Your legs and fibromyalgia

I have chronic leg pain. I can’t walk very far before the pain starts. It also just starts up when sitting too. I have edema in my lower legs, ankles and feet. Varicose rope-like veins all the way up my right leg. I think the left one is heading the same way as my right leg. I have a lot of pain in my right knee which had reconstructive surgery. My left knee had torn meniscus and torn ACL. The meniscus was repaired but I have a lot of pain there. Also pain behind knee. I take Eliquis to prevent blood clots. Sorry to go on and on but the pain is debilitating.
For Fibro I take Cynbalta and Nortriptyline. I don’t think it’s working. Fatigue is huge. Pain in right arm comes and goes.
I have no answers for you. I don’t have adequate medical care. Does anyone know what works to relieve pain?

My legs are the worst regarding pain from Fibromyalgia. Sometimes I can touch the pressure points in my legs and the pain comes from there. I think that the busier we are the more pain I have, but to just sit is even worse.

@I know this may not help everyone, but I discovered years ago that my lifelong aching legs were due to too little potassium. I now have a prescription for potassium that I take 3 x day and it has helped that problem. At the age of 82, I now have a Baker's Cyst in the back of my left knee (which also needs to be replaced) and have to use a cane for walking. Molly K

@joyceannv
After 26 years, I don’t take any of meds talked about. I tried almost all and didn’t feel any better, sometimes worse. I take a 1/2 Norco when I can’t handle the pain or want to go somewhere. I have to really want to go and take the Norco VERY sparingly.

@mollyquilter WHAT IS A BAKERS CYST?

My leg pain/burning drove me to press doctors for pain management that led to my fibro diagnosis about 10 years ago. For my entire life, I was able to deal with pain everywhere, until leg/foot issues started. Pain and Burning at night prevents sleep. No sleep increases pain level. I tried every recommended fibro drug. Side effects of mind altering drugs exceeded any benefits for me. Recently, My leg burning/pain increased significantly following 30 rounds of radiation to groin lymph nodes and chemo nerve damage in toes. I am struggling with increased leg pain. Pain increases exponentially if I stand for more than 15 minutes, and sleeping through pain is an issue.

In the past, acupuncture helped leg pain management. I also had success with turmeric when swollen lymph nodes caused pain increase in 2020. I will avoid turmeric for at least 6 months post treatment, as some literature indicates that it may reduce chemotherapy efficacy.

Sadly, only opioids give me temporary minor relief for leg issues. I take a very small dose periodically to tamp down pain level when it gets extreme. There are studies on Federal NIH website supporting opioid effectiveness for fibromyalgia restless leg syndrome pain management. I use 5 mg codeine with Tylenol.

I plan to research other supplements and medications for pain management after my 6 month cancer treatment anniversary. Sanjay Gupta’s new book on pain talks about fairly new non opioid sodium channel blockers that reduce pain by blocking a pain signaling pathway in the peripheral nervous system b4 pain signal reaches brain. This year the FDA approved the 1st drug of this nature, Jounavx.

@katme I’ve had much the same as you. Opioid only last resort.
Gentle hugs