@suzanne2
Forgive me for missing that you had already been to Mayo in July, I must have missed that info the first go round.

Yes, I agree about going very slow before proceeding with surgery of any kind. Know the risks up front and the actual success rate, then know that you trust your surgeon implicitly! If you have any questions or any lack of confidence, wait before you proceed.

If you need advice with taking kratom, @lorirenee1 is very well versed in its use and has excellent advice for new users. She has been helpful to my wife, who had a better day the other day. She took the pure compressed pills, first 10, then 8, then 3 just before bedtime and it got her through the night in a much better way.

OK, I am reading back further into your post history and I see you mention that medical marijuana is legal in Mich. but you say "marijuana is medically and recreational legal but still feel like I would be breaking the law". Not sure I understand. If you can do it legally, there should be no reason (other than cost, THAT I do understand) to go for it. You need all the help available to you NO HOLDS BARRED. MM could be a godsend for you. Please overcome anything standing in your way from trying it if you can afford it.

I know you've had fibro a long time (as has my wife Linda). Do you do hot baths with epsom salts? Fibro can feel much better with this treatment. All muscle pain should be improved as long as you can tolerate the hot water.

I see you use Penetrex. Linda swears by it an uses the rollon to apply to her feet every night before bed. It cuts her pain by 30% usually. A big help. Good on you for finding it!

Suzanne, my heart is with you totally. What a road you have had to travel. You seem like you have a good spirit and I hope you have a spiritual center, I am guessing you do. I am also so glad you have your kids to help get you through. I think you may have mentioned taking an anti depressant? If you need advice on that @jimhd is a good resource, and he may be able to provide advice on that, he has taken ALL of them and is now on something that works for him called Wellbutrin. In case you are not aware of it, you can send a private message to anyone on Connect by clicking the little envelope symbol at the top of this (or any) page. Let me know if you need any help doing that.

One more thing, if a drug is not helping you, try to get off of it as soon as possible (always tapering as per your Dr.'s direction). Drugs are, ultimately, toxic, and if they are not helping they are hurting you. Just my feeling. Sending prayers and positive thoughts your way, hope to hear better things about you as time goes by Best, Hank