Pain treatment is hit and miss. Most things I've tried work well for a little while then burn out. Gabapentin can help in my case but at higher doses where some side effects start showing up.

i saw more specialists than I can remember. The pain doc put me on a med which was closely related to one that had been a disaster for me and insisted that it would do the trick. It didn't and turned out to be almost the same as the other.

I liked the psychiatrist the best. When all else fails, send the patient to a shrink and if he complains more then lock him up in a psych ward. The psychiatrist started my interview by asking my why I was in his office wasting his time and my money when there was nothing mentally wrong with me.

Have you talked to your psychiatrist about Cymbalta? It eliminated my hip pain all together but made me too irritable (irritating?).

Pain happens for a reason. When pain happens, it is to tell you that something is wrong somewhere. From that source they have begun grading the levels of pain, so as to understand their severity and ways to treat it. Like with Epilepsy an Aura is a Warning before having a seizure, so one can get to a lower place and not fall. Hip pain can relate to a fractured hip, bone or even lubrication where the hip attaches to the thigh bone. Those are the clues, it's up to us to report them and seek to ease them through the most reliable sources.

irvkay312

This is in response to Jay Baruch, who posted - Have you talked to your psychiatrist about Cymbalta? It eliminated my hip pain all together but made me too irritable (irritating?).

Why would I talk to a psychiatrist about anything since the psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic told me to stop wasting his time? I do not have a psychiatric condition. It would be the same as asking me if I had talked with my podiatrist about my fibromyalgia. BTW, I do use Cymbalta but it was not prescribed by a psychiatrist or for a mental illness.

Well, experience has taught me several things, being under a doctors care all my life. First, your post doesn't indicate that your condition is the type the doctor you were sent too treats. At that point, as you told us "tell the phyciatrist that you were sent to him for reasons A, B, C and if he is willing to help you through your ordeal fine. Please do it simply so that I can comprehend and ask any necessary questions. If you don't feel up to being the doctor to undertake the problem for which I was sent to you, do you have any suggestions. Would it be better to see another doctor, or even get a second opinion.

irvkay312

This is response to iverkay312 who posted - Well, experience has taught me several things, being under a doctors care all my life. First, your post doesn't indicate that your condition is the type the doctor you were sent too treats. At that point, as you told us "tell the phyciatrist that you were sent to him for reasons A, B, C and if he is willing to help you through your ordeal fine. Please do it simply so that I can comprehend and ask any necessary questions. If you don't feel up to being the doctor to undertake the problem for which I was sent to you, do you have any suggestions. Would it be better to see another doctor, or even get a second opinion.

This is perfect advice. Unfortunately, I did not have this experience at Mayo Clinic because the doctors had no clue as to what my problem really was. All they had to go on was that I was in extreme pain and suffering from intense insomnia. None of the doctors I saw had any specific experience dealing with someone with my symptoms with the end result being that they decided to tell me to find a psychologist who would help me wrap my mind around my issue and get over it.

This is response to iverkay312, who posted - Pain happens for a reason. When pain happens, it is to tell you that something is wrong somewhere. From that source they have begun grading the levels of pain, so as to understand their severity and ways to treat it. Like with Epilepsy an Aura is a Warning before having a seizure, so one can get to a lower place and not fall. Hip pain can relate to a fractured hip, bone or even lubrication where the hip attaches to the thigh bone. Those are the clues, it's up to us to report them and seek to ease them through the most reliable sources.

The problem with a disease such as fibromyalgia is that nobody yet knows the cause of the pain, much less its treatment. Is this one disorder or is it a group of disorders with identical symptoms. If, and when, a cause for this pain is determined, then effective treatment may follow. In the meantime it is all trial and error as to treatment.

True. Fibromyalgia is not well understood. Its a diagnosis of omission. So, the treatments can't be curative, only palliative and that type of treatment is by nature trial and error. I'm sure that the doctors at Mayo have seen pain and insomnia before, maybe just not your particular linkage.
As far as psychological aspects, have you ever heard of Dr John Sarno? He's a luminary in psychosomatic medicine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Sarno

Sounds like you are very fortunate in having found a big part of what you need in your family practitioner. You may want to continue the search for a doctor who is leading edge on Fibromyalgia so you are made aware of developments as they unfold. Sooner or later somebody will figure it out.

In response to johwburns who wrote - True. Fibromyalgia is not well understood. Its a diagnosis of omission. So, the treatments can't be curative, only palliative and that type of treatment is by nature trial and error. I'm sure that the doctors at Mayo have seen pain and insomnia before, maybe just not your particular linkage.
As far as psychological aspects, have you ever heard of Dr John Sarno? He's a luminary in psychosomatic medicine.

Sounds like you are very fortunate in having found a big part of what you need in your family practitioner. You may want to continue the search for a doctor who is leading edge on Fibromyalgia so you are made aware of developments as they unfold. Sooner or later somebody will figure it out.

I am sure the docs at Mayo have seen plenty of nut cases like me. There are plenty of docs out there who sincerely doubt the existence of anything called fibromyalgia. I would not wish my fibro on them despite their deep ignorance.

My attitude is if it ain't broke, don't fix it. My doc is doing just fine and I am surviving and even thriving now. If, and when, the medical profession comes up with a cure you can be sure that I will be first in line for it.