Fibromyalgia Support Group
You're not alone in your pain. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. If you're trying to cope with pain throughout your body, sleep problems, general fatigue, or other common fibromyalgia symptoms, you're in the right place. The community is here for you to talk about therapies and share your challenges.
For those women here that suffer from Fibromyalgia, do you find that the degree of pain flucuates with your hormonal cycle?
My wife does. When her hormone levels are high(during ovulation) she can get very testy and can't deal with stress well. She calls the few days leading up to ovulation and the few days aftter it "hell week". She uses the same term for the period just before her period (PMS). She suffers two weeks of hell each month as her hormone levels fluctuate.
I had suggested birth control as a way of stabilizing her hormone levels with the hope that it would help. However, she is very sensitive to ANY medications. If there is a side effect to a medication, she will experience that side effect 95% of the time.
In addition to the continous pain throughout her body, she experiences headaches very frequently. Tylenol helps with both the headaches and body pain ... but is usually just enough to take the edge off. She is allergic to Ibuprofin as well as Naproxin (in fact, a dose of naproxin nearly killed her about 7 years ago).
She takes amatriptyline to help her sleep ... but experiences several of the side effects from taking it. I guess I'm just trying to understand things better and find ways to support her.
My wife does. When her hormone levels are high(during ovulation) she can get very testy and can't deal with stress well. She calls the few days leading up to ovulation and the few days aftter it "hell week". She uses the same term for the period just before her period (PMS). She suffers two weeks of hell each month as her hormone levels fluctuate.
I had suggested birth control as a way of stabilizing her hormone levels with the hope that it would help. However, she is very sensitive to ANY medications. If there is a side effect to a medication, she will experience that side effect 95% of the time.
In addition to the continous pain throughout her body, she experiences headaches very frequently. Tylenol helps with both the headaches and body pain ... but is usually just enough to take the edge off. She is allergic to Ibuprofin as well as Naproxin (in fact, a dose of naproxin nearly killed her about 7 years ago).
She takes amatriptyline to help her sleep ... but experiences several of the side effects from taking it. I guess I'm just trying to understand things better and find ways to support her.
I can't comment on hormonal pain as I don't deal with that anymore. I do know medication sensitivty is a common problem among a lot of us. Sleep is very important. If the amiltryptaline is causing her a lot of side effects there are other medications which may work better with less side effects. I cannot take any of the new medications but older ones seem to react much better with my complex sensitivities. I take vistaril or hydroxyzine for sleep. It is an anti anxiety medication and antihistamine. Best of luck to you both in your search for answers.
He Used to Hover...and the One thing I CANNOT Stand is being Hovered Over...so he has learned...he just stays close...but not To Close...makes sure I have every little thing that I Need...but does his Own thing...Cause other then Emotionally there is nothing he can Really do Anyway...
To make it ALL More Interesting...I Do Believe I am now perimenopausal...Well...thats Just Lovely !! My Anxiety Levels the week Prior to my Cycle have Shot thru the Roof...YeaY !!
Being Female is Not always So Much Fun.
Hormones Fluctuations, and Stress will Knock me Flat on my Ass...Thank the Good Lord I have a Real Man in my Life, Tho he may not Understand, he is very Supportive...Good for You that You are Trying to be as well...
I Too am Highly Med Sensitive...I have to go it all Natural...this Not only Amps up My Discomforts, but Hubbies as well...I Go from being about the Sweetest Most helpful Person to a Bearcat BITCH in a Heartbeat...he Reads me well...
Thank You God for the Good, Strong Men of the World !!
A doc finally put me on progesterone treatments and it helped immensely but was very expensive. Finally, he did an ovarian wedge resection on my polycystic ovaries and I was fine until I hit menopause.
This all happened just before FM was discovered - in the 80's.
YES hormonal levels can definately affect our pain levels which in turn can affect our moods. I am super mean when tested during that time as I get more emotional while that hormonal shift is happening. I just chewed this bastard out who I had known on here...he is Muslim, and is extremely controlling, which I DO NOT tolerate...then he decided to screw with me prior to my cycle starting, which was a nightmare for him. I basically, verbally sharpened my teeth on his proverbial jugular vein. He was verbally bashing me, and I SNAPPED!!!!!!!!!!!
So anyway lol....yes pain levels are by far, worse. I do lots of laying down and I resort to taking Aleve. I would suggest your wife take hot baths with Epsom salt in it, as the Epsom pulls the toxins out of the muscles to relieve pain. I also have a post called home remedies for pain relief on here somewhere.
Hormones can cause drama in other ways too. My friends wife, after having her baby...several months later found out she had MS. Her docs do believe that the severe hormonal shifts from having a baby, triggered the MS. She has family members with MS also.