That's great.
You still don't quite know yourself though even by seeing your daughter. Seeing someone with it and actually having it first hand are not the same, you are still not going to know exactly how it actually feels.

Oh I am so well aware of that! I try my best to understand, but I know I never truly can. I try to get as much feedback from her on how we are handling it as possible. It is also one of the reasons I joined this group - to try and understand and help as best as someone without fibro can.
I have had severe back pain (losing feeling in my left leg) and feeling like someone was sawing me in half, I have chronic stiff, sore muscles in the neck and shoulders, I have woken up more mornings than I care to think of with feet so sore I can hardly stand and so tired I thought I hadn't slept for weeks, I get migraines if someone uses bug spray or turps based paint.
I just try to imagine feeling that all the time and that is as close as I can get.
I am grateful that my daughter is a gracious and patient patient (most of the time)

Yay!
But till it's your personal daily fight, yes, I agree with Nature, you don't QUITE know. My mom was a nurse, she "got it"----and then last year he got her own FM dx rnow she REALLY gets it.... and I wish she didn't. Wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Still, glad they were symapthetic enough to hear it out.

@lowernotes, Those aches and pains you describe, maybe you ought to get checked out by the doctor too. The stress and care you are giving your daughter maybe catching up with you.

Is your daughter able to get on the computer?
Most of us here are in considerable amount of pain and get tired but are able to use the computer. And this group is good for support to give and receive. It helps a lot. Maybe we will "meet" her soon.
And can hear from the "horse's mouth". So to speak.

Your daughter is young too and it's important that she keeps getting up in the morning and doing things. Even if it's walking from bedroom to living area.

naturegirl - My daughter is sometimes able to get up by lunchtime - she is just coming out of a bad flare. You may have seen a comment or two from her already - diamondmomo. She tries to walk a little each day. Yesterday she was awake for about two and a half hours and went to sit in the shade outside with a friend. Today she was up for closer to four hours in two 'spurts'. She was able to run a bath herself today and walk next door to have an early supper with my mom-in-law this evening - almost unaided. This is tremendous progress at the moment.
She plays games on her computer when she is in bed and awake. her laptop isn't connected to the internet - so when she is able to sit at my desk she will be online again.

I think the stress is catching up - you may be right. When I take her into the doc in two weeks I will get him to check my health too. Good plan, thanks.

Lower notes, I was going to suggest the same thing about getting checked out, since you described your pain. Stress has some pretty definite affects on our bodies. I think that's what got my fibro going, actually.

I admire you for doing this research on your daughter's behalf. I know it must be so hard on you seeing her feeling so bad. I know my husband hates seeing me suffer.

Take care!

I wish I felt like people of old age. I see them bowling, dancing, complaining of that arthritis in their hip. But they don't have killer pain that moves around or all over. They can take an aspirin or Tylenol and feel better. They have pain they know what it is causing it and have away of helping, for us we have no reason for this torture and no cure.

Lowernotes, I am really concerned about your daughter and I know you have stated she sees a reg DR


Rhodes university is in your town and many specialist can you get her there to get their opinion.?

That's good to hear your daughter is doing a little bit.
I'm sorry to hear she's been in a flare. That's rough. I hope she improves even more.
And I will look out for diamond's posts. I'm glad she's posted.

It is wonderful when ppl try to understand. It takes a great friend.

Magic, Rhodes is purely academic - language, psychiatry, math, computer science, zoology, botany, art and that's about it. No medical specialists.
Our doc confers with his peers all over the country and he is not afraid to research and listen to our research. There is one rheumy in our province, and someone else with fibro in town has been there and said he was rude and unhelpful. She has traveled the country for help, and not found much. Her budget is bigger than ours:-)

I trust our doc and he has been very supportive and compassionate to my daughter, and that's about the best we can do for the moment. My physio has said she will show me how to help my daughter's aching tight muscles, when she is strong enough to get there. There is also a doc that does alternative medicine in town, I am hoping to see him as soon as the budget allows.

I agree with you about the old age thing, which is why I used it as a baseline to try and explain things more clearly to them. I am pleased they are at least trying to understand as much as they can.

That's right, they are trying to understand. I just hate to see young people have such medical problems. Hope someday they find a cure.

lowernotes - Does your daughter also have chronic fatigue syndrome?

Milily - I was thinking about just that very thing yesterday. Any idea how we could tell? She is in pain but at the moment the fatigue seems to outweigh the pain. Since she is on magnesium suppliments, she is at least sleeping better, closer to a real sleep rather that a semi-comatose, disorientating, unrestful sleep.

Lowernotes--

I have some thought which you can take or leave. I keep wondering how many people are labeled with fibro with out a complete workup. For me many docs would label me with fibro because my blood work looks good. In NY and London some rheumies do trials with various immunomodulating drugs to see for sure that someone doesn't have something inflammatory going on. I also have a history of photosensitivity and a history that is very lupus like, so I was put on those drugs which do wonders for me. Right now I'm on a short course of prednisone, and I feel like I've risen from the dead. If your doctor hasn't tried a prednisone trial, perhaps you should ask him and see how your daughter does on it. Good luck. I just have a feeling people are being written off to quickly with "just fibro" or "somatization disorder." But I'm not doctor, just someone who'd been on the chronic pain road a really long time.

We did try prednisone - no real change, because of her age he is trying to avoid too much of that as it can raise the risk of osteoporosis significantly, amongst other things.