Fibromyalgia Community

A good day for me is to be able to go to the park with my 10 yr old and dogs or go out with friends and not be slow and miserable the whole time. OA and FM have changed a lot of stuff for me. I no longer work, and I am always so anxious when I'm not at home. With the moderate/severe spinal arthritis and FM on top of it all it takes is an accidental jostling in a crowd or for someone to accidentally bump into me and I'm done for the day.

It would also be nice tho have a day here and there where a nap wasn't a necessity. Where I could forgo one all together or when it would be a luxury.

Of course I am still in the trial and error phase in finding out what works for me so I do hold out hope that there are better days ahead just waiting for me.

I have tried Lyrica, Cymbalta, Savella, Gabapentin, Naproxyn, & tramadol for FM and have found of these the only ones that work are tramadol and naproxyn, but in the last couple of months I also use lidoderm patches for my lower spine and take methadone for the pain and those 4 things together work pretty well. The methadone takes the edge off of the pain that usually makes me want to just slam my body into a wall. It has been the only thing in 2 yrs that gives me noticeable relief. The brain fog is a big issue as it is EXACTLY like alheimers. I have always been described as very smart by employers, friends, family & teachers but now there are days I feel like a bumbling idiot. I explain FM as what we use to call Premature aging. I am 50 and I am in more pain and in worse shape than my 82 yr old mother. We have almost daily conversations comparing how we feel & I am worse but very similiar in symptoms as her old age pains. It feels like the worst case of all over arthritis that they say is crippling. I have not worked in almost 2 yrs & use to be a workaholic. I just could not sit or stand more than 20 min at a time & just couldn't make it through the day anymore & started calling out sick all the time & couldn't concentrate on my work because all I could think about is my pain & then I noticed I couldn't think straight. What use to be so simple for me became over whelming & just took forever to get the thought process right on it. Pain management costs WAY TOO MUCH but they are the only ones that can give me the methadone and since its a controlled medicine I have to go every month. The bill is high and yet the medicine is only $5.00 but there is no way I can stand to be without it anymore. It also allowed me to cut back from 2 pills of tramadol 4x a day to 3x a day. I NEVER had depression. I get angry when they say that depression is a symptom. I don't know about anyone else but my depression is not part of the disease it is due to being in so much pain ALL the time and for the depression due to the pain I now have to take wellbutrin which works pretty good. I was never a cryer and found myself crying everyday I was just so sick and tired of hurting & was having pitty parties for myself. I have gone to a mental health doctor and they agreed it is depression due to having to learn how to live with this illness that has completely changed my life. I hope the medicines I listed that help me will help you. I have also noticed a lot of us saying we have spine issues &/or accidents of different kinds but still all spine issues. Makes me wonder if that's where it started from.

A good day begins by waking up past 5 am.

A good day is when I can do things past noon and not have to rest awhile.

A good day is where I can spend time with friends and family and not worry about my pain level going up.

A good day is when my pain level stays lows enough so I can enjoy the outdoors all day.

A good day is when I don't feel like crying when the pain is too much to bear.

A good day is when I feel free from the pain, even if only for a few minutes.

I agree with you. I feel the same way. I appreciated you voicing it the way you have because I too am only 51 and until I had my car accident which messed up my back, 5 ear surgeries, a Divorce, and reconstructive surgery for my vagina, rectom and my bladder in a sling. I lead a pretty normal life. Now i almost feel like an invelent(how ever you spell that. I began to think I was crazy, and was getting alzheimers, and just a chronic complainer. After finding several web sites that allow me to see how other people are doing and feeling. I have come to realize it's all AO and FM.

Thank you all for chiming in here and welcome to the newcomers! I'm sorry for your need to be here but glad you found us.

A good day for me used to involve skiing and swimming and biking, now it involves getting out into nature for walks and/or hiking. It hurts but I keep at it because it so helps me deal with stress, etc. And a good day often includes time spent with my sons, daughter-in-laws, grandchildren, or good friends. Laughter is still the best medicine.

