Your symptoms could be related to fibryomyalgia. Interrupted/Inability to fall asleep/inability to stay asleep due to painful muscles and joints and stiffness in the neck, an achey spine, sometimes the sensation that a limb is being squeezed can be symptoms related to fibryomyalgia.
I notice you have indicated you are taking Tylenol for pain. If there is no contraindication for you to try an anti-inflammatory medication like Aleve (Naprosen) or Motrin (Ibuprophen) you might try one of these medications instead of taking Tylenol. Tylenol does not have the anti-inflammatory abilities that Aleve or Motrin have.
Hot compresses applied to the neck/spine might help with the stiffness of your neck and achey spine. Try hot compresses first and then at bedtime, use a heating pad for your back--just be sure that you have a cover barrier between the heating pad and your skin to prevent buring your skin. I always advise that people not go to bed with a heating pad on their skin because they may fall asleep and incurr a burn.
The specialist who should be the most proficient in diagnosing the signs and symptoms you have described is a rheumatologist. The physical exam conducted when evaluating for fibryomyalgia is very specific. For example, the examiner typically looks at about 18 different "trigger points" (areas which elicit pain) in various muscles and if there is a pain at 11/18 different sites being evaluated, there is generally strong suspicion to consider the diagnosis of fibryomyalgia. The diagnosis of fibryomyalgia is based on physical exam and subjective presence of signs and symptoms related to this disorder.
Another possibility is realizing you are 54 yr.old and you may have developed arthritis of your spine, perhaps in your neck or other area of your vertebrae and possibly there is an irritated nerve somewhere within your spinal anatomy. A rheumatologist would likely suggest having x-rays or perhaps MRI or CAT scan to further investigate if he/she believes your spine is possibly teh problem causing your symptoms.
Treatment if fibryomyalgia is: An exercise regimen as directed by the Dr., antiinflamatory medications, antidepressants to help deal with the pain. Often times, antidepressants will help to restore your sleeping pattern, reduce pain. Plus, people in pain for any length of time understandably become depressed because they are tired of fighting pain, fatigued and tired because f sleep deprivation. Further, antidepressants also are known to increase Serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin increases help people to be able to tolerate pain better and also promote relaxation and a better sense of well being for th epatient suffering in pain.
For further information regarding fibryomyalgia, you can check out this site: www.fibryomyalgia.com
So, my opinion is to try the above comfort measures to see if you improve and if not, I advise a visit to the rheumatologist.
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Edited by gotquest on February 23 2006 at 8:53pm
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