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.
I rejected the idea that I might have fibromyalgia as soon as the doctor said it. Id suspected that fibromyalgia was it, but once she said it out loud, I felt like it was too much and I didnt want to deal. Id spend most of the beginning of this year weaning myself off of psych meds for depression. Ive felt great emotionally but the pain in my body was overwhelming. I didnt want to go back on psych meds (she prescribed Cymbalta) after discovering that my mood could be stable without them. (Ive had unexplained pain for year but it wasnt nearly this bad. Rheum doc believes Ive had fibro all along but being on psych meds probably helped disguise it.)
Instead of accepting the fibro diagnosis, I latched on to the low vitamin D idea that my primary doctor floated. That had a workable solution. Take vitamins. Good. Did that.
And I did some other things. I started practicing yoga and tried to avoid artificial foods, eating organic as much as I could. I gave up caffeine and changed to almond milk (cow milk made me feel sluggish and icky). I started cooking for myself and drank more water.
And I felt better.
For a while.
Since the weather started changing, my body has been aching a lot more. I actually did pull a muscle in my shoulder doing a new yoga pose but it seems that pain has multiplied and spread throughout my whole body. Everything hurts my fingers, arms, shoulders, ankles, hips, feet if I apply even the tiniest amount of pressure to my thighs its agony.
And Im tired in a way that I havent been in a long time. I slept from 9 pm to 9 am last night and I still felt terrible pain and exhaustion this morning. The night before last I woke up at 3 am for no reason and could never really go back to sleep. Over the weekend, I went to the zoo with friends. After only an hour I felt like Id been climbing Kilimanjaro. I had to leave them and go home. By the time I got to my car, my body was screaming and all I could do when I got home was get in bed.
And, if the pain and exhaustion werent enough, Im noticing that my mood is getting wonky again. I feel sad and depressed and lethargic.
Can the seasonal shift cause a fibro flare up? How do I get out of it again? Im still doing all that stuff: yoga, eating better, etc. Why isnt it working as well? Could I need more vitamin D again?
I so dont want to have fibromyalgia. It was one of the many issues my mother had when she was alive. She suffered constantly. I so dont want to deal with that.
Instead of accepting the fibro diagnosis, I latched on to the low vitamin D idea that my primary doctor floated. That had a workable solution. Take vitamins. Good. Did that.
And I did some other things. I started practicing yoga and tried to avoid artificial foods, eating organic as much as I could. I gave up caffeine and changed to almond milk (cow milk made me feel sluggish and icky). I started cooking for myself and drank more water.
And I felt better.
For a while.
Since the weather started changing, my body has been aching a lot more. I actually did pull a muscle in my shoulder doing a new yoga pose but it seems that pain has multiplied and spread throughout my whole body. Everything hurts my fingers, arms, shoulders, ankles, hips, feet if I apply even the tiniest amount of pressure to my thighs its agony.
And Im tired in a way that I havent been in a long time. I slept from 9 pm to 9 am last night and I still felt terrible pain and exhaustion this morning. The night before last I woke up at 3 am for no reason and could never really go back to sleep. Over the weekend, I went to the zoo with friends. After only an hour I felt like Id been climbing Kilimanjaro. I had to leave them and go home. By the time I got to my car, my body was screaming and all I could do when I got home was get in bed.
And, if the pain and exhaustion werent enough, Im noticing that my mood is getting wonky again. I feel sad and depressed and lethargic.
Can the seasonal shift cause a fibro flare up? How do I get out of it again? Im still doing all that stuff: yoga, eating better, etc. Why isnt it working as well? Could I need more vitamin D again?
I so dont want to have fibromyalgia. It was one of the many issues my mother had when she was alive. She suffered constantly. I so dont want to deal with that.
On the positive side, fibro can be managed. You may need to make adjustments along the way or change your lifestyle. Many are relieved to have a name for their pain and fatigue so that they can do what they can to address their condition and adopt a treatment plan. There are sometimes misdiagnoses, granted. I would just have to say that after living with it for over 20 years, (and it can be challenging or even depressing at times) there are far more worse things to have to deal with. On the other hand, I hope your symptoms disappear and never come back!
I soo don't want this Fibro either. The sleep problems, fatigue and the pain that never leaves is such a downer.
Depression, one can't help feelin' down when your body is dragging so far behind your mind. You feel your life changing like your body aged 20 years overnight again and again every night.
Yes the changing seasons can effect our pain and attitude and cause a flare.
Be carefull not to over do it with the Yoga.
Vit D is a good idea especially since the days sun is so short now.
I hope your pain eases and the holiday brightens your path.
Gentle hugs
Well, little did I know how much it was doing for me. For one thing, I quit being able to sleep, no matter what else I took. My mood also started plummeting again. Then the biggest surprise was that my pain sky-rocketed. I had no idea that my SSRI was helping that much with the pain.
After doing much reading about fibro and the brain chemicals serotonin and norepinephrine, it turns out that those chemicals control not only our moods, but also sleep and PAIN!
Research has shown that people with fibro are low in those brain chemicals. So while you may think you don't need it b/c you're not depressed, your body made need the other benefits of it.
I know how you feel about this diagnosis. But this site is awesome, and you'll learn of ways you can help yourself. The folks are also very supportive.
