Severe Muscle Pain

For the past month I have been experiencing extreme muscle pain in both shoulders, hips, buttocks, neck, and middle of my back between the shoulder blades. The problem is so bad that it is difficult to get out of bed in the morning or to squat down to sit on the pot.
As the day progresses, after I have become somewhat active, I loosen up to the degree that I am actually functional by the evening and almost feel normal.
I have been taking Aleve gel capsules to provide some relief, but they do not help much.
I thought that I had enough symptoms to suspect Lyme disease or another deer tick born disease but when I had my blood tested for Lyme at the clinic last week, the test came back negative..
This does not affect my actual joints but rather the muscles close to them. If I sit for any length of time, I have a hard time getting up and I can only sleep comfortably by lying flat on my back. I will be 76 in a week or so but I don't think old age is the culprit since I have been old for a long time without this happening.


Have any of you experienced these symptoms and what did you do to find any relief?

Yes . I was diagnosed with an autoimmune inflammatory response . Same symptoms you describe. You can drink vitamin water the orange flavor and it helps. Turns out it was nexium , or any of the PPI meds. Could be Lymes. ALSO artificial sweetners flared mine up. STAY AWAY unless your diabetic and have no choice. but find you a rhuemetologist and his blood panel will tell you . Inflamatory markers tell a lot....

Quick relief is around of prednisone. Long term he gave me hydroxyquloroquine

I'm kind of dealing with the same thing and you have 10 years on me. My doctor ran some tests on me too. Test have pointed me towards a neurologist not rheumatologist. I go to see that doctor in a week for I'm sure more test. There are so many things that can cause the same type symptoms. Until they run you threw the test battery. Hard to say what it could be. I do have some suspicions in my case because my older brother is also buggered up. If I have same deal as him it's not good. But I won't know until I know. Gotta go with the flow.

Mac

My neighbor who works for us has many of those same symptoms. She just finished her third round of antibotics thru a PICC line for lyme disease. I administered all her doses daily. Poor Gal has had Lyme 3X now. Aching arms, legs, weakness, stomach upset you name it. Still has much discomfort that comes and goes. I asked her to get checked for MS.

I too was diagnosed with an autoimmune response. Same symptoms except for the back. Lost weight and I didn't sleep very well. Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR). Sure was tough trapping beaver that winter (until I went to the doctor----after 2 months).

I was diagnosed with PMR several years ago, couple rounds of steroids helped, but, I've just been diagnosed with rheumatoid Arthritis, so it was probably that all along, First doc wasn't really sure anyway.

You need to see a good rheumatologist, hopefully they'll get you straightened out. Just beware if they want to give you methotrexate , lots of side affects, lot of people can;t tolerate it even if no allergic reaction. I'm getting the antidote now....which is telling, what medicine needs an antidote?!?,

Have you recently started taking "statin" drugs?

"Have you recently started taking "statin" drugs?"

This too....

Statin drugs can cause your body to attack the muscle. Some people can't take them. If you either recently started taking a statin or changed to a stronger statin, you should talk to you Doc about it. Normally it is the thighs that are the problem area. The other responses sound more likely but the statin question is a good one.

Old for a long time Doug?

Your the youngest old guy I know.

Might want to try a shot of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water it relaxes muscle cramps might help. Also hopefully your eating salt, sounds like it might a electrolyte deficiency.

Can try eliminating foods one at a time and see if one of them is causing the inflammation. Perhaps your eating something new.

I don't take any prescription drugs and have not changed anything in my diet except for eating more carbs now that we have cooler weather. I eat plenty of salt---maybe too much? I lost some weight (maybe 5 pounds) late summer due to increased activity. I weigh 152 right now and am 5 ft. 9 1/2 inches tall. I ride bicycle daily and am very active outdoors fishing and bow hunting. I will try cutting back on carbs and eliminating the sugar free sweetener in my morning coffee and see if that has any effect. Once I get through the first two hours or so of morning, I am good to go and can perform any tasks that need to be done. I took my heavy dock out and put my big fishing boat away the other day and took the big canopy off my lift and rolled it and put away two heavy window air conditioners just now. I do these things without any help. They had to be hauled down a flight of stairs. I was able to shoot my weaker fishing bow yesterday enough to work up to being able to draw my hunting bow but doubt I will be able to pull that once I sit a while and get stiff, and I am worried about climbing down from the tree stands once rigor mortis sets in again after sitting.

