Fibromyalgia Community

MeMe-
Thankyou for your words of encouragement and helpful
otc pain cures. I was recently diagnosed with FM but I know
I have had it for many years. I went thru a battery of tests
xrays Mri's etc as I have had enough injury to my body to question if it couldv'e been something else. I have an excellent Neurosurgeon who sent me to a Rheumotologist who ruled out RA and determined the FM. I wanted to go with
a natural approach to therapy.
I believe that phys therapy really does help as I was receiving that for a dif reason and it benefitted my whole body. The pain decreased dramatically. Unfortunately we all don't have those machines at home. The pain has returned 10 fold. I have to develop my own plan. I am going to try some of the things you suggested otc. I use the heating pad daily which is a life saver. I don't know if anyone has any suggestions for
foot pain? I have severe Plantar faciaitus. I can handle about 3 hrs on a good day on my feet. Most days I wake up and feel absolutely crippled with pain when I start walking.

I also have regular arthritis in both knees and hands which hurt daily and arthritis in my neck from a bad car accident which is why I was in phys therapy. The accident was 24 years ago. I am trying to avoid surgery.
I can't take otc pain meds because I take Topamax for migraine disease which has been a life saver. I suffered most of my life with that.

I am a 53 year old single woman who alway has felt 35 yrs old in mind and body. I don't look my age either. I lost my job due to office closure after working for a telecom company 31 years. I need to go back to work full time yet tho I did take their retirement/severence to survive so I could take care of these physical issues. FM has really taken a toll on me along with the arthritis. I worry what if I can "ever" find a job again
if I can physically hack it.

I look forward to chatting with you all and learning as much as I can or assisting anyone else.

God Bless and Happy Easter to those who Celebrate!

Thanks Again for this MeMe

Kana14

THANK YOU for not just hearing us, but listening to us...I can tell already I'm going to make new friends who really understands me. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!
suzeb

MeMe, just read again your bio and sounds like you & I may share some issues. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, but praise
God someone "gets it!!" Thank you, my new friend. Good Lord willin; & the creek don't rise, talk tomorrow!

Me Me---

I am a "Me Me" too! That is what my 5 year old grandson calls me! I was diagnosed about 2 months ago and tried to just ignore the pain until this past weekend working in the garden flipped a bad flair up! The words "pace yourself" have never made much of a difference in my life as I usually am in a constant state of motion--teaching full time, working on my jewelry business after hours and in between just being a wife and mom.
My pain seems to be mostly in my hands and feet, but my knees really manage to do some talking when I sit at my desk for more than 5 minutes and then try to get up! Boy talk about looking and sounding like an old lady! Has anyone else experienced that?

Another thing I have noticed with this latest flair up is that when I wake up during the night my arms, especially around my elbows, are hurting so much that it is difficult to move my arms. Surely this isn't going to be with me for another 30 or more years???!!!

Thank you so much for your support. I have osteoarthritis and other things along with fibromyalgia. My hands swell and I have pain, but my doctor has helped a lot and I rest when I need to.
Karenanne44

Thank you for these tips. I'm 28, a single working mom. I have a beautiful 4 year old daughter. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue a few weeks ago. I started taking Savella yesterday and I'm hoping that it'll help me soon. I'm in a lot of pain but mostly I have a lot of exhaustion and it's very hard for me to function these days. My mom has had fibro & chronic fatigue for many years now so I know what it is and what it's like living with it because of her, but now I have it as well and at 28 and with a daughter it's hard to function at all. Any helpful tips would be beneficial. Thank you.

I was diagnosed a few weeks ago with fibromyalgia, emphesema and now Lyme Disease. I hurt from head to toe and don't know what to do. I take Savella and it was helping until the Lyme Disease took over. Now the medications have to be watched and taken at separate times. I don't know if the pain is the fibro or the Lyme. All I know is that the pain is unbearable at times and I don't know what to do.
Has anyone else had both?

I was recently diagnosed with FM and still am having a difficult time accepting it. In my research I found this info and your post sounds just like me. The cronic pain and fatigue are really getting me down. Now I too have plantar faciatius so bad that I can't walk when I first get u8p and/or after sitting any length of time. I have a night brace that helps somewhat, but with cronic pain it's hard enough to sleep, no less where a huge foot brace. I got shoe inserts with no relief. Let me know if you found any good relief from PF. I do stretches in the am and pm too.

