The good new is that my latest bran scan was completely normal, confirming that the benign brain tumor I had removed in 2005 has not returned. The bad news is that I still don't know why I've had extreme pain from head to toe over the past several months. The last time I had these symptoms, an MRI revealed a meningioma, a benign brain tumor, pressing on the sensory part of my brain.
Chronic inflammation is always an issue in fibromyalgia patients, but this goes way beyond FM. It started last August with a stiff neck so painful that I couldn't move my head. My doctor recommended physical therapy, which I've been doing twice a week since September.
Just before Thanksgiving I ended up in the ER with back pain so severe that the doctor thought I was passing a kidney stone. It was worse than giving birth! But the labs were all normal, so he sent me home with a diagnosis of muscle pain.
Now I can hardly walk on my right foot. I've had Plantar Fasciitis in the past, but this is much more painful than ever before. I feel like my body is screaming at me, but I just don't know what it's trying to tell me. My doctor recommended a neurologist in Boston, but it turns out she only sees epileptic patients or pregnant women with headaches. I'm not epileptic nor am I pregnant nor do I have headaches. So, I'm back to square one in figuring out this mystery.
My acupuncturist suggested that I get tested for Lyme Disease. He warned me that the standard blood test for Lyme is only 65% accurate - that means that more than a third of patients are misdiagnosed! He recommended that I ask for two tests called CD 57 and Western Blot.
For now I have to accept the mystery and manage the pain as best as I can. Will keep posting on future developments.
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