Recently I posted for a neurologist. Thank you everyone for suggestions. I consulted Mita Hospital and they concluded it is Fibromyalgia. They cannot give any treatment. Can anyone suggest me any specialist who can do therapy and treatment for Fibromyalgia? English speaking obviously and near Tokyo/Yokohama.
Thanks.
4 comments
Please check out the medical resources on the [wiki!](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/wiki/medical)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/japanlife) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hi, fibromyalgia is what people often get diagnosed with when doctors are puzzled and their diagnostics show nothing. The fact that they can diagnose such a thing but have zero treatment options is also suspicious, because someone who does understand the condition knows that there are various ways to approach it, from psychiatric medication to physical therapy and even hypnotherapy and acupuncture.
Do you have a post somewhere with your entire history regarding the pain and a full, comprehensive list of what diagnostics you’ve had? I don’t think you’ve hit the bottom of the barrel yet. This can also help with specialist suggestions, though I’ll be honest, you’re very hard pressed for options if you need help in English and can’t pay for an interpreter.
I don’t have fibromyalgia, I just know it because a friend actually has it and I spent months being told that I had a psychiatric condition when diagnostics came back with no issues when, in fact, I have real issues with my body. I’ve been told I had anxiety, fibromyalgia, dysautonomia – the works!
Your comments seemed to have been deleted and I had to view your profile to see them.
Back and shoulder pain can be due to a variety of causes. If electro-therapy, massages, and trigger-point injections worked at some point, it suggests that your issue may be musculoskeletal. Especially since you’ve seen a neurologist, GP, pain specialist, and rheumatologist, which means that you’ve probably gone through a brain MRI and several blood/urine tests to rule out hormonal issues and the like. Furthermore, you’re already on psychiatric medication and have been for a while, so additional medication probably won’t make much of a difference…
I know you said you’ve been to an orthopedic doctor before, but I highly suggest getting a second opinion at a place that specializes in spine issues. As I wrote in your previous post, Inanami Spine and Joint Hospital in Shinagawa and Sangubashi Spine Surgery Hospital in Yoyogi are very well known. A big hospital known for their orthopedics department is Keio University Hospital – they’re an option as well. Do not just get an x-ray, go the extra mile and get an MRI because it can reveal issues with nerves and muscles that an x-ray cannot capture.
At the same time, I might consider going for an initial consultation with an overseas trained and certified physical therapist. Tokyo Physio and Club 360 are two popular options that pop up all the time. There’s one more, Tokyo Physical Therapy, that doesn’t get mentioned as much but is apparently equally as good. All three are not covered by insurance, but I can tell you from personal experience that the diagnostics are worlds apart from what you can find in most places in Japan. They might be able to spot issues that the places you went to didn’t.
For general pain relief, considering you’re already on a bunch of medication and tried many other forms of pain relief, it’s worth giving acupuncture a try. I personally found a lot of relief going to Edward Acupuncture in Sangenjaya, but you can certainly try many of the other massage and acupuncture clinics out there.
Lastly, if you’d rather just chase up the fibromyalgia diagnosis (I don’t suggest it until you’ve gotten an MRI of your spine)… well, I actually had to look up a lot of this information and don’t have any personal recommendations, but: Juntendo University Hospital (Koto branch, neurology) and Chiyoda International Clinic have come up in my search. There’s also the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, who are looking into CFS and that’s quite the complicated condition in itself, so they may be used to seeing patients with fibromyalgia.
Edit: Another option might be Shonan Fujisawa Tokushukai Hospital. They’re more of a spine and neurology hospital, but they appear to have knowledge of many movement disorders and have entire pages in English.
Hope this helps.
Yeah, for some reason, I still can’t view any of your replies unless I see your actual profile. In any case, acupuncture at the clinic I mentioned is unfortunately not very cheap, but it is very good. There are cheaper at more local clinics, but I can’t vouch on how good they actually are. Also definitely understand the budget issue, it’s tough for me too, especially since dizziness is a big symptom for me and taxis are very expensive. Good luck!