Best of luck to you! Elizabeth
I hope you won't take the next couple of things as judgment, criticism or negativity . Not my intention, so please let me know if I offended you in any way let me know so I can apologize. Don't wanna hurt you feelings just trying to help.
Like others said, yes, weather, cold, heat, snow, rain, all can set it off. Physical activity can cause worsening, even yoga, as you said you pulled a muscle, and that can make things worse. Be good to your body, take care of it because you are the only one who can take good care, and i know you are trying very hard. Fibro is a label and as much as we here all despise it, refusing to accept the diagnosis does not take away the symptoms, right. ;-). It may be something else for you, but it may not, or you may have fibro+.
Sorry my brain is fried. I tell you, when i was at my worst I'd be in bed in and out of sleep for several days only to get up & and feel lilke i never even closed my eyes. Anyway, with fibro, CDs and many autoimmune disorders, labels are different, but treatments similar. Can you maybe try for now to pretend like its not fibro, but try treatments so you don't get worse. I hate to scare you but once it gets worse it is harder to tame. Fibro TX is all about a combo of Med/non Med txs as well as lifestyle changes, to manage symptoms.
Lastly, i hope you don't mind and i may be dead wrong, but to me from your story it sounded like you gradually got worse after dropping cymbalta. This may be your answer. If it worked and didn't cause you horrible problems , can you try it again? I know its not this simple but it may be part of the answer. Sorry gotta go work ill check back later to see. Hope didn't upset you. Take care
Seasonal Depression is Literally because One Cannot get out as Much, or Absorb enough Sunlight..
If You can get into a Pool, every other day...Just walk around in one..no need for Fancy Moves..for about an hour...Over Time this Will Back off the Tender Touch Anomalies...this helps to Fully Relax Muscles...gets Good Blood and Oxygen Flow to All The Muscle Groups...Without wearing you down..
Honestly...I do Not Believe in Yoga...I do believe in Light Stretches...But Yoga Puts the Body into UnNatural Poses....I Used to do it..But can Be Dangerous for those of us with FM...as Everything is Tight..Can Rip a Muscle pretty Easily..better to do Light Stretches, With Nice Even Deep "Belly Breathing"..Natural, Fluid Movements..
Let Your Emotions Come...for Awhile...You Can Learn to Control them...but it is not a Simple Thing...Takes Time...Sadness is an Important Emotion...same as Happiness...but ya Cannot Allow Anything Negative to stick around Long...Pull Out Your Big Bag of Tricks...and Back the Sadness off...I Use Music and Dance Therapy for this...Works Like a Charm !!
I Cannot take an AD...They Completely FLOORED Me, I Felt Like a Zombie..so I have had No Choice but to Find Alternative Therapies that Work..and I am Thankful I Have Managed to do just That.
Denying Pain does Not Take the Pain away..Pushing Thru it in a Positive Force May Tho..will at least Back it off to a Tolerable Level..
Hugs Girl.
I have costochonditis that flares up pretty regularly. I've almost gotten used to the constant pain and waking up in the night. The hardest part is the fatigue. I can plow through the pain...most days...if I have the energy. I have had several times this year where I've just called out from work - sometimes for days in a row - because of the pain and tiredness. It seems to get a lot worse the week before and during my period and I think they're noticing a pattern at work.
I didn't try the Cymbalta as I was hoping to stay off medication if I could. Thing is, emotionally, I felt better OFF the ADs than I ever did on them. This is the first year after many, many years of psych meds that I haven't had one single bout of depression. But tons of body pain and exhaustion.
I practice a really gentle form of yoga called Svaroopa. It's all supported poses and movement so you're never tensing or stressing the body. I also teach yoga dance classes. The last one was last Thursday. It was the first day of my period and I felt awful that whole day but managed to get through the class. I haven't been right since then. The pain is much worse and I'm so tired that I want to cry. I can't concentrate at work and my finger ache as I type.
My rheumatologist is sort of ditsy and I don't trust her which is part of why I have a hard time with the fibro diagnosis. I need to find someone I can trust. And I need to find someone who can help me figure out treatments without drugging me to death.
I'm on Warfarin every day for life because I've also had pulmonary embolisms twice. Part of me even wonders if Warfarin can play a role in this.
Who knows? I'm frustrated. I felt much better over the summer. It's cold and rainy here and the cold just makes me feel worse. I have a winter of icky weather to look forward to. I played the lotto today in the hopes of funds to finance a move to sunny California. Fingers crossed!
Cymbalta is actually one of the only ADs that is approved to work strictly with fibro. IT sound like along with the fibro flare you have a little bit of Seasonal Affective Disorder going on. It might not be a bad idea to explore the AD option, at least just to say you tried it.
I am finding that experiementing to find the right combination for fibro is like experimenting to find the right combination to control my bipolar. Im on a lot of medication right now.
Honey, none of us want to have this illness. But for some reason we have it. My mother has it and I have watched her suffer for years. Now I have it and its my turn to suffer. Now I have a better understanding of what she goes through on a day to day basis. ITs debilitating, thats for sure. I am still learning how to manage it. And working with my rhueumeolotigist and making lifestyle changes are the only way I am going to do it.
If I don't see you on here before then, Happy Thanksgiving!!
Jenna