Hi Fedepe,

Boy, our group has been quiet. Somebody else will chime in.

First question is has fibro been ruled out in your case? I say this because of the digestive symptoms and cold sensitivity.

The twitching and spasms are part of MPS. I can't wear heavy clothing either. I have neck, shoulder and back pain and the weight of clothes bothers me. Forget turtlenecks and I don't like winter coats or scarves. I've changed my lifestyle considerably to accommodate this. I know that's not always an option. I also have circulatory problems that make cold temps unbearable.

My most annoying satellite symptom is that my neck hurts more when I put my head on a pillow. I'm usually fine after I fall asleep but I have trouble getting past that initial pillow stage.

Tink

Zingara (Tink),
Have you tried a neck pillow? There are different types, the one I am thinking of is the one where your head lies in a gully and the neck is supported by a round roll. These are now available at a lot of places, I know Kohl's now sells them. They are made out of memory foam.

MPS is neuro-muscular so most symptoms are more related to muscle problems, usually caused by trigger points. There are symptoms that are quite similar to fibromyalgia, and sometimes and in certain cases MPS can actually lead to FMS especially when not treated correctly. That is how mine came to be. What makes it confusing is that trigger points can cause a lot of pain and can produce "satellites" if left untreated so the pain is often hard to distinguish between fibro and myofascial pain. Doctors often group the two together so that makes it hard to understand.

I am not sure what you mean by satellite symptoms. FMS has so many symptoms but fortunately, not all symptoms crop up at the same time. It is what sends us to many specialists along the way, eliminating more serious conditions. It is necessary to do this because we can and do get other things too. If a doctor always dismisses new symptoms that could potentially be serious, then seek another opinion. If you have symptoms that are more than muscle-related, then I have to agree with Zingara. They may be missing the diagnosis of FMS.

Hello Caroline,

By "satellite" symptoms I mean those other than strict pain. They are likely to be caused by Trps though...

As for FMS, doctors (at least in my country) are reluctant to diagnose a 38 years old male with a good like on the outside who gets decent sleep without any meds most nights (fingers crossed...)


Zingara, long time ago I suffered from the pillow problem, for some reason I was too sensitive to my pillow or who knows... it eventually vanished. Have faith!

I had that symptom of feeling cold after eating lunch years ago for a long time. Do you take thyroid supplements. I have for decades. I thought it might have something to do with that. I don't notice that so much any more.

Hello chimerical,

Are you talking about Selenium maybe?

Google 'muscle twitches, magnesium deficiency' and see what you come up with. It's a classic symptom of low magnesium, and don't forget that a lot of meds block your body's ability to absorb magnesium. Gut issues and the urge to pee all the time are also symptoms of low magnesium levels.

And don't forget that you can have normal blood magnesium levels and low cellular levels as the body pulls it into the blood to keep you alive. If you have your levels checked, insist they do a red blood cell level rather than a blood serum level.

Pain and muscle tightness are also related to low magnesium levels. I've had myofascial pain for 45 years now, and while I have huge trigger points everywhere, my pain is under control as I am very careful to take enough magnesium every day.

Here's a good article on symptoms of low magnesium.

http://www.ancient-minerals.com/magnesium-deficiency/symptoms-signs/#list

I take magnesium supplements too and have been doing so for years. I haven't had the success that Greenwolverine has had but I find the evidence compelling enough to take it. My only word of caution is to carefully select the type of magnesium you take. The most common and least expensive kind, magnesium oxide, isn't absorbed by the body well. Magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate have the highest bioavailability.

I have so many things to take and do I can't cope taking extra magnesium tablets (and it didn't make any difference to symptoms either) but am addicted to mineral water which, of course, has a high magnesium content. I've got endless articles and books on magnesium as my mother is a naturopath and not happy at all that I don't take magnesium but I can only do what I can do and the mineral water is it (I do not cope well if I run out and therefore make sure I never run out!!).

Absorption is key, as already stated, as many magnesium supplements can't be absorbed and are therefore a bit of a waste of money!