only provides a name for the problem and adds almost nothing that is helpful.

The best thing to do with multiple problems, whether it's caused by fibromyalgia or something else, is to try to isolate different problems, and deal with each one seperately. For example, you may notice that your symptoms consist of several distinct types such as muscle pains, joint pains, tendon inflammation, fatigue, or digestive problems. For each of these categories, there are different things you can try to alleviate the problem.

For muscle and tendon problems, stretching exercises often help, and sometimes strengthening exercises are also necessary. You can look for stretching techniques on the internet, talk to a phys-ed teacher at school, or set up a visit to a physical therapist (maybe through your doctor). A massage therapist can also work wonders - schedule a visit to a licensed therapist.

Sometimes, these pains can be caused by an imbalance in dietary minerals, and taking a calcium/magnesium supplement at breakfast and dinner helps (this supplement can cause diarrhea in some people). Try these things at least a couple of time to see if they work.

Joint problems are sometimes relieved with anti-inflammatory drugs, mild exercise, or a visit to a chiropractor. Exercise also tends to help battle fatigue.

There is one other thing that sometimes causes all of this, and its easy to overlook - low grade depression (dysthymia). People with low grade depression don't have classic signs of depression, but instead have an odd assortment of aches, pains, and fatigue. Depression that is due to a chemical imbalance can diminish the effectiveness of sleeping. When sleep is not normal, the entire body ends up deprived, and the result is feeling tired and achy. An anti-depressant such as Wellbutrin or Prozac often helps. There is no way to effectively diagnose this except by trying a medicine for several weeks to see if it helps. If the first medicine doesn't work, try at least one more type of antidepressant before giving up on this treatment.

Your symptoms certainly suggests Fibromyalgia. But there are so many other things it could be.

I would see a doctor if these persist.

Try Calcium/Magnesium/Vit D combined and see. Get a good massage at your mom's office too.

Aches and pains are also a part of depression---

it is hard even fro experts to locate the tenderpoints properly--so you need to do some trial and error to make sure you find them..

occassional pain can be a result of normal activities-such as pushing your body too far..

you are not to young for Fibromylagia-I had symptoms since I was 5.......