I have probably had fibro for YEARS, just in the last year it got so bad I started to have lots of test done, about 600 dollars in blood work, a 2000 MRI, a scoliosis x-ray, hip x-rays, and countless Dr. appointments.

Everything was okay except I do have scoliosis which the first Dr. said that was causing all my pain.

Anyway, that is a little background.....

My main complaint was sore muscles and numbness, I actually had a sore muscle in my butt that made my leg down to my foot feel weird, like it was asleep.

Now I have the same thing only it is in my neck and feels asleep in my arm, my arm actually feels heavy and hot.

Anybody else ever get this kind of feeling? It last a long time too, my leg/butt thing lasted about 3 months, I am about a month and half into the arm/neck right now.

What do you do and how do you cope? Also do you ever get worried that it isn't fibro? "What if it is something else?" How do you get past that? A person could go broke going to the Dr. for everything.

In fact I stopped going, I was paying about 70 dollars a trip for them to ask me how I am.

I guess I just want some input. Sorry so long, I will stop now, trust me I could type for days on this subject.

Please don't feel like you need to stop typing...you can go on and on...we don't mind!

It's hard to cope...but we do! We have no other choice...so we make the best of what we have to work with and keep going as we can.

You'll get a lot of support here!

Muscle ache? YES

Numbness? Me? Sometimes!

But, what you just explained sounds like the symptoms that my ex-stepdaughter had and after testing for over a year...a nerve conduction study...and a specialist, she was diagnosed with Spina-Bifida (Sp).

Do you know if you've been checked for that? Not that I'm saying that's what I think it is...it's just that we can't learn to cope with Fibro...until we can clear our minds of the question that all of us have had or still have..."Could it be something else?"

Again, welcome!!

{{{{Fibro Hugs}}}}

Thanks for your kind words, that is what I need, nobody understands too much.

My friend is going through chemo for lupus right now, I feel bad complaining to her, I do sometimes, but overall figure she has enough to think about, she is about the only one that TRULY understands, it is a awesome to find this site and read all the other post of people that know what I am talking about and don't think I read to much, or I just need a nap or more water, or a number of other things, they are probably just trying to help, but those words don't help.

you asked what spinal bifida is. So I looked it up. I hope that this will answer some questions.

Definition

by Paul Kornberg, MD

Spina Bifida refers to a group of disorders that share the common problem characterized by the failure of the closure or fusion of the posterior arch (back part) of the vertebrae during the first month of development. The bony deficit can occur with or without neurological injury to the spinal cord and associated spinal nerves.

There are three main types of spina bifida that are defined by the degree of bony closure and spinal cord involvement. These include:

1. Spina bifida occulta: in this condition the posterior (back) part of the vertebrae is incompletely fused, but the spinal cord and spinal nerves are usually unaffected. Spina bifida occulta is often undiagnosed until later in life when it may be discovered during an x-ray for a back pain evaluation.

2. Meningocele: in this condition the tissue surrounding the spinal cord (meninges) can herniate or protrude through the bony deficit as a fluid filled cyst, though the spinal cord is usually within the spinal canal and may function normally.

3. Myelomeningocele (MMC): this condition was previously called spina bifida aperta or spina bifida cystica. This is the condition most people associate with the term “spina bifida” (with neurological deficits in movement, sensation, bowel, and bladder). During development, the bony arch fails to form and the meninges (spinal cord covering), spinal cord, and related nerves herniate through the opening which leads to neurological injury. These tissues may be partially or completely covered by skin. There may even be an open defect with leakage of spinal fluid and the spinal structures exposed to air.

dragonfly

Yes, you're born with it...but a lot of cases are missed when checked at birth. That's what I was told by the Specialist that did her surgery!

{{{{hugs}}}}

I am hoping the two rounds of oral surgery I just had is part of the problem so when I get all healed it will go away.