New member Intro (has anybody gotten weaker)

[Guest guest]

This is my first post to the group and maybe I should have

posted a formal introduction but when I read Diva's response

to this thread I just had to jump in.

Diva, you are SO right!

My symptoms started when I was 38 years old and many times

doctors tried to diagnose me with Fibromyalgia but I always

refused this diagnosis because I knew it was something else.

It took doctors almost 15 to finally order a series of X-rays

of my spinal column and all of a sudden everything became

perfectly clear.

I have spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease,

osteoarthritis, scoliosis and ankylosing spondylitis.

In other words, my spinal column is an absolute mess and

over the years it has caused many strange symptoms:

numbness, pins and needles sensations, weakness and,

of course, a whole lot of pain.

It has also caused many symptoms one would not necessarily

associate with the spinal column such as: vertigo, blurred

vision and problems with balance.

This is because my cervical spine is compressing the vertebral arteries which

irrigate the occipital lobe where you find the

visual cortex and cerebellum. Obviously this caused ischemic

brain lesions and for a while there they thought I had

Multiple Sclerosis.

So yes! It's a wonderful idea to have X-rays or an

MRI of the spinal column before accepting a diagnosis

of Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia.

By the way, I joined the group because I am in constant

pain. No painkiller seems to work. Strangely enough, plain

old aspirin seems to work best for me. (has anybody gotten

weaker)but the pain is never completely gone and it's getting

to the point where I don't want to live anymore.

The prospect of living like this for God knows how many

more years is extremely depressing so I really need your support.

How do you cope? What keeps you going?

Warm regards and many hugs to all,

Silvia