Thank you. It’s not easy and some days I get quite depressed as I’m no longer able to be active like I once was (I used to be very outdoorsy), nor can I work or function as I’d like. Family and what friends stuck around don’t understand Fibro, most think it’s psychological. My own spouse knows what I suffer but “forgets” and has unrealistic expectations. And like so many others, I have other complications and health issues that started first, and now have worsened. There are days I consider changing my stance on drugs for pain, but having once worked in ER, I know all too well how those can lead to other problems.
Like so many, I am exhausted. Chronic pain has taken over my life, has cost us loads of money on supplements etc. that MD’s, NP’s, recommend but insurance won’t cover, as well as common prescription meds and tests, and visits our insurance also won’t.
I, too, have been dismissed or offered antidepressants countless times, which I rejected because they all cause weight gain which, being unable to exercise, I cannot afford. I completely understand those who likewise, cannot afford to NOT use pain medication because they must work, or have children of other family to care for and don’t have the luxury of taking breaks when needed.
I’ve just heard that they have confirmed that Long Covid, and perhaps other viruses hide in muscle and other tissues to escape our body’s immune system from attacking them. It is now thought that Fibro and Chronic Fatigue with its brain fog, similar to Long Covid, may be the result of viral infection that was cleared from the bloodstream (giving false negative of from blood tests) but has hidden in tissues and eventually builds up within them to cause pain and fatigue by hijacking the energy producing/utilizing systems within (mitochondria), which in turn cause a host of other health and metabolism problems. This means that while a fix for me may be unavailable, at least future generations may not have to suffer as patients now are.
It does make one wonder, if anyone had simply prescribed anti-viral medication at early stages, if all of this suffering could have been prevented.