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Lauri

My symptoms began in October 1991, two months after my first baby was born. Between 1991 and 1995, although I did not have a tender point exam, I was told informally by several doctors that I had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Then in approximately 1995 or 1996, Dr. Gerald Davidson, a Chicago D.O., gave me a formal tender point exam resulting in a fibromyalgia diagnosis. Dr. Jeff Magaziner at Johns Hopkins confirmed this diagnosis with another tender point examination in the winter of 1999.

My symptoms included:

	Dull headaches, almost constant pain in back of neck, upper shoulders, and down the spine to mid back.
	Profound fatigue – disabling and unpredictable. I had to lay down to get through the day.
	Joint pain in wrist, fingers, knees.
	“Squirts of pain” in base of neck up back of head – like electric current.
	“Gurgling sounds” in back of head – annoying and weird!
	Ringing in ears, often.
	Chest pain – sternum and in middle of chest, off and on (EKG nonspecific), severe at times, took breath away, elephant on my chest.
	Achy muscles in thighs and upper arms, calves – like the flu.
	Cold, clammy hands and feet – anytime air temperature changed or when slightly excited or stressed.
	Chronic sinus trouble and sore throat – allergies bad in spring too.
	Fatigue extreme – mental “fog” off and on, couldn’t think clearly or talk intelligently, couldn’t remember things or keep conversation going, had to make lists to remember if I took my meds! Couldn’t follow recipe or handle details.
	Vision problems – blurriness, clouding over, sometimes couldn’t see at all/couldn’t process what I saw.
	Bright light was uncomfortable – had to wear sunglasses much of the time.
	Dizziness - sometimes vertigo with everything spinning, usually unsteady. Terrible when I would move my head. I had a feeling like I was going to fall, floor would tilt, felt as though I was swaying (people told me I was swaying)!
	High heart rate – diagnosed with POTS (Pulmonary Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).
	Sudden flare up of mouth canker sores.
	Dry, crusty rash on cheeks, eyelids, forehead, and chest. Itchy, came and went. Diagnosed with rosacea.
	Fever of 100º or less – off and on, lasted for days.
	Weakness in hands – dropped things, usually my right hand.
	Pins and needles in hands and feet - intermittent.
	Hot flashes and sweaty upper lip – intermittent.
	Swollen nodules in left armpit, under left ear and left back of neck.
	Hips, pain intermittent.
	Extreme pain base of neck, stiff neck, intermittent. Took muscle relaxants so I could move my neck.
	Extreme thirst, despite drinking constantly, easily dehydrated, many trips to the hospital for IV fluids.
	Migraine headaches, severe, vomiting. Took at least 24 hours to recover.
	Everything worse right before and during period.
	Bladder – diagnosed with mixed incontinence, other times I couldn’t go when I needed to.
	Colon – low motility, very constipated, symptoms of obstruction twice.
	Swallowing funny sometimes – like I can’t get the muscles to move easily.
	Heavy legs, hard to walk at times.

My symptoms today are occasional pressure behind my eyes after straining (shoveling snow) and I still have rosacea and little hive-like bumps on skin occasionally. That's it!!!

Lauri

National Fibromyalgia Research Association
PO Box 500, Salem, OR 97308