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.
Been away so long, in fact, that my account got deactivated. Asteroid back! But not really as a newbie!
Came down with Epstein-Barr in early '95, but failed to recover properly. As a result, it quickly turned into full-fledged chronic fatigue / fibromyalgia. My awful mistake back then to think I'm strong as an ox.
I'm a male and almost sixty now. Fairly high-functioning, as a result of a good diet and plenty of exercise, followed by periods of rest. But, like many here, I suffer from the typical symptoms of aches, fogginess, difficulty sleeping, etc. A couple unique problems for me involves clumsiness, in addition to hot feet. Unsure if that happens to others.
Fortunately, I managed to keep my illness from my employers, who mostly chalked-up my behavior to quirky absent-mindedness. And somehow during these last twenty years, my accomplishments outweighed my failures. Forgot how! lol. But one boss saw through the quirks and just figured me as slow and dimwitted. It became difficult to disquise, due to working a middle management position where the demands got too big to handle. They dismissed me as part of a group layoff, and gave me a decent severance.
At one job held for over ten years - before my recent termination - I compensated by working extra hours and delegating to staff, allowing me to work more deliberately on tasks. They loved my work product, especially when given loads of time to complete the work!
So, I may retire. We saved pretty well and made a good decision buying our home. My wife wants me to find a job - in my mind she just wants me out of the house. She barely understands my affliction. Her behavior ultimately stresses me out and sometimes depresses me.
Thanks for reading my story. It helps to discuss this. I plan to hop on here more frequently. Especially with my iPad. These and touchscreens did not exist during my prior membership!
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88FIn 1969 we decided to get married without a big wedding. Most of our friends and family liked large over the top for the time kind of weddings and I did not. First, I didn't see why spending so much money for one day when we have the rest of our lives to live. I have never regretted not having a big formal wedding. Another issue is not liking all the attention. Also, we have gone to big...
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We're all troubled.WSo, to remind ourselves we're not at rock bottom (this is a reverse optimism thing I learned as a kid):We are not living on the island of Krakatoa when the volcano goes boom!Yeah, okay, that sucks.***Toay in 1942, Pierre Laval announced that the way to free France was for Germany to win WW2. Pierre did not win a lot of friends. When the war ended, quite quickly he was tried...
I'm lgad you shared with us, and please do hop on more frequently:-) It's especially important for our newly diagnosed or recently diagnosed to see that there is/has been life *with* fibro. Especially old-timers like ourselves. (Dx'd 1995!)
Cheers,
Leo
Take care and hope to see you back here again soon.
I have heard many sayings before but the one that comes to mind is this: For most of our lives we work so we can do what we want to do later. You are at the later part of your life. You have spent your time working and now have a "freedom" to experience things. I have been married for 5 years now and my relationship gets better and better because of the time we spend together. Sounds strange but that seems like what your wife wants, even though it appears she is pushing you away (back to work). One of the things I do with my relationships is study my wife by just having conversations and seeing what her interests are then you and her can do them together. Whether that's just playing games around the house, doing home improvement projects, or taking a road trip to see things you haven't seen before. This will start a new chapter in your life so that you can have things to share with each other.
Welcome back! I've been on DS since 2008, but was going by the name "BlueSun" during the old one. Good luck navigating the new platform. It took some adjusting for us while they made their "improvements". No, we are not our old selves anymore... but we can continue to adapt and overcome (as the Marine Corps says), adopt new ways. Evolve or die, right? Well, you are in your 60's now, so I'm sure you'll make the best decision for your health and happiness regarding your retirement. I'm sure you'll find plenty of new hobbies to keep you busy, maybe even volunteer? My pastor told me when he got his hips replaced and then 6 months later developed kidney disease, he realized it meant it was time to take a "promotion"... meaning it was time for him to take a step back from all the "action" and become a mentor. And I'll leave you with that for food for thought. Blessings....
Ironically, yesterday saw my physician for the first time in almost ten years. Just a routine physical - egads, just a little over a year left before my next colonoscopy! She asked about my fibro and appeared genuinely concerned about me. Of course, she looks at notes in my file, but she sounded quite understanding about fibro. She encouraged me to continue exercising and eating a healthy diet. After showing her my "tennis elbow" (tendenitis and muscle pain) from hoisting around a chainsaw in my backyard, she proceeded to squeeze and jab my injury. OUCH! :-O
Getting examined did give me the opportunity to re-up an old prescription for a muscle relaxer, Zanaflex. Only use like once per month, so some pills still remain from a five year-old bottle. Taking a single low-dosage comes in handy just before bedtime for those days of over-exertion - think like a long hike or shopping trip on my feet all day. Otherwise, you never see me pop drugs, even an Advil only a couple times per year.