I would get up to 3 different opinions on your Lyme disease and other tickborne diseases the blood test depends largely on how long you have had it. I also would think that you might probably due for tetanus shot, Meningitis, and/or other diseases.

Potassium helps relive muscle pain by reducing cramps. Potassium helped Diane.

Keith

Magnesium stopped all my pain. Many are deficient.

I religiously eat a banana every day for breakfast. In 2017 my blood test revealed potassium levels were excellent. I also had a tetanus shot in 2017. I also take a multivitamin every day. Keep the suggestions coming. I much appreciate them.

Get checked for Lyme disease

What did your Doctor say?

I did and the test came back negative. That was my first thought.

My doctor has said nothing because in order to see him I will have to wait until the end of the month or later. I did go to the Urgent Care clinic where he works and got the blood taken and tested.

Have you had the virus or the shot? Im alot younger and have almost the same pains but includes joints. My dr says that the virus or shot may have triggerd an autoimmune issue lupus runs in my family.

Best for immediate relief for me has been cbd cream

Are you serious, lol? I could go see my Doc tomorrow if I didn’t feel good. You live in the US?

I had the virus last November...no shots and it was not too serious. Felt normal after a week.

When I was in for the Lyme blood test they said if I wanted to see my primary health care doctor, I would have to wait until Oct. 27th before he had an opening. I thought maybe by then I could find some relief on my own . Now, I'm sure he is booked beyond that. I may have to schedule a late appointment but hopefully can find a solution before then. I function pretty well after the morning warm up period.

I know when my brain says...we can lift this and carry it ovah here...and do some weed whacking... shovel some sheep chit in the barn...I feel all that stuff in my muscles 2-3 days later...and I am sore. But like you said...you work the kinks out and feel better.

My doc ..last week said ..the 2 things that will take you out ...more than anything else is...Salt & Sugar period

But you have 10 years on me

Same here, usually 2-3 weeks out for an appointment is what I hear.

So what does Trapstick Man say about this ailment ?
Maybe last time he visited the pencil sharpener they went too deep- and a voodoo spirit is going against your body Mnman

Had an incident with a coffee that must have been too moldy when they ground it and after a week of drinking it and the aches and mystery pains. There was no smell with the coffee grounds but when we went to another can.....pains vanished

I am cutting back on both starting yesterday and this includes artificial sweetener.

That's what my wife found out.
Your pain almost sounds like fibromyalgia, my wife had it for 18 years, it is gone now that we have an oxygen chamber.
The chamber relieves pain, arthritis, inflammation, helps with auto immune things

Artificial sweetener is worse than any natural one ...full of caustic chemicals. Better that you use true cane sugar , than those. I've spent some decades learning nutrition and blending together this, natural healing through foods, supplements, and also AMA findings that are not bent on their big pharma agenda.

Another bad one is High Fructose corn syrup, an additive in way too many foods, everything from packaged dry food to drinks. Look in the ingredients as you browse the store and you'll find it.

Actually, a good natural sweetener, there is Stevia, though it has a taste that takes a bit of getting used to. Some companies mix it with natural flavors, which makes it good for me. The other , is Agave Nectar. It looks and acts just like honey, but its properties are very good , in that it doesn't cause the spike in blood sugar , metabolizes well with the body . It also mixes nicely in cold things , not clumping up as honey will, for baking.

There are some good comments here , I think you are onto a good start , with what is put into the body. Digestion is also an issue for many, and a good probiotic aids in making sure what you do eat is properly used .

Since these things help the quality of life in any case, refining over to a good intake of nutrition is key for anyone.

Beware of trans fats and "rancid oils", some used in cooking, and trapstickman is on his happy trail.

