Ache all over etc. At first I thought it was arthritis kicking in, now I am not so sure, when I shower elsewhere I don't feel bad afterwards. Yes, I have fibromyalgia and water temperature changes can cause fatigue, nausea, aching, its not too unusual but inconvenient probably not. Fibromyalgia is a rheumatic disease. If you were misdiagnosed, you could suffer from seronegative rheumatoid arthritis or Lyme disease.
Fibromyalgia doesn't affect the hands, fingers and spine vertebrae. A good orthopaedist can diagnose seronegative rheumatoid arthritis or Lyme disease from a squaring of spine vertebrae, deformed finger joints or a positive blood test for the bacteria causing Lyme disease.
Get an appointment with an orthopaedist, the medical doctor specializing in diseases of the bones, joints and skin, for a diagnosis and a review of treatment options, including antibiotics.
Rheumatic diseases are the result of a defective gene and collagen inflammation, often from a chronic infection. Collagen is present throughout the body, from the eyes, skin and joints to the heart. Hence, the multiplicity of symptoms, depending on the location of the most affected internal organs or body parts.
Rheumatic diseases are diagnosed in much the same way as rheumatoid arthritis, through a number of blood tests showing inflammation:
- Antistreptolysin-O (ASO);
- C-Reactive protein (CRP);
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR);
- Rheumatoid factor (RF);
- Immunoglobulins A, E, and G;
- Complement 3 (C-3).
For more than 27 years, I have had seronegative rheumatoid arthritis like 20% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. You may recognize some of the telling signs of seronegative rheumatoid arthritis:
- Joint pain or cracking joints in the lower extremities, feet, ankles, knees or hips in the early 20's or late teens;
- Fatigue, especially after a moderate exercise like a 30 minute walk;
- Blood test showing a negative or low level of Rheumatoid factor (RF);
- Joint deformities of the fingers, after a few years, a specific sign of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Consecutive X-Rays, over several years, showing bone erosion, a consequence of rheumatoid arthritis;
- Generalized arthritis and pain, involving the whole body;
- Blood tests showing elevated levels of C-Reactive protein (CRP) and Sedimentation rate (ESR).
Antibiotics like Minocin, NSAIDs like Voltaren, COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex, acetaminophen like Tylenol, codeine, and statins like Lipitor are all used to control inflammation and relieve the pain of arthritis.
For fibromyalgia, a low dose of antidepressant, 25 mg, at bedtime, can relax muscles, favor a deep sleep and lead to a pain free condition.
Regular exercise like walking, biking and swimming is also helpful for most patients. Make sure that you are not overweight as carrying too much weight can only increase the pain of arthritis in the supporting joints of the hips, knees, ankles and feet.
For any form of arthritis, you should consult an orthopaedist who will order blood tests, joint scans and X-Rays to better diagnose the type of arthritis from which you suffer.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons at http://www.aaos.org maintains a public online directory where you can find the address and phone number of orthopaedists who belong to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Orthopaedists are listed by geographic location and family name, inside the USA and in most countries.
The membership directory of the AAOS is located at:
http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/member...
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons maintains a wealth of information online at:
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org
In some cases, patients should also consult a microbiologist, a medical doctor specializing in infections, working in a university teaching hospital, who will order his own blood tests and stool cultures to identify all microorganisms, bacteria or viruses, causing an infection, and prescribe the best antibiotics and antiviral agents to fight these microorganisms.
The American Society for Microbiology at http://www.asm.org maintains an Academy fellowship directory where you can find the address and phone number of microbiologists. Microbiologists are listed by area of expertise, geographic location and family name, inside the USA and in most countries.
The Academy fellowship directory of the ASM is located at:
http://www.asm.org/Directories/fellows_s...
Lyme disease could be a possibility. Ask the doctor to test you for the bacteria causing Lyme disease.
Are there any other cases of arthritis or rheumatic diseases among your relatives? Chronic forms of arthritis are usually prevalent in families where a defective gene is passed on by parents to their children.
There are a few hundred types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. The good news is that science is progressing rapidly in its understanding of rheumatic diseases.
Antibiotics are now used to achieve full remissions for at least 40%, if not 65% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. For rheumatic diseases which are less severe like fibromyalgia, the number of patients making a full recovery can be even more impressive. For more info, please join the antibio group at:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ant... |
