Unwanted Side Effects - Severe Swelling

Hi Everyone :)  I'm relatively new to CC, not so new to the life of battles with weight though.

In a nutshell, I was diagnosed (finally) with Fibromyalgia in October.  I had a physical done in March where I realized I'd hit my top weight ever of 218 lbs (I'm 5'6").  This along with the advice to incorporate more exercise have got me where I am now.  I joined a gym (hired a personal trainer) and cut all the garbage out of my diet.  I made a decision NOT to diet but rather to make healthy choices as I've had plenty of failed diets :)

I try to get to the gym daily if I can but there are times this doesn't work out.  I have been having problems with swelling since joining the gym and am wondering if this is just a side effect of working out I didn't know about?  I've been to the doctor twice over it.  Bloodwork is all normal so it looks as though it's not any illness causing it.  The doctor today gave me diuretics as the swelling in my ankles was hindering my walking and my fingers looked like sausages.  I was up 7 lbs this morning since yesterday morning.  Is it possible my body is just rebelling after being sedentary for so many years :P

Any ideas/suggestions?

With Fibro... Your body just reacts strangely to things.  It's hard to say really since every person with it is drastically different.   You definitely want to keep monitoring this with your rheumatologist.  Always keep your docs appraised of new weirdness.  

Have you started any new medications?   That would be the first place to look. Lyrica is known to cause swelling in the hands and feet.   Other meds have lists of side effects. 

I've learned over the last few years that fibro patients (( I am one)) tend to be sensitive to more then just pain stimuli.   The problem here is..again every one is different.   I've also learned that because of this we often need more time to adjust to changes then most people.

You seem to have gone at this full force right away.   You need to list the major changes you made about the time this swelling started.   Smaller gradual changes are often better for fibromites.  Specially if you've been reallly sedentary the last few years.  Jumping into full fledged work outs at the gym, with a personal trainer right away... maybe a case of too much too soon.   I can only imagine how much you must hurt from all that effort.

Fibro patients also tend to be sensitive to chemical additives in food.  Aspartame and MSG are very common sensitivities.  Other artificial sweeteners can cause symptoms, as well as many food preservatives.  Again the problem is not every one shares the exact same sensitivities.   So when you started eating healthier did you switch to an artificial sweetener or perhaps start buying lowfat yogurt?   Most lowfat yogurts contain aspartame. 

There are a lot of possible causes for new symptoms.  It may help to keep a symptom diary to attempt to figure out what is triggering you. 

Living with Fibro can be rough.  It's a bit of a balancing act between too much/ too little, and flexibility/ planning.  I'd be glad to help or just be an ear any time.  Good luck!!

Have you had blood work done to rule out arthritis? Many people with Fibromyalgia also suffer from arthritis? Some good information.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Fibromyalgia-Swelli ng&id=409015

http://www.fmpartnership.org/Monog01.htm