April I am glad you are here but sorry for your pain. Some work with fibro and others like you it seems can't. I worked for 20 years and finally was unable to stand the pain. I found that the fight to work just wasn't worth the pain and suffering it caused. I read, sew, take short walks with my dog. I do gentle stretches and exercise in non stressing ways like lifting light weights and using a treadmill. I know how hard it is to accept that you can't work anymore. I have not worked for 16 years and still haven't applied for disability. The mind says you should be working but the body says no way. I have just had to accept that what little I can do around the house is enough.
I am glad you are here and hope you will feel the love and support from all of the wonderful people in this group. They are truly wonderful and have helped me tremendously.

Welcome to the group!

We recommend the book "Fibromyalgia for Dummies" which you can find on Amazon. The book will give you a comprehensive overview of this complex illness .and ways to try and manage it. It is also a good educational tool for family members and friends.

I've been ill since 2008. I applied for Social Security disability in 2009 and was approved on my first try. These days it can take quite a long time (years) to be approved. Your doctor's must back you on this decision one hundred percent.

TMJ is a very common problem with Fibromyalgia. See a dentist knowledgeable about this issue and get fitted with a bite splint to wear while you sleep. I have worn one for years. The splint will put your jaw in a neutral position while you sleep. You can do an extraordinary amount of damage from clenching or grinding. And, it can cause migraine like headaches as well as additional pain in your upper back, shoulders, necks, arms and hands.

Pacing is key to living with Fibromyalgia. Honestly, you need to be active rather than sleeping continually. That doesn't mean marathons just set a very reasonable routine for yourself and try to stick with it. Becoming deconditioned from inactivity is very difficult to overcome. If you find that you only want to sleep you should consider some extra help. Depression is very common with chronic pain. Many of us see someone for extra support. I found that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy gave me some good tools for coping with this beast. And, depression increases the perception of pain.

If you feel like sharing your current medication regimen, that would help us to make some suggestions. We are all on different medication cocktails and there is a wealth of experience in this group. And, a key point to remember is that when starting medication don't expect instant results. It could take up to a month to notice a difference in your symptoms. The longer a chronic pain cycle continues, the harder it becomes to manage or stop.

We do recommend that you have a sleep study done. 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. You should be using a sleep medication as this is a critical part of managing this illness.

I like genealogy as a hobby and I also garden a bit. Some people sew, crochet, paint or colour. If you are interested in some exercise recommendations Tai Chi, walking or a water aerobics class specifically for arthritics are good choices.

This is a very active group. We have a daily check in hosted by our resident brainiac Leo. Just look for the puma save and the day of the week in the heading. Jump right in! It is a great way to get to know all of us and vice versa. You are not alone.

Puma avatar

I have read the replies here and they are all excellent.
I have not been on this site in awhile and I can clearly see why I am back. It is so good to know that there are a lot of people who feel as you do. They have had years of experience that is invaluable to the newly diagnosed people. As Fantod said, many of us have tried medications and can give a heads up as to what combination works for us. Exercise also. I have tried so many times to do some exercise and it all comes down to slow yoga stretching and walking to a limit.
I am glad you found this site. I am glad I did too as when I flare I always come here to see what, if anything, is helping others.
Good luck in this journey with us.

Welcome to the group. I loved being active and working out everyday before I got sick. I was definitely not a triathlete like you, but I understand the frustration of getting so much joy from being active. I have a lot of depression and anxiety now, and I think it stems from this some, being active is what made me happy and thrive. Now I feel so alone and need help for everything. I still work out each day, it's just a grandma version of what I did before. It's so important to get rest and not push yourself past the level of pain you can handle. I still suck at this badly and pay for it in my mood and depression followed by intense pain that never seems to let up. But I have also learned to sit more, play more sitting games with my kids, and shop online a lot so I can save my energy for my kids. I also prep a lot of food on the weekend so the weekdays aren't nearly as bad. I have a desk job which helps, but it still keeps me from home, so I feel like I'm always trying to play catch up which leads to a lot of stress.

Hey April, just wanted to let you know you are not alone. I understand
Support & hugs

Welcome to DS and especially the fibro group. In addition and to comment on some of the other posted answers to your comment, I would only caution you that what works for one might not work for you, even likely won't work for you. Different combinations might even stop working after you have taken them for a while.
A few years ago, I tried Cymbalta to try to get better mood results. I couldn't take it, it depressed me even more. So eventually, I tried Wellbutrin, which has been around for many years. My sister had used it to great effect. So I tried it.
I took the first pill and the next day felt pretty bad, still depressed. So I took the second pill, as was stated above, I know it can take awhile for some medications to take effect. The next day, I woke up with THE most suicidal ideation ever (and believe me, I have felt for quite some time that I wanted to kill myself). It was HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE.
I contacted the psychiatrist to see if I could just stop it cold turkey and he said, oh yes, stop it right away. I told him how terribly much I wanted to kill myself and he said, just wait, that will go away. And he KEPT saying that every time I spoke to him. To make a long story short, 2-1/2 months later, yes I said TWO MONTHS, it finally began to taper off. It finally stopped these incessant thoughts of dying.
Now, I say this, not to scare you, but to offer you a great piece of advice, if I do say so myself. Don't hang on to a medication because it has helped in the past. Read the possible side effects every time you refill your meds. Remember that addition of a new medication (or supplement) can change the way the cocktail will effect you. ALSO the drugs can suddenly change, almost like an allergy. You can only take so much cat fur then you might become allergic.
I don't want to overwhelm you, getting this diagnosis is devastating. Like many of us here, you may find some people, even well-meaning people, who will offer advice. Don't listen to it would be my advice. I'll just cost you money and possibly friends. The Spoon Theory might help you and them. The woman who wrote it has lupus, another chronic illness, with similar symptoms. Here is a link to the website where you can read or listen to the essay. It sure has helped a lot of us, I know.