Muscle Pains Ignored
 

I'll do a recap for the last 3 months aside from the daily struggles of TBI I have whiplash pain that begins in the neck (whole neck), both shoulders, and whole back. Every day.

2 weeks ago I tapped my right arm on a door knob I walked into and it hurt a lot more than it should have (a doctor even felt a muscle knot where I hit it and it's on the same spot as my other arm) and my left arm below the elbow tingly and my hand went numb and fingers turned ice cold. Since then my arms have been alternating every day with the tingling, numbness and cold hand. Now my hand swells at night. X ray was normal.

Like yesterday was my right, today is my left. When I wake up I actually forget about it but as the day goes on it gets weaker and weaker then the pain begins. I'm on Naproxen but it doesn't even touch the pain. I saw my GP yesterday hoping he'd look at it and maybe it was a pinched nerve or something....NOPE!

All he did was say I'm depressed and wanted me to take antidepressants. My hand had pins and needles and was cold and he didn't even touch it. I was so mad. I guess my massage therapist is depressed too since she can tell of my muscle spasms when im on her table.

He ordered blood work but I know it'll come up normal. I mentioned how I have the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and how it's linked to physical trauma and emotional stress and he just said it's a disorder that isn't of real pain. I mentioned others as well like Myofascial and he ignored me.

I requested to see a Rheumatologist and he said he'd put in a referral but all I really needed was to speak with a therapist.

Sorry for the vent....

Anyone else have muscle conditions that are getting ignored?

Kelly

Theres been a few times that i've had muscle pains that were very very painful. My very first muscle pain experience was in my back, and if i turned a certain way or stood up wrong i felt a sharp pain so painful that it was hard to breath in for a couple seconds.

I have pain currently in my right arm around my elbow area. If i move my hand up to my shoulder it hurts really bad, same if i straighten out my arm.

Every muscle pain i've noticed has gone away over a few days. Even some that i mentioned were ignored aswell, doctors found it unimportant and something stupid to worry about i guess?

no worries on the vent. I understand that feeling of being ignored, especially when your body is seemingly screaming out at you that something is wrong. I hope that you find an answer. I know how frustrating it is.

I actually had a doc tell me I had a "fantastic story" and nothing was wrong with me. (obviously, not the case, and obviously I have a new doc now, lol who agrees that there are problems!)

Good luck. I'm sorry. :(

Kelly,

I am so sorry that you are being treated disrespectfully by your doctor. (That's what I would call it when he doesn't listen to anything that you say....)

Can you change doctors? He doesn't seem to be treating what's wrong with you.

Shelly

Can you look into seeing a physiatrist (a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation)? They can look into issues like these to determine what may be causing them. Mine was also the most helpful in terms of providing resources for cognitive rehab for my concussion.

You can find doctors here: http://www.aapmr.org/patients/findph...s/default.aspx
but my doctor is not included in this listing (and she is AWESOME) so there may be others in your area that are not on this list. You might be able to find those by asking for a referral.

Thanks guys,

I'm on a waiting list for a psychotherapist and have to wait for WSIB to accept it as it isn't covered under OHIP (Canada eh?) since my anxiety triggers are associated with work and they want me to go back they'd better approve it. Neuro doesn't want me to go back without therapy.

My GP is retiring in a few months anyway so I'll deal for now. Next appt will be with the new doc and she's brand spanking new and hasn't been hardened by the medical field yet so I'm hoping she'll have a bit more sympathy. On the other side she doesn't have much experience with TBI but she seems willing to learn.

The funny thing is I got a more sympathetic reaction from the lab tech today than anyone as of yet. I used to be afraid of needles but today was a bad brain fog day I didn't even realize what she was doing

I have suffered muscle pain ("myalgia") for the past 36 years since the accident. Every day, as you said. A few years ago I began being prescribed opiates to manage the pain (Oxycodone, Norco, Tramadol). I have been through withdrawal twice, the second one being last week.

The pain is not psychological, although it may very well be "in my head". I believe the TBI lowered the pain threshhold in my brain, causing it to mistake ordinary somatic impulses as excrutiating pain.

Only one thing mitigates the pain, and that is opioids, whether pharmaceutical or released from the brain as endorphins. I have had luck using exercise to trigger natural endorphin release, though this is not available to me when my migraines start flaring (they've been good the past couple months). I hope to continue having luck with this.

Good luck to you, too!

Kenjhee, my back and leg pain as well as my migraines got MUCH better after I switched to a vegan diet and began doing hydrotherapy (treatments with alternating hot and cold water). It reduced the inflammation throughout my body significantly.

Don't know what kind of diet you have, but perhaps that might be an option to explore if you can't use medications or exercise? Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

Kenjhee,

Thank u for sharing ur experiences with pain. I don't know whats going on and it might even be my brain inability to read pain properly as no meds have offered relief.

I have massage today and it should be something to look forward to but I know it'll bring on more excruciating pain and keep me in bed the rest of the day as it hurts with the slightest touch.

Kelly

Kelly, that GP unfortunately does not have the right attitude or even enough human compassion for your situation. To say that Fibromyalgia (which I also believe you have) isn't "real" pain is like saying psychological disorders aren't "real" medical problems.

I know only too well that the CNS pain one feels from having the pain threshhold lowered is all too real. Pain is pain is pain. It doesn't matter whether the cause lies in the musculature or the central nervous system, or a combination of both.

Someone should be able to give you an actual diagnosis. FM has a standard for diagnosis, and having it will do much to "legitimize" the disorder for others.

Hang in there, and understand there is hope. I say that after waging a personal battle for some 36 years, with muscle pain a constant denominator.