Sometimes I want to shout that as loud as I can. I try not to discuss my health problems at length or in detail. This is mostly because there’s no cure and it can’t be changed so why dwell on it? Besides, no one really wants to hear about my aches and pains. However, from time to time I feel the need to remind those in my life that I suffer pain….along with that pain are other symptoms also.
If I could educate everyone in the world about Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis, I would make it my personal mission. Since I can’t do that, I’ve actually thought about forming a support group. I know so many people who suffer as I do – people from work, church or distant relatives. Almost everyone I’ve come in contact with either suffers themselves or has a close relative with Fibromyalgia or RA. But, unless you actually go through this pain….well, it’s hard to walk in someone else’s shoes. Here are some basics.
Fibromyalgia – from the web site www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com
Central Nervous System: Fatigue, irritability, nervousness, depression, apathy, listlessness, impaired memory and concentration, anxieties and suicidal thoughts. Insomnia and frequent awakening due to pain result in non restorative sleep.
There are many nights I wake up 3 or more times and when I do go to sleep, the alarm goes off way too early.
Musculoskeletal: Pain and generalized morning stiffness could arise from muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia of the shoulders, neck, entire back, hips, thighs, knees, ankles, feet, inner and outer elbows, wrists, fingers, and chest. Injured or old operative sites are commonly affected. Though fibromyalgia is described as a “non-articular” disease many know better: Joint pains with or without swelling, redness and heat are frequent. The litany includes foot or calf cramps, numbness and tingling of the face or extremities.
Sometimes the muscles are sore similar to not being conditioned to exercise but also tender to the touch.
Dermatological: Various rashes may appear with or without itching: Hives, red blotches, itchy bumps or blisters, eczema, seborrheic or neurodermatitis, and rosacea. Nails are often brittle and of poor quality and hair falls out prematurely. Strange sensations are common such as cold, heat (especially palms, soles and thighs), crawling, electric vibrations, prickling, super-sensitivity to touch, and flushing that is sometimes accompanied by sweating.
I’ve noticed something that looks like rosacea on my face, my nails look horrible my palms are almost always heated. I’ve also noticed that sometimes I have the sensation of ants biting me all over my legs.
Head, Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat: Headaches (migraines), dizziness, vertigo (spinning) or imbalance; dry eyes as well as itching and burning with or without sticky or crusty discharge upon awakening; blurred vision; nasal congestion and post-nasal drip; painful, burning tongue, mouth and abnormal tastes (scalded, bad or metallic); ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or lower-pitched sounds; ear and eyeball pain; sensitivity to light, sounds and odors.
Recently, I thought I was experiencing side effects of a medication that was changed. The continuing symptoms didn’t make sense so I discussed them with my doctor. She told me that I was having migraines without the headache. I also have eye pain, sensitivity to light and sound as well as dry mouth, eyes and nasal passages.
Miscellaneous Symptoms: Weight gain; low grade fever; lowered immunity to infections; morning eyelid and hand swelling from fluid retention that gravitates to the lower extremities by evening where it stretches tissues causing the restless leg syndrome.
Rheumatoid Arthritis – from the web site www.rheumatoidarthritissymptoms.org
Phase I -- swelling and redness around the joint and joint areas. Usually with the swelling comes stiffness, pain, and even warmth of the joint.
Phase II – hardening and thickening of the soft tissue that lines the joint. This effect is due to the growth of cells and rapid division of this soft tissue.
Phase III – inflammation of cells and release of enzymes which will attack cartilage and bone. This attack will usually end up effecting the alignment and shape of joints, which cause the person with rheumatoid arthritis even more pain, stiffness, and less movement of the joint.
Here is a check-list of the symptoms.
Specific Joints AffectedAlthough rheumatoid arthritis almost always develops in the wrists and knuckles, the knees and joints of the ball of the foot are often affected as well. Indeed, many joints may be involved, even causing the spine to become misaligned. It does not usually show up in the fingertips, where osteoarthritis is common, but joints at the base of the fingers are often painful.
Nodules
In about 20% of people with RA, inflammation of small blood vessels can cause nodules, or lumps, under the skin. They are about the size of a pea or slightly larger, and are often located near the elbow, although they can show up anywhere.
Fluid Buildup
Fluid may accumulate, particularly in the ankles. In rare cases, the joint sac behind the knee accumulates fluid and forms what is known as a Baker cyst. This cyst feels like a tumor and sometimes extends down the back of the calf causing pain.
Flu-Like Symptoms
Symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, and fever may accompany early rheumatoid arthritis. Some people describe them as being similar to those of a cold or flu except, of course, RA symptoms can last for years.
This type of arthritis is always called a systemic disease, because it cannot only attack or effect joints, but it could affect other organs in the body such as skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles. Close to 60% of people who have rheumatoid arthritis will be unable to properly function in around 10 years from finding they had this disease.
If the disease itself wasn’t bad enough, the medications used to contain RA have extremely unfortunate side effects. The gamut runs from dry-mouth and fatigue to liver failure and cancer. If you know someone with either RA or Fibromyalgia and they say they are tired or don’t feel good, you will have some insight into knowing how they feel.
