My muscles ache and feel stiff all the time

I have taken every medicine possible! I've taken arthritis medicine (strong NSAID) I have taken vitamins. During the day when my muscles are warmed up I don't hurt at all...it's the night time and early morning are the worst. My muscles are tight and so sore and my bones hurt..they crack it hurts to bend anything. Nothing is helping and doctors still claim I'm fine. I'm taking almost 16 Advil per day just to be able to move. How much longer can this go on?!

Unfortunately it may go on until you are removed from the toxin. If you are going to school, the problem may exist there. Many schools have problems with mold. Does the pain subside during the summer months when you are off? I read an earlier post that I thought was yours that stated you were 17 years old. If it subsides some when you are away from the school, that would be a good sign that you were exposed there...assuming you did not return to the school in the summer like if you were still going to the gym, playing inside on the basketball court, or taking summer classes. If you are completely absent from school during this time and the pain doesn't lessen any, than it would appear that you might be exposed at home or wherever you spend a lot of time. If that is the case, try sleeping at a family member's house for a few weeks. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any medication that would lessen that type of pain. It will take time for your nerves to relax after you're out of the environment. But what you describe is exactly what I went through. Not only is your body in a lot of pain, but your head is effected too probably causing depression and fatigue. If you absolutely can't sleep at another place, try sleeping in a different room possibly on the couch for a few weeks. It may be that your mattress may have mold in it. In any case, chances are if one place has the toxin in the air, everything in the building will....especially with new houses that are sealed so well. If you find the place that has the infection, remember that all porous materials will be infected as well....pillows, mattresses, blankets, clothes...everything. You can wash clothes, but not pillows or mattresses. Have your parents take you on a vacation for Christmas break and stay at a hotel maybe.

For all of yous reading and experiencing these tight muscle issues, you could look into into depression issues and stress. As well as a product called SAM-e which lubricates all the joints. and helps w depression. 

dosage wise.. well i was at 800-1,200 mg a day and felt wired. lowered the dose to 400 per day only in the morning and its been helping me dramatically!

 

I have spinal stenosis as well. Although I can still make the scout sign, there are a number of things I cannot do. Such as pick up children, stand up straight, stand for longer than 20 minutes, lay flat on the floor. I lose my vision at times because of this. I get stuck in certain positions, especially if I lay on a flat surface. I dont take pain meds because I dont need an addiction on top of pain and immobility. I am 33 and was diagnosed at 22. You learn to live with it after a while but then as soon as you start to adjust, along comes something else that prevents you from functioning normally.

i am at the end of my tether.with the same symptoms,it hasnt stayed the same it gets worse every day,there isnt a part of my body that doesnt hurt.in the morning my back  knees hands elbows.but my mind says i want to do so much ,but iam worn out.iam exuasted,then i get angry then i make bad descisions like go and have a few pints this angers my girl friend and thus the cycle goes on. i feel depressed and so on,this will only resolve it self in my death .But i dont want to die yet, but i want to get better,Am i askin tooo much? iam so tired i could go on but i feel so frustrated.

 

If it hurts so much and it is that depressing...then move yourself away from wherever the mold is. If it is where you are spending your nights, then go somewhere else and stay. If it is where you work, then go on vacation for a month. Either way, if the toxins have built up in your body that much, the only hope is to move away from the source and let your body heal itself over time.

I don't think it's fair to dismiss someone's pain until we walk in her shoes. I was certainly done growing at 16.

I dont think it is right to respond to everyone's post and blame it on just mold. There are some serious illenss and health issue that may cause painful joints and muscles besides mold. You are doing a great disservice by imposing your diagnosis on everyone else.

Everyone's situation is different.

Unfortunately in this blog there is no way to reply to just one post without everyone else seeing it. I think it is people like you who say that there are other serious illnesses that may cause the symptoms are the real issue. The person has been going to nurses like you and other doctors and they say they're fine. Or the other person who is depressed....as well as all the others I've replied to that can't find the problem after going to doctors. The doctors guess at things they know. I don't think most of the people that are writing here are just bored and don't want to go the doctor. Mold is an issue that the medical profession doesn't know ANYTHING about, so if they've already seen doctors who say they're fine....I'm suggesting another theory. What else can you suggest if the doctor says you're fine and that is just the way you're going to be. I spent 3 years hurting, depressed and telling the doctors how bad off I was....and 34 of them in 4 states said I was normal and to take pills.

So to set the record straight...I'm not a doctor. You should go to your doctor first and find out what's going on. If you've done that and the doctors don't know...then look into the possibility of environmental toxins.

