The Burning Skin Fiasco

[Knightsaber]

So for the last three weeks my face and neck and some of my middle has been burning off and on.  By 'burning' I mean it feels horribly sunburned.  It's not red, it's not hot to the touch, there's no rash/blisters/etc.  It -is- driving me a bit nutty.

So today I mention this to my psychiatrist who says I need to see a neurologist ASAP.  Of course, this flips my magical panic/anxiety/whaaaaat!? switch, and I call my...mom.  She's a doctor's office manager, after all.

So my cell phone rings and it's the office number.  I answer with 'Hi mom', and my doctor (GP) says 'Hi son'.  Ooooopsie.

He tells me then that extreme back pain (which I have) and the 'burning skin' are the first symptoms my dad related to him at age 32 (22 years ago).  My dad has fibromyalgia.  I said...'uuuuh noooo'.  My doctor informed me that some 'types' of fibromyalgia are indeed genetic and now it's my turn.

Funny thing.  After that my hypochondria has pretty much vanished.  All gone.  It seems when you find that you really do have something, it's like 'victory'.

I can live with fibromyalgia, my dad has for 22 years.  It's just...all...odd.

[mermaid]

i'm so glad you got a diagnosis you can live with :)

i have fibro and for about 18 months every symptom i had turned up as a fibro symptom i this great book i had out of the library for like MONTHS - really, the most bizarre symptoms all ended up being fibro. Then after a while i got one that wasn't... and another... a slippery slope. so now i have a friend who has it and when i get something that isn't in the book i call her and often she has had the same thing... she swears by her physiotherapist and acupuncture.

just so you know, the whole 'feels like i'm having a heart attack' thing is DEF fibro if your heart has been checked and is fine but you have can't breath, chest pain etc.

the book is called Recovery from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (which covers both Fibro and CFS)