A good day is waking up, seeing the sun shine hearing the birds and being able to walk my fur babies around in my yard.
Having enough energy to clean at least one room in my home.
Being able to watch my daughter march in her last year of high school band. Even when it is cold out.
Writing a letter to my some in the Navy and actually being able to read it..
Waking up to find my husband who knows I am hurting and exhausted, who worked 12 hours shift just the day before and he still gets up early to handle the morning rush so I can get a few hours more sleep because he know I need it..
to me those are just a few things of my good day!!!

Hi Caprice,
In my "pre-Fibro" days (I use the term loosely because I was symptomatic in my 20s), a good day was going to work, working 12-17 hours, falling into bed, and waking up six hours later to do it again. Those days are long gone, lol!

I also used to build walkways and patios in a weekend...I worked at demolishing houses for a while and would take out the foundations with a sledgehammer. I did tons on stonework and built so many gardens from scratch, and was always hustling to get things done. I did so much back then! Now I look back and wonder how on earth I managed any of it. It seems like a lifetime ago.

Now, a "regular" good day for me (meaning one where I'm not dealing with these injuries) means getting the housework done in stages and not fretting about what isn't done. It means looking at a big yard project and planning it out in advance, doing a couple of steps and then resting. I can still get plenty done as long as I pace myself, which is easier said than done, of course. I am not so frantic about finishing everything right away and I think that's actually an improvement.

A good day was an early walk in the park and time with those I loved... Being able to work 12 to 14 hour day after day... and then having enough energy to still raise my 3 children alone... A good day today is taking less then 15 minutes to get out of bed... hobbling to the porch to hope to have at least half an hour to myself and vegetate and drink my coffee lol... hoping the pain killers set in before the alarm to wake everyone up goes off... A good day doesn't end at 4 or 5 pm like clock work... I have constant pain to some degree but by then it is maxing out every day... I find myself useless 90 % of the time and the other 10 % I actually sleep lol...

But on my good days I can find the strength to get out of bed and get my coffee in... and find a little relief from all the stiffness by 11 am after my second bout of exercises... lol... and then I can smile and keep on loving first myself then others... and find good in me no matter the pain... And I can pray without asking why or asking to be taken from this world... I can look around and see the blessings I have in my life and ignore the pain of sitting here and being with you...

That's a good day... love... Jan/Dakota

Thank you all for sharing your 'good days' both before and after FM settled in to stay.

I'm glad that good days still are out there.

e pain. Sorry this is so long, I think you get the msg. Thanks so much for taking time to read this. It is an excellent group and I thank each and everyone of you for your support.

What pain management is effective for you? I have heard many people say different things. I tried all the natural and over the counter options over a period of several years, and they did nothing. With a combination of injury pain to my knees and the Fibromyalgia, it is difficult to find something that really works. I was on MS Contin for a period of time and Oxycontin too that lasted for 12 hours, but my body seems to build up tolerance to these drugs faster than the short acting narcotics for me. Plus the short acting lets me know exactly when I need to take my next dose, because I will start to feel the pain returning. When you take the long acting ones, you are using higher levels of medicine for longer periods and it just masks everything, plus it made my fatigue worse...

I have had FM undiagnosed or not for so long I don't really have a before or after.

A good day for me is where I have accomplished something, even if it's small. A good day includes having a positive outlook or at least being able to fight off the negative thoughts. It would include doing something for someone else, even if it's just giving words of support. I enjoy having some good conversation with my husband and cuddle/play time with my dog.

Most of my days, even if they're hard to get through, end up being good because the above is possible most every day. Letting go of self-inflicted expectations took a long time and I still struggle to do so, but has made coping with FM much easier.

A Good Day!! To me that would be to wake up and not be in pain and stiff. To go out to my Garden and have my Coffee and plan what I will do today in my Garden. To have the energy to work all day (like I use to) and then sit in the evening and admire my work. Maybe cut some flowers for the house. And go in and fix a nice supper for my Husband and be able to watch a movie without being so tired I have to just go to Bed. I love the simple life and I cannot even do that anymore. I use to dig up plants and take them to my neighbors!! That is a good day to me

I'm praying for more research - real research to help us all.