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Ongoing Muscle Pain, Not Yet Diagnosed, Advice Needed

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  • April 30, 2019 at 12:45 pm #177365
    Ongoing Muscle Pain, Not Yet Diagnosed, Advice Needed

    Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. I have been struggling with muscle pain since the start of 2019. It started out as exercise intolerance, with severe muscle pain after exercising and very slow recovery. Fast forward 4 months and I barely leave the house. I do everything at the pace of a sloth to keep the pain at a minimum. There are some moments when I am lying on my bed motionless and everything seems normal. I am brought back to reality as soon as I get up. Doing any work around the house feels like a major workout nowadays. It is astonishing how fast my range of activities is decreasing.

    I started reading articles about muscle disorders. Most of them seem to be congenital whereas I am in my fifth decade.

    My GP has ordered plenty of blood tests and nothing is abnormal apart from a slightly raised carnitine kinase level (1.5 x times the upper normal limit). I realise muscle disorders are rare diseases and my GP might have not seen many patients with such problems.

    Which field of medicine deals with muscle disorders? Is it neurology, or rheumatology? Are these doctors trained in diagnosing metabolic muscle disorders as well?

    Any advice is highly appreciated. Dan

    danR danR
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    May 4, 2019 at 1:26 pm #177504
    Reply To: Ongoing Muscle Pain, Not Yet Diagnosed, Advice Needed

    Hello and welcome to the forum Dan. Such things can take a hold, and take a hold in your fifth decade. Mine did and I have been fighting it ever since. If not already done a referral to a neurologist is essential. Only a neurologist can tell you what you may have, what may happen, and indeed what can be done about it. You have not indicated where the pain is, which would be helpful to know, and what pain medication you are using to control it in any form. Have you got a history of MD in the family? have you got any muscle weakness anywhere? Have you got any problems with circulation or blood? Are your oxygen sats normal before and after exercise? I guess you blood pressure was one of the things your doctor looked at first so we can assume it was normal.
    Do please come back and let us know more if you can.

    Mike

    So many love songs, so little love.

    embayweather embayweather
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    May 4, 2019 at 8:17 pm #177508
    Reply To: Ongoing Muscle Pain, Not Yet Diagnosed, Advice Needed

    Hello Mike, thank you for taking the time to reply. My blood pressure is ok and I am not aware of any circulatory problems. My blood tests: full blood count, vitamin B12, Vit D, Minerals Calcium, Magnesium, inflammatory markers were all normal. Only the creatine kinase level was somewhat raised when last measured.

    I used to (about 5 months back) play tennis twice a week, go to the gym, and swim once a week. I had to give up one activity after another. At the moment I can’t even walk at full pace and I tend to do everything very slowly to keep muscle pain at a minimum. The other day, I had the brilliant idea to mow the (tiny) front lawn. Took a mere 15 mins. It was aching while I was dragging the mower around but it was still bearable. After a few hours, I was in agony, reaching for some pain killers. On this occasion, 2 ibuprofen helped for a period of about 4 hours.

    It affects the muscles I am exerting and these happen to be mostly the biceps (holding things) and thighs (climbing stairs). But forearms, shoulders, and calves are also affected. To me, it feels like a very severe delayed onset muscle soreness. Random muscle strands seem to be cramping and stabbing (but without the muscle tenseness typical for muscle cramps).

    I have another appointment with my GP and will try to get a referral to see a neurologist. Thanks for your recommendation.

    Btw, I am not aware of any family members having a muscle disorder.

    Thanks again
    Dan

    danR danR
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    May 5, 2019 at 12:49 pm #177510
    Reply To: Ongoing Muscle Pain, Not Yet Diagnosed, Advice Needed

    Thank you. That does help toward my understanding. Sadly, such symptoms can also be attributed to other illnesses as well so clearly expert intervention is needed here. Might I also suggest a referral to the pain clinic. Ibuprofen helps, but looks at mainly inflammatory problems. You might find other pain killers of more value, so that is why a referral to the pain specialist will help you a lot.

    Do please keep us informed about your journey.

    Mike

    So many love songs, so little love.

    embayweather embayweather
    Moderator
    Posts: 8
    Joined: 02/11/2015
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