Yes artificial sweeteners are terrible, your body still thinks it is sugar so you gain weight.
I get 3-5 day headaches if I drink stuff with it in it.

Hyperbaric Chamber treatment.

I have heard where often the blood test for Lyme comes back false negative if you have had it for any length of time. I don't know if this is my situation, but I think it might be possible since I have been experiencing tight thigh muscles for well over a month and more painful symptoms for almost a month. Maybe the doctor can help clear up the situation when I get to see him.

Do try vinegar if you haven't, its a natural muscle relaxer, relieves cramps and tight muscles almost instantly. Worth a shot.

Dont forget your bodies electrolytes. Calcium ,potasium and very important dont forget salt, no matter what your doctor says salt is a vital electrolyte your body needs.

Yes, back when I got Lyme's I was in bad shape, thought for sure I was gonna die. They did all kinds of test and couldn't find what was wrong. Then I ask about Lyme's and they said no way.

Then I finally convinced them, 1st test was sent to Virginia and come back neg. 2nd test was sent to Cali, it came back positive. I hope you get it figured out and get better. I'm sure Stickman needs you running on all 8 cylinders.

Because Lyme is a bacteria and and the test needs to cultivate it, many times it is ruined growing the culture.
with the many other forms of diseases with tick bites and new PCR testing the Dna results show up much better now

process of elimination of the food groups

I had food poisoning once and along with puking out of both ends, one of the other symptoms was bad joint and muscle pain that lasted about a week.

Fake sweeteners will build up in you and become a problem suddenly. Stop ingesting it and drink plenty of water. If you don’t feel a change in 5-7 days, that ain’t it. lol

Do make an appt with your primary if it takes that long to get in. If you figure it out before then just cancel the appt.
Maybe trapstickman has a splinter in his back lol

I am going to make another appointment no matter how long it takes. I am in so much pain I can hardly get out of bed or go to the bathroom. It even hurts sitting on the couch. I am double dosing my pain medicine and am taking magnesium tablets and melatonin to help me sleep but nothing I have done so far has helped. The situation is only getting worse. I am betting the Lyme test did not catch it and that I am suffering from a tick born disease. It makes the most sense since I happen to know many people where they were not diagnosed on their first test but wound up having it and they had symptoms just like mine.
I am not able to bow hunt right now and that really bothers me.

That sucks Doug.
Best of luck.

My doctor told me to take 800mg of ibuprofen for pain when needed.

Lyme disease is a bacteria.

Ivermectin received the Noble Piece Prize in 2015 with over 200 million people treated with it. Anti bacterial, antiviral and anti parasitic.

MnMan-- If indeed you have an auto immune response like I had (PMR) , Ibuprofen, Aleve or aspirin does NOTHING for it. PMR affects the connective tissue around the joints.

I believe Ibuprofen (NSAID) and Aleve (NSAID) are similar. Ibuprofen is short term and Aleve is long term. I am taking less dosage, though. I will consider more. I am going to one clinic this afternoon and if I don't get required results, I am making an appointment with one that prescribed Ivermectin to a friend for his Covid symptoms. Maybe they will do that for me and what I feel is Lyme disease.

.hope you get some relief soon

I would go to an emergency room and get checked and have a referral to a neurologist. Better yet, I skipped the neurologist and went straight to a neurosurgeon.
Three weeks later I was out of pain.

I got to see a doctor today and he was pretty thorough after we had a long conversation about my symptoms. He agreed that Lyme was quite likely and gave me a prescription of antibiotic for Lyme (Doxycycline). He also scheduled 8 tests, including another Lyme test, to determine if anything else was the cause. They drew 8 tubes of blood from my arm leaving me little to get home on. Hopefully the antibiotics will help or at least they can determine the cause of my discomfort.

I have to say no matter which pain reliever I tried I found no definite sign of pain relief. I only know that I hurt bad first thing in the morning and by evening am much better after becoming active. Sitting still for a period of time is the worst thing. Well, starting up afterwards is.

