Disease or imagination?

For more than ten years, and especially the last several months after I quit smoking, I have been tired and sore all of the time. I have trouble sleeping and also finding a way to exercise without pain bad enough to make me stop. The only times I have seen a doctor was during my pregnancies, and it's normal to be tired and sore when you're pregnant. I was tested for lupus during my pregnancies because I developed a butterfly rash on my cheeks, but both times the doctors said I didn't have it. My sister has an autoimmune disease that they haven't been able to diagnose (she has had pupura for five years without the cause being found), and my father has multiple sclerosis.

I don't have health insurance, so it's not very easy for me to go to a doctor. My husband says that I'm always imagining that something is wrong with me and that it's an excuse for not getting more done around the house. I'm starting to wonder, though, if it might be something treatable. Any ideas?

OH the old "guilt trip". Are they not darling to lay that on us when we feel so awful. Ok, since your dad has MS you would prob recognize these symptoms if you were going there and also a doc would get right on it. I am going to venture a guess of Fibromyagia, aka Fibro. It makes every muscle in your body ache, relentlessly. It has only been recognized as a very real condition in past 5 or 10 years. Here is the test the Arthritis specialist gave me...He had me hold out my arm..level.. and pinched the skin and muscle tissue and it hurt like *)*&!!. Some one who does not have Fibro, that won't hurt or at least not very much. Test yourself this way and go from there, I hope you dont have fibro.. Good luck and hugs, Lainey

You need to go see a doctor to know for sure what's going on - check with the united way for a free or low cost clinic.

Good luck!

Because of your strong familiar hx; totally understand your realistic phobia. and I also don't doubt the possiblity of you having an autoimmune disease as well. Your father has MS. and your sister , most likely has hemorrhagic purpura which is akin to leukemia or hemophilia.and hemolytic anemia.



However, your fatigue ( tiredness) and soreness might be due to CFS or Fibromylagia. Try the two sites which are clickable to read up on these diseases:

ttp://health.yahoo.com/pain-overview/c...

http://health.yahoo.com/musculoskeletal-...


Another thing to consider is that you might just have the postpartum depression, and not getting quality sleep. Try to take some viatmins and minerals to pep you up. As for exercise, try gradually; increasing your stamina. Just by walking for 20 min a day is sufficent for now. In the meantime, drink a lot of fluids. You don't have Lupus. Once diagnosed, it becomes chronic.

Try to stay focus. Avoid as much as possible any STRESS

Don't ever think that it is your imagination, I have been diagnosed with wegeners for about 4 years, I had problems with doctors figuring out what was wrong with me, they pretty much acted like it was in my head, I had been in much pain, and all they would do is give me pain killers, my husband finally said enough and opened the phone book and found my angel, I was then diagnosed within a week, if I wouldn't have found this doctor I wouldn't be here writing to you! Don't ever think it is you, don't give up, follow your instinct's.