Diagnoses

So sorry. I feel the same. Don’t want to do anything because fear of pain. Was on Cymbalta for about 12 years. Decided to get off about 7 months ago. So refreshing to have motivation again and less depression at first.Then started having more pain now. Very restrictive. So making me more depressed but have more energy. Chiropractor has been very helpful though. Taking some supplements that are really helping with my sleep. It’s a double edged sword. But there is hope. There’s a new medication that came out in August called Tonmya. Specifically for fibromyalgia. But I don’t know much else about it. Willing to try different things. Don’t want Cymbalta anymore cause of how it made me tired, unmotivated. But everyone reacts differently but it was helping with the pain. But the withdrawal from Cymbalta was horrible but I expected it from reading about getting off it. Heating pad, biofreeze and ibuprofen are my best friends. Don’t take ibuprofen everyday so I save it for the real bad days and IT ABSOLUTELY HELPS THE PAIN😊

Always Look forward. Don't look back. Count your Blessings. I recently found a friend 10 years younger than me.
At a new church I had never gone. Everyone Greeted me and encouraged me to come in. That was 1 year ago.
It helps me dealing with FM 2 years diagnosed. I needed God and people that I can count on and get me thru this
Horrible disease that others dont understand. That new friend has even been here for me at 5 am to help walk me thru through the pain. Give Yourself a Big Hug!

It's horrible living with fibromyalgia but I don't want it to beat me. I am involved in church which is very supportive. I have really bad days and better days but I really don't know how to manage the chronic pain. I was recently diagnosed in September but have been unwell/ not right for 5 years. It was a pain consultant who knew what it was but his advice was try to avoid hospital and taking pills instead do some gentle exercise. I tried swimming the other day and felt terrible afterwards however a day later my pain is less intense and I feel slightly more normal. I know we have to listen to our bodies and learn to take time out, but I am still trying to work and keep going. I have pain everywhere but recently seem to be getting more stiff . Without my Church friends and God I don't think I would be able to cope as well. I am glad I know it's fibromyalgia now but also sad that it's a chronic life long condition that will mean I have to learn to adjust to the new me. I suppose even before a diagnosis people are working their lives around the pain but having a name for the pain and the other symptoms I think can help.

@guineapiglover I agree with you, having a name for the pain can help. Prior to the fibromyalgia I was very active and now I'm not - and I just don't feel like myself anymore. I try to do some VERY gentle stretching almost every day and that seems to help. I also do acupuncture, which I firmly believe has helped. I take Lyrica (50mg in the a.m. and 100 mg in the p.m.) which probably helps but has side effects. On the really bad days, I take 2 Aleve in the morning and then alternate with Tylenol throughout the day, and spend most of the time on a heating pad in bed. Life has really changed.

Thanks for sharing. I am sorry you are spending alot of time on a heated pad in bed on really bad days, it really is a shock that something like this can dramatically change lives so much. I feel that I have hit a brick wall on some days, but still trying and get on with it. What makes my pain alot worse at the mo is a slipped disc and Radiculopathy and my GORD. I live in the UK and the change in weather hasn't helped. What is frustrating is that I look ok and I think people see the old me before my diagnosis as then I thought my pain was just part of perimenause, not a major chronic neurological condition. At least with a diagnosis I can wear a lanyard on bad days to try and some sort of space/ understanding. What sounds weird but sometimes works is that I wriggle/ rock backwards and forwards in bed to sort of squash the pain/ change to different pain signals . I can sort of see how acupuncture might work. To be honest although I am going tablet free as much as possible co codamol 2 before bed works a dream for me. I have cut out drinking diet coke as I was really hurting while drinking it, aspartame is a possible culprit when it comes to making pain signals worse. I will hopefully get an NHS appointment to help manage my symptoms but I am not convinced that there's instant miracles out there. Thank goodness that we can give each other ideas here. Thank goodness for a diagnosis so we can be taken more seriously.

I was diagnosed in 2012... Many things have changed I try chair yoga. Recently I stopped lyrica it's been 6 days since I've had a 100 mg. Tab 3x's a day my neuropathy in feet has improved 80% just continuing with Tramadol and Tylenol. I gave up soda way back I was tired of the constant headaches and now walking is challenging.

I was told it's not a progressive condition but some days I feel like my fibromyalgia is getting worse. As I am getting older it's probably I am finding it harder to cope with the pain and fatigue, stiffness. I was really bad yesterday and took codamol so I could sleep better. I have noticed over doing things, not stopping for breaks makes a difference and can make things worse. I also try chair yoga but I find it hard to do it daily, I am not disciplined however it does seem to get me going

@jasonbrooksf I have had ME CFS for 33 years. Try to remember that you are a whole person, same as before, but with a disease. You have done nothing wrong; you are not being punished for anything - you simply have a screwed up neuro system. Find your own path for treatment. All of us do the same in the beginning - doctor, doctor, doctor, 'script, 'script, 'script - but in the end we uniquely (more or less) , customize our lifestyle and environment to help ease our suffering. Personally, I wasted too much time being anxious over the physical things that I could no longer do than I should have; my (greatly limited) energy would have been better spent on finding ways to adapt to it sooner instead.