If Dr. hasn't checked your B12 and potassium levels I would ask him to. Both can be life threatening if too low.

hope it all works out, soon. Best of luck to you.

All of that was checked in these last tests. Everything was within range except two tests showed inflammation and infection. The Lyme test was negative again.

Different doctor who did the lyme test??

Different one sent it to the lab, but it went to the same lab. I am being treated for Lyme regardless of test results.

When my son was tested for Lyme...the blood sample was an out of pocket expense not covered under o
Ins...and the lab was In California

Tick Bourne diseases are notorious for false negatives. I had similar symptoms for 4 years. I saw several doctors over that period and had at least 6 tick panels run . Then I got real sick body temperature was swinging from 102 to 96.8 , hyves, severe muscle and joint pain . My current doctor ran another tick panel and started me on doxycycline. I was better immediately. The tick panel she ran was negative but when she checked the results she went through my permanent medical records and found a test another doctor had run 18 months prior that was positive for rocky mountain spotted tick fever. The previous doctor had mis read the test results and told me I had no tick Bourne illness. After 6 weeks of antibiotics symptoms I'd had for four years disappeared. Athletes foot , aches and pains blurry vision a kind of cognitive skip all gone . I talked her into extending my script for doxy for another 3 months because I had it so long I felt it was in my brain and it takes more than 6 weeks to penetrate the blood nerve boundary. She agreed that everything my friend had told me about his battle of 10 years with chronic lyme was accurate and I was right to be concerned about a deep infection or a secondary infection that wasn't showing up on test .

Thank you for sharing that. I am optimistic that the Doxycycline will do me some good after taking it a while.

I also hope that this post and the responses will help others who are infected or think they may be.

Just now read that the DR. thinks I may have Polymyalgia Rheumatica. Not good either. He did say there was a treatment for it. Some of you mentioned that you have it. Were you treated to where the pain subsided?

Could be uric acid levels in your system. Drink some tart cherry juice before bed several days in a row.

The blood tests that indicate uric acid (urea) came back normal but the cherry juice sounds good anyway. I read up on the Polymyalgia Rheumatica and it sounds like exactly what I have in spite of my earlier Lyme suspicions.
This pain and stiffness is not just aggravating, it is downright debilitating. Can hardly get out of bed in the morning and it hurts bad to get in and out of a vehicle and to sit and drive also. Hurts to even turn a steering wheel. After sitting for just a short while it is tough to even get up.

I feel bad for you. Seriously if you need help with anything let me know. I hope you feel better soon. My guess would have been a tick disease.

Doug, not making fun of your situation (far from it), but if you wanna shoot a couple deer and can't sit in a stand, point your truck west 2 hours.
Got a a few windows to watch and a warm woodstove.
90% chance you can shoot a buck and doe and stay comfy while doing it.
I despise illnesses but more so when they can't figger it out.

Wow, that's a heck of an offer...thanks! Right now, I can't begin to draw my bow but hope to be able to before season ends on the end of December. I can survive without shooting a deer but I don't remember a year when I did not.
I believe we have this figured out that I have Polymyalgia Rheumatica now to figure out the treatments or anything to relieve the pain.
I also have a kitchen window with a view. Your offer is much appreciated.

Thanks for the offer but you live much too far away and might not be sturdy enough to accomplish what I need to do
.
If I am not up to the one major task I have left before winter, I will either summon local help or figure out a way to get it done by myself as always. Seriously, though, thanks, Rob for your concern and kind offer.

You all talking about gout reminded me of the worst symptom that went away with antibiotics that was gout pain the bottoms of my feet were killing me . I was eaven prescribed medicine that I had taken for a couple months with no benefit. I haven't had foot pain since the first week of doxy . My uric acid is back to normal

Turns out that I was rediagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatic and was taken off of the antibiotics which were doing nothing. I just picked up my prescription for Prednisone and will start taking it with food in the morning for 30 days. I hope this will give me the relief I seek. Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions...they are much appreciated.

Good luck doug, hope you are feeling better soon.

If you need any help let us know.