Keep us posted Dave. This the right place.

it gets better in some ways, Dave. Understanding comes.

<<RLS -> MS? Or FMS? Or CFS? Or___?>>
Seriously, this SHOULD look like a foreign language to all of us, but it makes perfect sense to me!

May you find peace and understanding here and off in your real life, too. Here's hoping for peace and understanding for all of us broken bodies.

luck and such,
Zanne

I AM NOT A DOCTOR! Just to be clear, before I begin.

Dave,
I'm disabled due to multiple medical conditions including chronic headaches and joint pain from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). EDS is a connective tissue disorder in which your body doesn't create enough collagen so I'm super flexible, but in severe pain at all times do to the muscle tension. I also have Dysautonomia (including P.O.T.S.); this condition affects my autonomic nervous system causing my automatic body functions (breathing, skin temp, blood flow, etc) to go hay-wire!
Anyway, my point is saying all of that is to say this:
1) For the pain I've had a Medtronic Intrathecal Medication Delivery Pump implanted and it delivers low doses of pain medication (Dilaudid) directly to my spine to be spread though-out my body. It has changed my life! If you're pain is that severe, you should definitely research this option!
2) If you are having increasing intolerance to heat, you may want to research Dysautonomia and/or Lupus. That is a prominent symptom of each condition.
I hope this information helps you in some way. If you have any questions, feel free to message me and I'll reply ASAP.
~Lisa H .

Sorry that I missed your original post, but I will jump in now. In my experience and somewhat limited medical education, my belief is that most of the time we just don't know. Some of my symptoms are similar and some are different and all of them can have multiple causes. I have been diagnosed with everything from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, non-specific connective tissue disorder, Epstein-Barr syndrom, arthritis - all the way to simplistic judgments that I must be a hypochondriac or drug-seeker. After all of these years, I still do not have any real answer, but I have found some relief. I still have pain daily, but I try to minimize it by taking ibuprofen regularly, seeing a chiropractor and massage therapist when I can afford it, and taking a muscle relaxer at bedtime (sometimes more when the pain is really bad.)


My symptoms include:

~ Whole left side of body is tingly, sometimes numb, sometimes to the point of being painful. I have tingling and numbness, but only in the extremities - feet and toes, hands and arms - sometimes running all the way up my arms.

~ RLS / I don't experience RLS, but I do get what I call RAS - restless arm syndrome with numbness, tingling, twitching. My doc said to try Iodine first before any major meds.

~ Sleep disorders - Welcome to my world! Trouble falling asleep at night and when I do finally sleep, it only lasts 1-3 hours and I'm awake again.... and dreadfully uncomfortable.

~ Short term memory loss - I get a little of this, but I think it is just a result of sleep deprivation and constant pain.

~ Insomnia - Same as sleep disorder.

~ Decreasing tolerance of heat - I have absolutely no tolerance for heat. I need cool room temp and ice for sore spots.

~ Difficulty prioritizing important tasks - Again, this could be from lack of sleep and distraction from pain, but it is also commonly associated with depression.

~ Geographical disorientation - Nope, nothing like this for me.

~ Chronic fatigue - Is it lack of sleep or something else?

~ Chronic (deep/sharp) aches and pains - I could write a book on this. I'm always in pain. For me, I have terrible days and not so terrible days, but I cannot remember the last time I had a day, even a moment without pain.

~ Depression - A tricky one here, kinda like the chicken and egg question. Suffering chronic pain, dealing with the boss and financial issues and not knowing just what is wrong can lead to depression. Or, it could be a chemical imbalance in the brain chemistry. It could be a temporary response to your situation or something else. My advice is to thoroughly explore the situation with both medical and psych doctors. And don't let them write you off. Sadly, I have seen too many doctors just say, "Oh, it's just depression," without looking further. On the upside, antidepressant meds often help with the pain issues as well.

- Oh, and there is the burning hot oil pain that you mentioned. I get it around the area of neck and shoulders, shooting down my arms at the worst.

Is it at all possible you may have been bitten by a tick? Lyme's disease can contain all these symptoms.

The Osteopath I go to also treats people with Lyme's and, talking with them in the waiting room, I have heard them complain of all these things.

If you have not been bitten by a tick, then I guess maybe not ;-)