Hi yvibella518

I have signed up a few minutes ago to the site and am most gratefull to see that we are not alone. I have had FM & CF for the past 5 years. I live in SOUTH AFRICA in the EASTERN CAPE close to EAST LONDON. I have been to many doctors, specialists, endocrinist . Travelled many a mile to get help. Was in rehab for 2 weeks .....as one specialist said I was a middle aged depressed woman. I am 50 now so I started at 45.

In December 2009 my daughter now living in LONDON came home for 2 weeks. She was so allarmed with me crying early hours of the morning, could not believe it was her mother. At the same time I have been going to my GP and each time would tell me I am aneamic, December 2009 he gave up, said could do no more for me. So next was a specialist in EAST LONDON. What a gentlemen, I was so bad that my muscles would ache, jerk, burn as i started to relax..a warm bath and many pain and sleeping tabs I would fall asleep in the bath. He prescribed PEXOLA .125mg at . Well the next morning I woke up and realized that something wa amiss. I HAD NO MUSCLE SPASM!!!!!! THAT WAS AMAZING.

FM CF have affected me so so much that I cant do a days work, I am self employed , scaled down to mornings only, BUT lack of CONSENTRATION ,FOCUS ,FATIGUE,AND DEPRESSION is my daily life. Sadly I have lost my lust for LIFE.Unforuanately I am allergic to a ingredient in some medication which has cost me many a Rand.

All the things I enjoyed doing dont feature anymore. For the past 20 years I have done all the book work, stock sheets, all to trial ballance for accountant, sadly I have not even closed off for APRIL. As for end of year stats I am way behind . in 9 weeks time I fly to London to welcome our 1 st grandchild and have to complete books. I pray for help everyday, set my mind on doing 1 month, but as 1 pm comes closer " BED " is my best friend.

I fit 16 points of FM & CF. Pain from elbows to knees. On arrising in the morning it feels like my muscles have shrunk and the bones in my feet are crumbling. Sitting down is no pleasure, EXTREMLY PAINFULL.

Sadly many people cant see the PAIN and say its all in the MIND.

My meds work 50 %t when I get upset its like all flares up.
Having .25mg Pexola at night ,40 mg Pur-Blocka,20 mg Cilift
10 mg Pax and 7.5mg Arem .Oh I also sleep with electric blanket on day and night, the heat seems to help.

Morning meds 20 mg Cilift, 40mg Pur-Blocka,2 imunoboost,Hormone tabs .

When i cant handle the pain i have DICLOFENAC tabs and sometimes a strong injection just to have a good nights sleep.

Regards
Another sufferer

I live in an area of the country that has no support groups available and I mostly have my faith to keep me going. I've always been a very physical person and thrived in what ever I could get into. Im a people pleaser and don't always like it and its been hard for me to say no to any challenge that comes before me but i know if i pray the lord will help me in any endeavor that i have before me. I've had alot on me in the past year. My husband and i recently bought another home for my mother to live with us. Hes in the army reserve and had to deploy to Iraq for a year. Its been a tough road. we only lived in our home for a couple of months before he had to leave. I had to be the one to work out all the kinks in our home. My mother can't help me with anything, she has alot of problems and thats why shes with us. This past winter was horrible and I had to do all the shoveling myself, tried to get a handy man to help and his tractor broke down so of course I knew what was next, for me to do it myself. I've always leaned on myself and not use to someone helping me. My husband is my best friend and hes always been there for 21 years to support in everything. I figured hes having to go through alot being over there with the terriost, so the least I could do was been tough myself and just do it. No matter what pain i'd go through, endurance through the lord has always been my answer, i don't know what its like to baby myself, its not happening here. Pacing myself just don't happen and of course then i have the pain for it with flare ups and depression that you feel like your never coming out of. Im on an antidepression and anxiety meds. and it does help but then theres those days nothing helps, i guess thats only normal, no med works always the way they should. I hate complaining but it is theraputic to tell someone you don't know what you go through and how the fibro effects your life. I had to give up a job working with the mentally challenged individuals to care for my mom and i wasn't happy doing so but had no choice. Some days i feel like screaming because i can't get away from my mother and with my husband being gone. He will be home in a couple of months praise the lord for that. Hes been in danger being over there of course and there has been alot of black outs, no communications allowed because of casulties and haveing to get in touch with their love ones. Everytime it happens, im so upset because i never know if its my husband that is the casualty. Its been a nightmare, thank goodness its almost over. Its nice to have a site that has others with fibro and how they deal with their lives enduring with this awlful disease. Its like being old before your time!! Thanks for being able to relieve some stress!! sea57

