Welcome to the group! I'm almost out the door for an appointment. I want to recommend the book "Fibromyalgia for Dummies." You can purchase it on Amazon. This is our go to book. It will give you an easy to understand comprehensive overview of this complex illness. Take care.

Welcome to DS.!!!! I just wanted to let you know that you are in the right place. I have found lots of support, advice, and some very dear friends. Feel free to message me anytime.

@fantod thank you so much! I'll check it out!

@akacountrygirl thank you!!

Ok, I'm back. A couple of observations. The purpose of pain management is to give the patient some quality of life. It is not to take the pain away entirely. And, the longer a chronic pain cycle continues, the harder it becomes to manage or stop.

There are other options in addition to Cymbalta. Gabapentin, Savella, Lyrica, and/or muscle relaxers. And, you should be on a medication for sleep. Fibromyalgia interrupts the deep sleep cycle with short bursts of high intensity brain activity. Your muscles require deep sleep in order to recover from the days activities. No deep sleep means higher levels of pain. We generally recommend that you have a sleep study done to really pinpoint any sleep issues. It takes a lot of experimentation to find the right medication regimen for each patient. We are all on different medication cocktails.

Bottom line is that you have to be your own best advocate. Most of us have underlying health issues of varying complexity. It's frustrating and we all have days when just the basic mechanics of everyday living seems to be too much.

Every morning, our brainy and lovely spokesmodel, Leo, hosts morning check in. Just look for the puma avatar and the day of the week in the heading. Leo dazzles us with interesting trivia and some story telling. It is a good way to get to know everyone and not feel so isolated. Feel free to jump in.

You are not alone in your pain and frustration. Ask questions and vent away!

BTW - As tempting as it may be, lying in bed generally makes things worse. Moving around whether you feel like it or not is better.

And, you may want to consider finding a counselor for some extra support. Many of us see someone for some guidance. The best type of therapy for this situation is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It will give you tools to better cope with a diagnosis of chronic illness. You deserve a better quality of life.

Hang in there. Things will get better.

@fantod thank you soooooo much!!! I really appreciate your words of encouragement!! I purchased Idiots guide to Fibromyalgia! I can't wait to read it! I didn't think about fibro affecting sleep...but that makes sense...also I'm limited as to what I can take as My husband and I are trying to conceive...so I'm very careful as to what I'm taking. I'll probably try different meds after I have a baby. I'm so happy that I found this group...I really need the support ! I will look into the forum with Leo. That sounds awesome!

I hope you feel better soon. Heat therapy works and muscle creams like icy hot lidocaine with menthol also Ben gay or apspercreme only thing it works better if someone can rub it in for you but they also have spray versions. I'm glad you have support from your husband and family. I use electric heated blankets in the morning when it's the worst. I buy hot hands which is disposable heat pads that last 12-18 hours from Walmart. I too have bulging discs in my back along with the fibromyalgia and endometriosis. Stretching also helps I go to physical therapy when the pain is at it's worst. I'm glad it's not affecting your sleep. A lot of dealing with the fibromyalgia is trial and error by figuring out what triggers your bad pain flares like cold weather, early morning stiffness, stress etc and then figuring out what practices help you during those different triggers. I'm 37 myself and was diagnosed at 30 after I had a laparoscopic surgery for the endometriosis cysts. This site helps as well, I been a member for a while but barely journal until just the other day. Reading other people posts and suggestions help to be surrounded by others who truly understand this painful condition. I will pray you feel better.

Thanks @fibrogirl718- I think the fibro is affecting my sleep. I'm just so used to not feeling refreshed in the morning. I also wake up several times a night. I will definitely check out the products you mentioned! Thanks for suggesting them. Sometimes you just don't know what is out there . Products like icy hot and lidocaine don't work much on me...I do see a chiropractor once a month.youre right, trial and error is the name of the game. Thanks for your prayers! I'll say one for you too

Welcome to this group! FYI The Idiots Guide to fibromyalgia is not the same book that is recommended. here . Fibromyalgia for Dummies is the book Fantod mentioned and there is a 2nd addition. Of course you can buy any book you want - I am just clarifying The info.

@milily14-thanks! Yes I am aware that it's not the same. It appears to be very informative so I'll read it and locate other books recommended in the future