It's a tough diagnosis to swallow. I bawled my eyes out when I was diagnosed at 30. I for one have determined that pain pills very well may be a part of my daily routine for the rest of my life. There may also come a time that I won't be able to take the pain pills. For now I will take as many as I can to reduce the pain & improve quality of life some for now. Denying the fact that you are sick will not change the facts. Good luck to you!!!

I am so sorry and hope that your doctor is wrong. If she is not, I want you to know that my doctors have been very successful at managing my fibro without pain medications. I take 30 Mgs of Cymbalta and 1.5 mg of naltrexone every morning. Cymbalta first, pain relief kicked in at 3 to 4 months. Then the naltrexone for what the Cymbalta did not do.

Have you considered that you might be having a reaction to a food intolerance, such as gluten?

I think that I found some relief in my dx. I went through a lot of specialist before being convinced that it was fibro. I actually convinced myself that I had MS at one point. If your doc has exhausted all efforts in blood work ect. to insure that you have another dx, maybe you can just focus on treatment?

Fibro can be treated and maintained, like arthritis is. I'm glad that you found this site, there are some wonderful ppl here. ((hugs))

I went 24 years without a diagnosis. Had this since age 12, and just got diagnosed last year. So, due to not having the proper diagnosis, I never took pain meds. When I got diagnosed, I was relieved to know what was causing it, but sad at the same time. I got depressed for a few weeks and had a really bad, month long flare up. Then, I decided that since I had been combating this for the last 24 years without meds, why start now?

I'm going the natural route as much as possible. In a several month long pain management fibro program with 4 specialists. I do take Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and a muscle relaxer for the really bad days. That's not to say that I'm not having bad flare ups or pain free days as I am. But I am managing as best as I can.

Overall, I am thankful to know what it is. Even though I was disheartened that there is no cure, no set medicine, or no
"Magical" way to treat it, I'm very grateful that I know for certain what I am dealing with.

For now, no meds for me. But, I am only 36. If I need to go on stronger meds one day, I'll cross that bridge. But, right now, I'll do the best I can to cope without the narcotics. I don't blame people for taking them, though. There are days when the pain is so bad, I'm tempted to go get those meds.

Denial's a natural statge. YOu're grieving.

Read around on here, ask your doc, get third and fourth opinions, and ask a lot of questions about what might be behind the symptoms. As Emily said: Food intolerance is one thing that can worsen or trigger flares.
I managed fibro without meds at all for 8 years. Then age and stress got me (stress more than age) and I do take one pain med, but it's a lightweight, and is actually for chronic pain from an accident in 2011. (I was dx'd with fm in 1995, so not related, fm just makes it worse.)

Vent all you want here about how you feel, we're all in it or done it or gonna be there again, so we're here for you:-)

Thank you all so much!! You are so sweet and I am really glad I have found this site! My experiences so far have been so great! I want to thank you all for the ideas and advice! I will use it all.
Thank you Shelby

Fibro is crazy for me and it does differ so much from person to person. I do wish there was a clear blood test out there.

As will all medical issues, we treat the symptoms and keep humming along :) Have a great weekend!

Shelby - Welcome to the group!

Not all Fibromyalgia patients use pain meds. In fact, most of them don't. Only certain classes of prescribed medication works for the type of pain caused by Fibromyalgia. They are typically anti depressants.

A key point to remember is that the longer a chronic pain cycle continues, the harder it becomes to manage or stop. I'd encourage you to get your Vitamin D levels checked for a deficiency and also explore whether gluten is an issue. Either of those will contribute to wide spread pain and are common about FMS patients.

An anti inflammatory may help with pain but it is not the whole answer And, if you are only taking it as needed that is not the best way to manage pain. You want to stay ahead of pain, not try to cure it when it happens. I have severe OA and have to take an anti inflammatory every single day. If I only took it when my pain was bad, it would certainly affect my quality of life.

As far as sleep goes, Fibromyalgia is a very complex illness. It interrupts the deep sleep cycle with short bursts of high intensity brain activity. No deep sleep means higher levels of pain. I hope that you are beginning to see that ignoring an diagnosis is not in your best interest. A sleep medication whether it is something natural or prescription is a critical part of managing this issue.

I'd like to suggest that you consider purchasing the book "Fibromyalgia for Dummies." Like all of the dummies series, it contains easy to understand information. You can purchase it on Amazon. I think that you may have formed some ideas about this illness based on lack of knowledge or misinformation. The book will give you a comprehensive overview and a lot of ways to manage Fibromyalgia. Knowledge is power.

You deserve the best quality of life possible. I commend you for your exercise program. Good luck to you and take care.

Thank You Fantod for all your knowledge. I certainly will go purchase that book.

Adding, in support to what have been said above, search for newbie among the post titles. Read the article, and note that people with untreated fibro tend to get worse over time. No one knows whether it is the fibro itself or the very damaging effect of unrelenting pain. The body is not designed for that. You don't have to take "pain meds" to treat the pain. Some antidepressants help (Cymbalta, Lyrica, blocking on the third) and naltrexone boosts your natural endorphin system.

In my humble opinion, the right diet is essential. We are hyper sensitive and you cannot fight your body. If it is sensitive to something, you have to avoid it. Think of your body as a tantrum prone 2 year old. If it doesn't like it, it is going to throw a major fit.

Unfortunately, there isn't anything out there that supports the diet part of Fibro unlike arthritis and other illness. Some research suggests that diet has no effect on Fibro. Therefore, people with Fibro just tend to do a "trial and error" method with their diet. I've seen people on here that have eliminated certain foods and it has helped their flare-ups, though.

I would like to suggest that you ask your Dr if he is willing to do an inflammatory blood test. My Dr took two different kinds of blood tests to check for inflammation, and I had no inflammation. So, taking foods out of my diet has zero effect on my Fibro.

I don't eat eggs because I have a food allergy. Food sensitivities and food allergies are two different things.

In general, I follow a healthy diet and try to stay away from junk and sugar. I also look for the foods that have a lot of additives and try to stay away from those.

You'll find that exercise is going to be key for you. Exercising releases natural pain killers in your body. Always check with a Dr. before doing any exercise to make sure you are doing the right exercise for your body. Exercise will help us or hurt us depending on what it is. The most common for Fibro patients are walking, aqua therapy, light biking, stretching (gotta get those muscles loosened!)