Yes, those all sound like fibro symptoms.

Every time I think that I want to get off my pain med and my muscle relaxants, I have to ask: what would I replace those with?

If the meds help a little, help you function, then what's the alternative?

I don't think alternative meds are strong even to dampen down the pain signals if you have moderate to severe fibro symptoms.

My two cents...

I have all those symptoms but for the burning feet.
For pain, I usually use a heat pad or take a warm bath with Epsom salt. It doesn't fully rid of the pain but it does help.

thank you for the replies

@ shakota6 - good point !!! I really don't want to be in pain and would rather take meds my whole life. I'm hoping that it will just go away as suddenly as it showed up.


@CanadianQueen - Hot baths are my best friends , That and the heating pad.

Yes, I have the same symptoms, but my heals and arches hurt- I get stabbing pains. I saw a foot doctor and found out I have Plantar fasciitis. So I have inserts in my shoes. Then, suddenly my big toe hurt (bad stinging sudden pain) when I walked. So, I went to the doctor and there was nothing wrong with it (x-rays and blood work), so I told my rheumy and she thought it was from the plantar fasciitis and suggested physical therapy. It worked miracles (I have exercises). I now tape my feet. I love that, too. I also use a heating throw when I'm cold and love the Jacuzzi my husband put in a few years ago. Hot water seems to help a lot, but nothing completely removes the pain, these things just make it tolerable so we can manage our days better. It's up to us to manage our days and do what we can to feel better. It took me awhile to figure that out. Sitting around all the time just makes me worse, but alternating work and sitting helps. I can't do what I used to do, so I've accepted that.
Family can be problematic. They can't see our pain, so they don't understand. That makes the support group very helpful when needing others to listen to our difficulties. I don't post very often, but I do get on here and read others comments to remind myself that I'm not alone in this daily struggle.
Blessings.

What is wrong with muscle relaxants??

I am now on Robaxin (for 1 month so far) and it decreases my pain by 40%. I don't have any side effects yet, other than a slight sedating effect which is good for me since I tend to get anxious.) Is there something that I 'm not aware of???

Tramadol helps with my feet pain. Muscle relaxants such as robaxin help sometimes. It's hit or miss.

About exhaustion: No matter how much I want to do more, if I have to get something done, it's around 10am to 2pm, and that means everything. Errands, study, seeing friends, entertainment.

By mid- to late afternoon, I am exhausted from pain signals in my neck and back. My day is pretty much over by 4 pm. Needless to say, I haven't been able to work an eight-hour day for the twenty years I've had fibro.

This is so hard to accept. Every day I tell myself it will be different, but no. If I push myself too hard, I can't function at all the next day.

Aloha!

Those are all FM symptoms and I have all of them. I heard that was a good book you have. I've read other books that I liked too.

For the burning pain I usually treat it with ice packs. But for other pain like muscle pain, throbbing, stabbing pains, I usually use a heating pad or you can soak in a nice HOT bath if you have a tub.

For the feet pain, you may want to see a podiatrist and get insoles made or go to a shoe shop specifically for plantar fasciitis / feet issues and they can get you some really good shoes with support and / or insoles that may reduce your pain. I know it had really helped me. Otherwise I can't seem to walk to the bathroom let alone from the car to a building.