Managing fibromyalgia

Posted by mrs artavia @mrsartavia, Aug 29, 2013

Hello everyone, I am looking for anyone who suffers from fibromyalgia and can suggest healing methods, medication and I would like to compare symptoms. Mine feels as if I had the flu, headache, joint aches, terribly tired, pain around the glands, stomach pain, low back. If lyou can please write with any comment or suggestion for relief, or any idea what causes it I will appreciate it thank you.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Fibromyalgia Support Group.

@colleenyoung

@disgusted What did you GP do that helped? What is your diagnosis?

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Pretty long!That's 2 bad!That's good.Hopefully,getting help or treatment 4 it now.

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I was thinking this was my support group for fibro and back pain . Have<br>heard some diff meds, altho I never respond well to anything. But thank<br>you @disgusted (that's the way I have felt for 30 years now with 5<br>surgeries on back and all the diff procedures which do not work. @ladyjane85<br><br>

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@colleenyoung

@disgusted What did you GP do that helped? What is your diagnosis?

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In reply to 1langla who wrote - Pretty long!That's 2 bad!That's good.Hopefully,getting help or treatment 4 it now.

Actually, I think that was fairly fast. I have a cousin whose wife suffered terribly from fibromyalgia for over twenty years and her doctor never did figure out her problem. She eventually died in great pain and agony. I count myself very fortunate that I have been able to function fairly normally for nine years now.

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@ladyjane85

I was thinking this was my support group for fibro and back pain . Have<br>heard some diff meds, altho I never respond well to anything. But thank<br>you @disgusted (that's the way I have felt for 30 years now with 5<br>surgeries on back and all the diff procedures which do not work. @ladyjane85<br><br>

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In reply to layjane85 who wrote - I was thinking this was my support group for fibro and back pain . Have
heard some diff meds, altho I never respond well to anything. But thank
you @disgusted (that's the way I have felt for 30 years now with 5
surgeries on back and all the diff procedures which do not work

Yes, online support groups are good. I realized that after I posted my reply. What I meant was having a live support group. That also helped. I also had one back surgery which did not work, so I know how you must feel. My heart goes out to you for your suffering for so long. I hope you have a supportive family.

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@disgusted I do not have as much pain at night anymore, but often have<br>insomnia from RLS. I use melatonin and valerian root (supplements) and<br>occasionally an o/c PM med. But I can still have a no sleep night for no<br>reason, or only 3 to 4 hours. Gabapentin makes me drowsy all day with no<br>pain relief. from @ladyjane85<br><br><br>

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@disgusted I just get an email with each one's message separately. So<br>do not know what came before - prefer to answer thru the separate email<br>than to go on to line to the chat room with the 16 or more msgs I rcv each<br>day on my gmail from the Mayo chat. Rrealised it was not a response to<br>something I wrote.<br>from @ladyjane85<br><br>

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@ladyjane85

@disgusted I do not have as much pain at night anymore, but often have<br>insomnia from RLS. I use melatonin and valerian root (supplements) and<br>occasionally an o/c PM med. But I can still have a no sleep night for no<br>reason, or only 3 to 4 hours. Gabapentin makes me drowsy all day with no<br>pain relief. from @ladyjane85<br><br><br>

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In reply to ladyjane85 who wrote - I do not have as much pain at night anymore, but often have
insomnia from RLS. I use melatonin and valerian root (supplements) and
occasionally an o/c PM med. But I can still have a no sleep night for no
reason, or only 3 to 4 hours. Gabapentin makes me drowsy all day with no
pain relief.

I am fortunate that my insomnia was unrelated to RLS or even pain (that developed after the insomnia, but became a major contributor to the insomnia). I don't take the Gabapentin for sleep, but i agree with you about the side effect of daytime drowsiness. I have often taken a nap during the day as a result, but try to limit them to mornings if I can. For my sleep I have found temazepam to be really helpful. It causes me to go into a state of relaxation in which I simply stop moving. It sounds really odd, but if I don't happen to get into bed in time sometimes I will fall asleep while reading and wake up at midnight or later when my clock strikes, only to find that my head has not nodded off and I am still holding the open book. Then I go into slow mo to get to bed.

The bottom line, as my sleep doc told me, is that there are a lot of drugs for insomnia out there. He started me on his plan A nine years ago and it is still working. So, keep trying and hoping that something will work for you.

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@ladyjane85

@disgusted I just get an email with each one's message separately. So<br>do not know what came before - prefer to answer thru the separate email<br>than to go on to line to the chat room with the 16 or more msgs I rcv each<br>day on my gmail from the Mayo chat. Rrealised it was not a response to<br>something I wrote.<br>from @ladyjane85<br><br>

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I know. It is certainly confusing. I decided to copy and paste the<br>message I reply to. I hope it makes it simpler for people to understand.<br>Some of the posts seem to be unrelated to others around them.<br>​<br>

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@colleenyoung

@disgusted What did you GP do that helped? What is your diagnosis?

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@1langla I get these msgs on my gmail and do not know who you were<br>responding to. I try to write person I a sending to and then say who I<br>am. But I will say a rheumatologist some 20 years ago pressed on the<br>points they know mean fibro - cannot remember whether it was 12 or 18<br>points on the body (one can look it up) and told me early on, but since I<br>have so much back trouble I did not believe the dr. Several more told me<br>also thru the years so had to believe I also have fibromyalgia, but I still<br>maintain I cannot tell - do not have the usual symptoms, bec I hurt so much<br>with many back symptoms. But there are trigger points they can press.<br> from @ladyjane85<br><br>

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@ladyjane85

I was thinking this was my support group for fibro and back pain . Have<br>heard some diff meds, altho I never respond well to anything. But thank<br>you @disgusted (that's the way I have felt for 30 years now with 5<br>surgeries on back and all the diff procedures which do not work. @ladyjane85<br><br>

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@disgusted from ladyjane85 I am now 86 and for the last 4 years I<br>moved to a continuing care facility bec it was impossible to do housework<br>and could only stand 10 min before pain was so bad that hard to cook. Had<br>been looking into facilities for 3 years on line and visiting nearby ones.<br>Only one in my county was a licensed continuing care. No family nearby.<br>Daughter did move down to Tampa whereas I am on the Atlantic coast of Fl so<br>she only comes when I land in hospital. At this age one has many health<br>problems though I look young. She has a family and works so cannot come<br>often so do not call on her unless hospital lets her know. Have one<br>bedroom and living room, sm kitchen. Light housekeeping done for you and a<br>meal in formal dining room. CC living is expensive however, but they can<br>never throw you out even if you run out of money...<br><br>

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