Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia AFTER WLS
I am currently 4 1/2 years post-op. I am anemic and on B-12 shots. Over the last 6 months I have developed all the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue and/or Fibromyalgia. I know that anyone that has been there knows what a frustrating time it is to try and obtain a diagnosis. I can sleep for 12 hours get up and take a shower and go back to bed. I have gone through the it's your diet, you are depressed, you need to cut out caffeine, etc. I have never been more compliant to a doctor and never more miserable!
Has anyone not developed either of these until after WLS? I am looking for any suggestions on getting a correct and timely diagnosis. My quality of life is suffering terribly!
It doesn't really get any better after your diagnosed with firbo. Tell you the truth I think it got worse for me. Before all the docs struggled to figure out why I have all this pain and tiredness and so forth. Now that it has been pin pointed as fibro they stop trying! It is not longer how can we make you feel better now its well its just something your going to have to learn to live with. For example, before my diagnoses if I would have called my doc and said "this new med you have me on has made me break out in blisters and I am itching all over and even have blisters in my mouth what do I do?" They would have told me HEAD STRAIGHT TO THE OFFICE NOW.....So I have made this call last week and was told "we can see you next week just stop taking the pills and we will change them when you come in" My question was what do I do about the pain till my appointment? I was told deal with it. after they say it is fibro they stop trying to "fix" you. I wish I would have NEVER been diagnosed with it to tell you the truth. I have lived with this pain since I was a child. The shrink says it is from having an abusive parent is probably what brought it on. On top of being Bi-Polar and having PTSD. So I have my own share of problems and understand they are alot to deal with but shouldn't the docs have to at least try? then you get the people who look at you when you tell them you have fibro and they give you that look like "yeah right whatever" or the "oh no not you too" or you get the your one of the blanket diagnoses.
sorry I am of no help but my advice would be don't push for a diagnoses cause it will do no good. make them work to make you better
Best of luck to you
Hugs
Kimberly
Best of luck to you!
This discussion couldn't have come at a better time. I've always been overweight, but I led a fairly normal and active life until a little over a year ago. Aside from my weight, I was generally healthy - I have suffered from migraines since I was a child and I do have depression, both which are being treated... I was diagnosed with PCOS about 7 years ago and aside from the infertility aspect ******g me off because maybe I wouldn't have waited to start a family, etc - the diagnosis just made pieces of the puzzle fit together a little better.
Then, BOOM, last August I had what I thought was a severe but typical migraine, but it wouldn’t go away. I tried all of my meds and relaxation techniques to no avail. This "migraine" morphed in to 2 months of absolute agony. I know I saw a physician - PCP, neurologists, ER doctors - a total of 18 times because I had to account for everything for my STD. That issue finally resolved itself well enough that I could return to work. Then in March of this year, I got really sick again, but this time with what turned out to be a kidney infection. However, when they did the CT to check for possible stones, they noticed enlarged lymph nodes in my abdomen and the scary cancer word came up. I second biopsy was done 2 months later and not only were the lymph nodes still enlarged, there we more than they originally thought. I had a needle biopsy done on the largest one in my groin and thank god it was benign. However, I still felt like **** I had repeated kidney infections plus I was in pain all over and had no energy. The icing on the cake was that I was terminated after my FMLA expired. Labs revealed the possibility of Lupus or RA so I went to a rheumatologist who I hated. Even though she didn't say it I could tell by her dismissive attitude that she thought if you're overweight, every possible medical condition under the sun, could be resolved by simply losing weight - nothing else mattered - she basically told me that although some of my labs (the expensive special ones) were borderline for a Lupus diagnosis, she didn't think I warranted the care of a rheumatologist at the time and sent me back to my PCP, adding I was welcome to return for repeat labs in 6 months - yeah right *****! Did I mention her office was in downtown
My main concerns at this point are medications and WLS...and exercise especially in the beginning. What are others taking and how are they moving?
Sorry for the long ramble, the topic just hit a nerve.
Amy
Edited to add that writing the above got me all worked up again about that rheumatologist. I was especially pissed when through my research after my PCP just suggested the possibility of Fibro/CSF I learned that Rheumatologists routinely follow these patients.
That attitude makes me so mad. I wasn't overweight as a child, and had fibro as a child, and the pain hasn't changed much since then, so, no, losing weight doesn't fix everything!
Maxs_Mom, have you tried Dr. Andrew Holman in Renton/Kent. He's a very nice guy. He couldn't help me as much as he would have liked, but he did do the Mirapex fibromyalgia study with his own funding, and doesn't seem to have much of an ego.
This attitude is so prevalent. Another pet peeve is healthcare workers who have bad attitudes about working with obese patients. My Mother has worked in healthcare all of her life and you wouldn't believe (sadly, you probably would) some of the things she's told me about co-workers' attitudes. I didn't really need to be told as I'd experienced it firsthand but a part of me thought I was being overly sensitive.
I haven't heard of DR. Holman. As I said I was recently diagnosed by my PCP and am comfortable with her treatment plan. I will ask at my next appointment if I should be seeing a rheumatologist and keep Dr. Holman in mind.
Thanks!
Amy 
I am sorry you are going through this. Having gone through it, your frustration is understandable.
I am eight years post-op and went through all kinds of problems about two years ago. My PCP sent me to the Mayo Clinic where they ultimately diagnosed Fibromyalgia and Peripheral Neuropathy. They are uncertain whether or not it is a result of the gastric bypass.
I have tried various forms of medication and still suffer as you do from constant exhaustion. I found that Lyrica made me even more tired. Cymbalta seems to help me the most. I have also found that if I have big activities coming up that a double B-12 shot helps. I am now giving them to myself.
I highly recommend the Mayo Clinic. They send you to all of the necessary doctors in a series of appointments for all of your testing. I went to the Jacksonville, FL location and ended up staying on the campus for 2-3 nights each time for all of the tests. The Mayo Clinic also has an excellent book on Chronic Pain, and I found several very helpful other books on Fibro that provided good information to take with me to the doctor's office.
Now I am facing reactive hypoglycemia which (again) may or may not be related to the surgery. I'd welcome thoughts from anyone who has gone through this post-op. The first set of seizures put me into the hospital via an ambulance in August, and I have had four episodes since then. The doctors seem to be at a loss, so now I am visiting an endocrinologist who has been less than helpful.
HOPEFUL
