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8/22/12 1:17 P

Edited by: WELDER43 at: 8/22/2012 (13:18)

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8/21/12 10:38 A

Welcome HippieGurl,
If your meds are working for you, keep doing them...if not, can them. That's my two cents. I'll share all the information I have with you if it'll help...just give a shout.

Best, Don

Posts: 4,779
8/20/12 11:23 P

I can't take a lot of the medications recommended for fibro due to allergic reactions or other side effects, but I am taking Topamax to help calm the nerve endings so they don't send such a big pain message to the brain, Trazodone at bedtime to help me sleep, and Zanaflex as needed as a muscle relaxer.

Sandy

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8/20/12 10:42 A

Welcome to the Team Becca.

What you are going through is very similar to what others go through. Fatigue is one of the hardest things to fight. Pain can be more controlled. Medications well work if you take them right, But you might have to go through several to find what will work for you. But no medication will completely take away the pain. Exercise is also a key in reducing pain, even though it my cause you to hurt more at first, you will slowly find that it will help you. The pain when you are touched is common with Fibromyalgia.

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8/20/12 3:05 A

Sounds familiar... add a few other health issues and you can have a real PARTY of symptoms! LOL

Just a thought to pass on to your doctor. I highly recommend a sleep study. A lot of fibro symptoms can be induced in normal people by simple sleep deprivation... and people WITH fibro, the same thing can make symptoms ten times worse.

I have obstructive sleep apnea, and now instead of insomnia, I sleep approximately six hours a night--with an occasional bout of ten to twelve when I've pushed too hard! LOL I have to sleep with a mask, and that took MONTHS to do, but now I don't sleep at all without it... and though I still have symptoms, if I DON'T sleep, I really KNOW it, y'know? LOL

It's worth checking out!

You'll find a host of wonderful people here, and all of us are aware of what you go through, so you're going to feel right at home...

Welcome aboard!
Kathy

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8/19/12 10:12 P

Becca and !! I think you wrote my story almost to a tea!! I do have a DH the is supportive and understands my pain but never has pain himself. i have deep tissue massage every 2 weeks and have a therapist that knows FM well. I wouldn't be walking without her therapy! Coach Nicole has several exercises that are on the gentle side and some good stretching ones. There is a video of stretches you can do at your desk while you work. Take a look and see if there is something in the fitness readings to fit your needs.

Best wishes on your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

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8/19/12 3:58 P

Welcome

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8/19/12 9:27 A

Welcome aboard Becca,
You'll get support here; the people are first rate on this site. Here's a few things that may help you right away:

First, if you know, or are near someone who performs "Shiatsu", then you should explore it. This has been known to help chronic pain from Fibromyalgia, where even touching the patient causes incredible pain; think of Shiatsu as Acupuncture without needles.

Next, if you provide a mailing address, I will you a CD that will definitely help you sleep. I just the CD to another member's daughter in South Africa; she too suffers from Fibromyalgia.

The member's screen name is "Clearstream", and I'm sure she'll vouch for me, as I completely understand if you have reluctance in giving out your mailing address. You can send me your address as a private message; there is no cost for the CD.

Respectfully,
Don Lombardi

Posts: 5
8/19/12 12:16 A

Hi everyone!

I just discovered this team on Spark People and I'm so glad I found it! I am looking forward to the tips, advice, and support that this team can offer. It's nice to finally know that I'm not alone.

My name is Becca. I have had fibromyalgia since 1996, when I was diagnosed after a car accident. I didn't know what it was back then since I was just a teenager, I just knew that my body hurt all the time. Then in 1998 I was in another car accident--this one was much worse (I was t-boned)--and that exacerbated my fibro problems.

As I got older, I struggled with weight gain, depression, insomnia, a whole host of issues. Now I'm realizing that those symptoms are all related to the fibro. I am the only one in my family that has fibro, so I don't get a lot of support from them simply because they don't know what I'm going through (which is good for them because I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy!)

So now, here I am, at a point where I am so sick of living with constant pain every day! I was seeing a chiropractor for a few months, but he closed his practice a few weeks ago and I haven't found a new one yet. It did seem to help, mostly because he would use ice on my back. I get massages as often as I can and those seem to help as well, and usually with the hot stones because that heat can penetrate so deeply into my muscles and body, more than just the hands of the massage therapist. For me, massages work well, but only if I get them on a regular basis, like once or twice a week (not once or twice a year like now). They are just so expensive...

I've dabbled briefly with meditation, but it didn't really seem to work for me, although I probably wasn't doing it right. Part of my problem is that I just can't shut my mind off.

Being chronically in pain really takes a lot out me. I'm tired ALL THE TIME, and I struggle with depression. Even after I sleep for 12 hours (which I do sometimes on the weekend because I'm so exhausted from the week), I still wake up exhausted. I have 5 pillows on my bed because I have to have good support or I can't sleep. Even with all of that, I have chronic insomnia (mine is the kind where I can't fall asleep--once I finally do fall asleep, I tend to stay asleep).

It seems so weird, although I guess it is a symptom of the fibro, but when I touch my shoulder joints, or my hip joints, or really anywhere on my body, it HURTS. My neck. My back all over, especially lower back. Just everywhere.

I've also tried stretching, although I am not as diligent about it as I should be. I work on a computer all day, and then I come home and work on another computer for hours each night (I'm working on my MBA), and I don't get enough sleep. I'm just full of complaints, aren't I? Ha.

I guess what I'm looking for is just some support, some tips, some ideas, someone to bounce ideas off of. I'm looking for people who can relate to what I go through every day with this disease. I look forward to talking to you all, and I want to learn more about how to support myself, and others, with this disease. Thank you in advance for your time. :)