I also was diagnosed to fm a couple weeks ago. I have been struggling with plantar faciatius for almost three years now. It started in my left foot and I tried everything for it and nothing worked so last October I had surgery on it and it has really helped. I now have it in my right foot and it is worse than my left foot ever was. My dr is wanting to do surgery on it too. I'm going to have it but I'm going to wait until october to have it because my job is really busy right now and it is hard to take the time off. I have to be out three weeks. I work at a job where I'm on my feet for 10 hours a day and some days I wonder if I going to make it through the day. Now I'm dealing with the fm pain also. I stay so tired all the time and have to take naps on a daily basis to make it through the day. Have u found anything that has helped your fm pain?

am a 25 yr old mother of two. i have a 16 month old and a 4 yr old. i am also a server at a supper club 5 nights a week. i have not been diagnosed, but am lead to believe i have fm and lupus. i have been on lyrica and hydroxychloroquine for a yr and i started savella 5 days ago. im having problems with pain, of course, sleeping and bad headaches/migraines. its hard to get a lot of rest with two little ones, even with help from my husband, but i also have problems in my head. is this normal? i feel beside myself sometimes and cant think or speak straight. i cant remember things that i was just talking or thinking about 5 min prior. and i also hope savella will help. my joints, everyone in my body just aches. im also sick of not knowing. i feel in my heart that this is whats going on with me, but i dont feel like my drs are concerned at all. what should i do? am i ever gonna get an answer?

Hi Marisalyn,
I'm so sorry you are struggling! I have a four year old and a two year old I'm in the same boat as you- it is hard to be a mom when you are feeling like this. You didn't specifically mention this, but my kids have a hard time understanding why I am so tired and don't always play with them so I've talked with them and explained that mommy is sick but it's not like a cold. My four year old completely got it and has an easier time with accepting the situation. I cried when it hit me how much my fibro is affecting them but they are both so empathetic that I think there have been some positive outcomes too.

My fibro has been bad for 10 years now and because I was only a teenager, most doctors didn't take it seriously either. I was so sick of not knowing as you said, especially since it took years to get a diagnosis. I'm not sure what your insurance situations is but if you could doctor shop, it is so important to have someone who is willing to partner with you in your treatment. Actually, a chiropractor was the one who officially diagnosed me and his adjustments totally helped my pain. I think the one thing I have realized is that to deal with fibro, it is doing a bunch of little things and making adjustments to manage it. A lot of the drugs help but doing yoga, cutting out cafiene and lots of little stuff makes all the difference! And yes too, fibro can totally do that to your head whether it is from not sleeping well, fatigue from the pain, or even depression from being in pain all the time. The best thing you can do is make sure you are getting enough rest; that's what works for me. I take valerian root to help me get REM sleep and not feel drugged since I need to get up and take care of kids in the middle of the night.

I hope that you are able to find a good doctor and that they can help you quickly! I know it doesn't seem like it, but you will get an answer eventually. When I was at your point, I totally gave up on ever finding out what was wrong with me but it will be okay. You are doing are great job starting working on it now too!

I'll keep you in my prayers!
Olivia Grace
adventuresofaneverydaygirl.blogspot.com

I completely understand some of the challenges you face. My family thought I was ludicrous for looking into getting a maid(there are times I am down for a few weeks). I thought it made sense to me. I also had to give up my job as a special ed teacher because I couldn't be consistent..an my job really defined who I was. Talk about identity crisis.
My mother was diagnosed with a brain disorder that is pretty painful..I am the go to girl..the one that takes care of everything an everyone. It is a very lonely, overwhelming, feeling, and because you have something that people cannot see they just a)dont remember you have it b)dont care to understand it .and c)think you just are blowing people off.
I used to be extremely athletic, handle everything on my own, dont ask for help...etc..
I pray for your husbands safety an well being an that he comes home to you soon.. if you ever want to chat let me know...k