Originally Posted by Megan

As I analyse it, I think I have three dimensions of pain - apart from tender points. (My tender points were never checked until I had already started Lyrica so were a moot point, although I know I had terribly sore spots all over).......however...

...back to the three levels of pain they are;

1). Burning skin - nearly all over my body but worse on legs. This can be likened to sunburn all over or standing in a sand storm with the sand beating on ones skin 24/7. I call this my Neuropathic pain. I also have electrical type currents on occasions in feet but these are not painful as such.

2). Excessive stiffness like one has climbed a mountain or done excessive exercise the day before. My thigh muscles and arms muscles and sometimes the trunk muscles are so stiff that it is hard to walk without being very slow or limping. Also fingers and hands are very stiff when I wake each morning, and most evenings I am very stiff after sitting for even short periods of time.

3). The third type of pain in a deep bone aching pain of the four limbs and is hard to know whether it is in the muscles or the bones. This has been worse for me while in bed at night but now the Lyrica has helped me to sleep better and with analgesia three times per day (non-negotiable) I am less aware of this pain now thankfully. Before the Lyrica I would 'dream' pain and it would be just under the surface of my sleep and I would wake frequently - very disturbing!

I could probably add a fourth level of pain which I'd label odds and end pains -such as you say, like leaning on an elbow or having a bent leg or arm and the resulting pain when trying to get it straightened. Hip pain which can be searing but is not there all the time. Fleeting pain throughout joints and constant knee aches - that type of thing etc.

So it's quite multi-dimensional the pain aspects.

Interesting though for many years (way before Fibromyalgia diagnosis) I always used to get very sore and tender skin to touch all over my body around the time of menstrual periods. The doctor told me at the time when I asked about it, that it was called "hyperparasthaesia" but he didn't elaborate further. I sometimes wonder if some of these 'symptoms' herald the onset of other things!