This forum is very supportive, we do a daily check in that Leo normally posts, and the book Fibromyalgia for Dummies is good to have! Pain is very hard to deal with and having a place like this to vent really helps. I have fibro plus my back is bone on bone and other issues with it and have arthritis etc. Pain affects every aspect of your life and can be very draining. I am on SSI due to pain and depression. Vent all you like here it helps!

Thank you! I'll check out that book. I agree that pain affects everything in your life and is extremely exhausting. Unless you suffer from it, you will never understand. I'm so tired of all the "Have you tried this? You just need a hobby. Just get up and exercise. Oh, I have everyday aches and pains, too, but I try work through it." It's not that easy! I have arthritis as well. Pain and depression is such a vicious cycle. Again, thank you for your reply and I hope to be able to find individuals that I can relate to.

Hello! Welcome, and never forget, life is trial-and-error, so it's okay that life with fibro is also trial-and-error and trial-and-error and wondering if you'll feel better if you just kick a doctor in the teeth so you can say, "Will weight loss help that feel better?"... Hey, I have a vivid daydream life!

"Everyday aches and pains" rarely go above 4 on the 1-10 pain scale. Fibro people see 4 as a "pain-free" day. THat's the only way I can describe it.

Diet and exercise do help, but... when *don't* they? That's what puzzles me. "Healthy diet and exercise!" Um, done that all my life. Annnnd.... Here I still am. Here we all still are! That said, getting a proper diagnosis is vital. Ruling out the umpteen other things that can cause body-wide aches and pains is time-consuming. Friend of mine was dx'd with fibro and only years later did they realize he had *celiac*, by which point, his damage waas done, aals. There's been other cases, here on this board, of "Whoops!" and...
Also cases where people find the medication/diet/whatever combo that works for them to have minimal symptoms! So there's hope! :-)

I didn't sleep much, so forgive my incoherence, but welcome to the forum!

You almost described it perfectly for me (4 as a "pain-free" day - I've always rated my pain as a 4 when I'm able to feel my pain (like a slight muscle spasm every now and then), but I still "feel" good. A 3 is considered "perfection" for me. Maybe mine is not as bad as others?

But then again, I'm on medications. I wake up with a 6 or 7 until those things kick in.

Thank you!

Welcome to the group!

I usually start the day around 6-8 on the pain scale. It usually gets *better* when I start moving around, take my meds and give myself an attitude adjustment. Everyone here has a different medication cocktail and experience with Fibromyalgia.

The one thing that we do have in common is this board. Our lovely spokesmodel, Leo, starts each day with a check in full of interesting historical trivia and random ruminations from her considerable brain. You can jump right in, lurk and just read , vent etc. We talk about pretty much everything Fibro related and life in general. This is a good group of level heads with keen insight and a wealth of experience living with chronic illness. I hope to see you around the neighborhood. Take care.

I have learned over the years living with fibro that this is the place to come to when you need to vent about pains and such.
I try not to talk about it as often when I'm not on my computer. No one understands. I just simply share what I need to share...its a bad fibro day or good one...if I even do that.

See, my husband and family want to "fix" the pain problem when I share it. It's in their nature to do so. But this is not something they can fix. So taking the problem to them doesn't do any of us any good.

But here, everyone gets it. Venting is encouraged, because we all know we need an outlet. The commradery is tight here. And it feels like a big FMily. And I honestly don't know where I'd be if I didn't have this support group throughout the years. I have learned so much along the way.

So, I think your friend is right. But keep in mind, there isn't a whole lot of fibro support groups out there. I searched in my area 10yrs ago when I was first diagnosed. And I have realized that people with pain do not want to get out and waste their "spoons" (btw, read the spoon theory) just to have somewhere to talk about all of this....hence the birth of online support groups.

I hope you stick around and welcome to the group.

I agree, nobody understands the pain and the pain and fatigue has led to depression which I've not experienced this bad since high school when I just had a lot about myself to figure out. I've always been able to see a silver lining in all the horrendous events that have come my way in the past 8 years, but now things are getting better and more consistent except my pain and fatigue and I contributed all of that to stress and have made many life changes hoping to change all that and nothing. So, now I am feeling defeated. I need to keep hope and would welcome any advice on what kind of doctor to go to and what types of medications I should stay clear of or try. Please please please, I have not been social in over a year because of how I feel. I'm tired ALL the time. More than tired. Sluggish and fatigued even if I'm "awake". So hard to explain because nobody understands. And I'm a single mom to 4 year old twins, unemployed at the moment, looking to start my own business, but fear this will prevent me from being successful. I'm feeling more scared and lonely than ever.