Not sure if it's exactly the same problem. Spinal stenosis, yes I have heard the term. I have some scoliosis and lordosis of the spine. It makes me look like I'm 4-5 months pregnant event though I'm 40 and made sure I don't go that route anymore. I have three kids and a granddaughter. I just got a promotion at my work and I want to succeed but my health issues are an obstacle. In the morning my hands and feet are stiff,swollen and when my alarm goes off, I have a hard time getting off the bed and walking. My neck is stiff and like you, I have a difficult time looking back when I'm backing up my vehicle. I have anxiety issues, minor thyroid issue, wrist,fingers,ankle,lower back and neck pain. But I need the answers myself to keep going. Have you found something anti-inflammatory that does not involve a pill and something great that doesn't claim the kidney or liver?

if i have just moved, how long would it take for me to have BAD symptoms if there is mold in the house?

3 weeks ago I went to my doctor and they took Xrays,did blood work and per the results I am doint great. No arthritis. Unfortunately all my symptoms according to all the research I do on Google indicates early signs of Rheumatoid arthritis and so far nothing that indicates otherwise as my symptoms keep progressing. I don't want to be taking anymore pills. I'm already taking meds for anxiety and my thyroid (i blame as the root for my issues). I think I am still going to request a referral for rheumatologist in case there's something I can do to slow the progression. And I am also looking for a topical medicine to help me with the increasing swelling and stiffness as it is keeping me from having decent amount of sleep at night.

I have the same problem, since I was very sick and inactive a couple of years ago. I have found out a huge part of the problem is hypermobility. I truly didn't have a clue and thought I was stiff as a board, but that was in fact my overworked muscles trying to keep my (subluxing) joints together. Turned out I am very hypermobile, just not in the joints that drs. tested before. 50% of people with fybromyalgia are hypermobile. People with hypermobility usually have weaker connective tissue, which affects joints, but muscles as well. (90% of the body is connective tissue) A lot can be gained with good posture, balancing and stabilising excercises and GENTLE fitness excercises. Look up Joint Hypermobility Syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome to learn more. It's maddening how little doctors know about this and how lame they can be at connecting the dots if you have health issues in several areas. If you have instability in hips, si-joints, spine or neck, a surprising amount of muscles will stiffen up as an alarm mechanism. Triggerpoints in muscles will be formed. They can also be from overuse or a fall. They're very painful knots in muscles where the muscle fibres do not relax anymore, which will shorten the entire muscle and interfere with muscle coordination in a group of muscles, around a joint for example. People with hypermobility are loaded with them, but others can have them as well. Good luck, I hope this can help others as well.

 

Guest on 11/6/12 2:00 AM:  It took me months to develop the bad symptoms of mold where my muscles ached all the time but only a few months made my head/nervous system unbalanced

EliMae31 on 11/4/12 2:58 PM:  The first symptoms I developed was anxiety and the doctor tried to treat me with pills.  I gave up on these since they made my head worse off than without and added a lot of fatigue

mag2 on 12/8/12 5:07 PM:  A while (maybe a year or more) into my issues the physical therapy doctor diagnosed me with hypermobility as well.  But it didn't explain my muscle pain in my legs.  I told the doctors that it felt like all my muscles were tightening up and never relaxing.  The best reply to this was from a neurologist at Lahey that said the muscles were going to do whatever the nervous system told them to do.  So the nervous system was directing my muscles to tighten all the time causing the pain.  That brings it right back to the air causing the nervous system to react the way it did. 

Again....all of these symptoms started to clear up two weeks after I didn't go back into that office again.  A couple months later I was feeling great in both my head and muscles.  Unfortunately I am still very sensitive to mold.....but it hasn't been a huge issue because most places, even if they are moldy have ventilation and none of those places I stay 8-12 hours a day 7 days a week.  The toxins actually build up in your system.  So depending on their concentration in the air and how long you stay in that air, will have a lot to do on how bad your symptoms get.

Interseting that you are hypermobile as well, SfnD. Were you in that place with family, were they affected the same way? Our basement is one big mold factory. I'm planning on improving the hatches in the floor to make them air tight. Right now the ground water evaporates ito the basement and it's way too humid. I'm curious to know if there's a connection with the hightened sensitivity of tissues and already screwed up autonomic syseten that goes with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which I have, that would possibly make me more sensitive for mold too?
I however have lived in a moisty house before and was fine. And our current house is very dry, just not the basement.
I hope others will chme in too, about the hypermobility/stiffness connection...

Also, look into TRIGGERPOINTS. They're hardened knots in muscle in which the fibers never relax anymore. They shorten(stiffen) the entire muscle. They're treatable with applied pressure (abt 2 minutes or untill the worst pain is gone, repeat every 4 days) or dry needling. They can be a huge source of stiffness and pain and prevent normal muscle coordination, which will actually effect the nerve system.