hi,
I am new to this forum....new to any forum to that matter.
I am suffering from an unknown neurological disease. Am in the process of getting a diagnosis which as most of you know if difficult with an unknown disease process that no blood test can diagnose.
One doctor was sure I have MS, but did not do any MRI's and based this diagnosis on my symptoms and bloodwork. I had a cervical and a brain MRI done by another doctor and since no lesions were present he ruled out MS.
my symptoms are all different but must be related. I have interstitial bladder cystitis, I have horrific bone?muscle pain in my arms and on the top of my shoulders if I press down it feels like they are bruised. severe pain in my arms and shoulders, worse at night. I wake up in terrible pain. Thats what leads me to believe it's muscle related (or nerve?) because while I am awake I can shake it off, but at night it tightens and causes the pain. (this is just my theory, mind you). I have a pretty constant sore throat, not the kind when you have a cold, it comes and goes during the day and is a very sharp stabbing pain that I can feel on the roof of my mouth.
my arms and legs also fall asleep a lot.....and its not like I am sleeping on them weird, much more so then anyone I know.
my brain isn't working real well either, grasping for words, memory lapses, etc.
I was put on lyrica for the pain, but had to stop. It gave me numbness in my feet first, then a pins and needles prickly feeeling all over my body, but mostly below the knees. I never had this numbness and prickly, nettles type feeling before the lyrica. I happened to catch a TV commercial that claimed lyrics worked to CURE excactly the symptoms it was causing on me??
the doctor who prescribed it never mentioned anything about this drug being addictive or to taper off slowly. I quit cold turkey and had the most horrific withdrawal symptoms that I could ever imagine.
It wasn't until I googled lyrica withdrawal and found this forum that I realized Iwas not loosing my mind but that the off the charts anxiety, paranoia, sensory problems. like foods tasted strange, I felt like I couldn't breath properly. I had a severe burning feeling in my chest. I assumed this was all MS, but since reading peoples problems with getting off lyrica, now I'm not so sure. The symptoms I still have, I had before the lyrica, I was only on 100-150 mgs. daily for about 3 months. Then would take some every few days until about 3 weeks ago when I found this site and realized the lyrica was causing the insanity, anxiety issues.
I dont have alot of money or health insurance so multiple doctor visits are not an option for me right now.
I guess I am asking if my current symptoms, the chronic fatigue, arm/shoulder pain and the constant sore throat. (did go to an ear, nose and throat doc, he saw nothing) limbs falling asleep a lot, could all be related and to what? how can a sore throat, sore shoulders and constant fatigue be related to the same thing? to add to this shmoragsboard of crap, my PCP, who is not the brightest bulb, if you catch my drift, said that chronic fatigue syndrome is a direct result of being abused as a child and ask me if I had been. How could something that happened or not, 40 years ago cause all these different symptoms?? (the docs have ruled out step throat, arthritis and any thing that would show up on routine blood work. The only thing the blood showed was that I had very high iron levels, not homochromotosis, high ferrite, not a big drinker, and my body has a hard time absorbing protein. which is what led doctor number 1 to suggest the MS.
This all started about 9 years ago.
I am literally at the end of my rope trying to figure this out. My doctor is clueless. prior to these symptoms I was a very active, healthy professional who traveled and led a full life. Now, every day is a struggle and at times I wonder why I bother.
peace all,
PS if anyone has had personal experience with lyrica side effects or withdrawal, please share.
sara