Anyone familiar with this condition? Tell me about it.
Fibromyalgia Sufferers.
I'm only familiar with it in the vaguest of senses. Quite painful - a good network of support is essential (friends, family, other sufferers).
Well, I only know as much as is written on the site you linked. My gf - who works as a psychologist at a clinic specialized in the treatment of pain - might know more about it. If you have a specific question, I could ask her about it.
I was curious, hoping to find others with this condition. Not hopeful as in "Glad you have it" but more like "So how has it affected your life at all and did it get worse?"
Long story made short:
I injured my back many years ago. They said the damage to muscles and discs was permanent. I kinda blew it off at the time. Never got much better, been ongoing since. Over the past years, the pain has crept through my entire body on a 100% continous basis, literally all the time.
Anyway, starting going to the chiropracter for my back about three years ago. He told me I had this condition. I blew it off. Fast forward to the other day. A co-worker was telling me about her fibromyalgia and we started comparing notes. Exactly the same. My internet searches...revealed exactly the same. I was thinking about asking the doctor about it specifically, but I think I'd sound pretty pathetic walking in saying "here's my diagnosis, do you agree?" I'm not big on spending money on doctors in the first place, but some comfort would be nice. I am curious to know if it will get worse as time goes on, this assuming I'm correct in my self diagnosis.
I'm so sorry to hear of the chronic pain, Eileen. :\
At this stage in the game, you are the expert of you. You know your symptoms. You've done the research. My advice would be to trust your self diagnosis, go to the doctors and let them try and prove you wrong.
I'm so sorry to hear of the chronic pain, Eileen. :\
At this stage in the game, you are the expert of you. You know your symptoms. You've done the research. My advice would be to trust your self diagnosis, go to the doctors and let them try and prove you wrong.
My understanding is there isn't much that can be done about it and its not like its life threatening or anything like that, just really, really, uncomfortable/painful on an everyday continuous basis. Really kinda sucks actually. Definelty interferes with your daily life. Anybody want to take it off my hands for awhile, say take it home for a week or so, try it out, if you like it, you can keep it?
My understanding is there isn't much that can be done about it and its not like its life threatening or anything like that, just really, really, uncomfortable/painful on an everyday continuous basis. Really kinda sucks actually. Definelty interferes with your daily life. Anybody want to take it off my hands for awhile, say take it home for a week or so, try it out, if you like it, you can keep it?I'm so sorry to hear of the chronic pain, Eileen. :\
At this stage in the game, you are the expert of you. You know your symptoms. You've done the research. My advice would be to trust your self diagnosis, go to the doctors and let them try and prove you wrong.
I'd be willing to take it for the weekend, but you'll have to be explicit about exactly what it can eat, drink and what shows it's allowed to watch.
Even if there isn't all that much to be done, you'll still be more serious about your condition if you know it's official. Then you'll feel justified jumping into forums for fibromyalgia sufferers and such. Not only might you learn some helpful techniques for alleviating your specific type of pain, it also just helps knowing that you're not alone with some mystery condition, that others are going through it with you.
My understanding is there isn't much that can be done about it and its not like its life threatening or anything like that, just really, really, uncomfortable/painful on an everyday continuous basis. Really kinda sucks actually. Definelty interferes with your daily life. Anybody want to take it off my hands for awhile, say take it home for a week or so, try it out, if you like it, you can keep it?I'm so sorry to hear of the chronic pain, Eileen. :\
At this stage in the game, you are the expert of you. You know your symptoms. You've done the research. My advice would be to trust your self diagnosis, go to the doctors and let them try and prove you wrong.
Well, if I could give you a break for a week, I would. Sorry. I do hope that you feel better, or at least figure out how to minimize the pain. Good luck!
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Well my mother suffers from this. All I can tell you is that by what she has said it does tend to get worse however her dependence on painkillers goes up along with the amount of pain she is in. I don't really know what else to tell you. However, if I could I would take it for you for a while I know it's very uncomfortable and I have a high pain tolerance. Still I hope you can find a way to manage it.
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My understanding is there isn't much that can be done about it and its not like its life threatening or anything like that, just really, really, uncomfortable/painful on an everyday continuous basis. Really kinda sucks actually. Definelty interferes with your daily life. Anybody want to take it off my hands for awhile, say take it home for a week or so, try it out, if you like it, you can keep it?I'm so sorry to hear of the chronic pain, Eileen. :\
At this stage in the game, you are the expert of you. You know your symptoms. You've done the research. My advice would be to trust your self diagnosis, go to the doctors and let them try and prove you wrong.
There are treatments out there, some of them quite new. Go to the doctor. They can help relieve your pain and give you the tools to remain pain free.
There are treatments out there, some of them quite new. Go to the doctor. They can help relieve your pain and give you the tools to remain pain free.My understanding is there isn't much that can be done about it and its not like its life threatening or anything like that, just really, really, uncomfortable/painful on an everyday continuous basis. Really kinda sucks actually. Definelty interferes with your daily life. Anybody want to take it off my hands for awhile, say take it home for a week or so, try it out, if you like it, you can keep it?I'm so sorry to hear of the chronic pain, Eileen. :\
At this stage in the game, you are the expert of you. You know your symptoms. You've done the research. My advice would be to trust your self diagnosis, go to the doctors and let them try and prove you wrong.
Yea, I think I'm going to do that. It would be nice to feel better, getting up and down, in and out of chairs, walking, etc. shouldn't hurt as much as it does. If anything, maybe I'll finally sleep better. This of coarse assumes I'm correct in my self-diagnoses, something I suspect doctors hate patients doing. Don't have a lot of faith in the medical profession but I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the posts everyone.
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Anyway, starting going to the chiropracter for my back about three years ago. He told me I had this condition.
If the chiropracter is properly qualified and licenced, surely his diagnosis is worth something?
If nothing else, he'd be able to provide his reasoning to your GP in a form he understands, for a second opinion, rather than it being simply you bringing it up on your own.
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I was thinking about asking the doctor about it specifically, but I think I'd sound pretty pathetic walking in saying "here's my diagnosis, do you agree?"
How about : "My chiropractor thinks that my chronic pain that I have suffered for x years could be due to fibromyalgia. I'd like to go through my symptoms with you and, if you concur with his diagnosis, discuss possible treatments that could relieve the symptoms."
It's less confrontational and lets him know that you are there for his expertise and will listen to what he has to say. A lot of GPs these days are jaded from the constant "Hi doc, I need some antibiotics" patients.
Go for it - you have nothing to lose except some worries about seeing the doc. As someone who used to have a doctor phobia and got over it, good luck!
Oh, and some small reassurance: from what I know, fibromyalgia isn't typically progressive - it shouldn't get worse.
Edit: Oh, and if you also dislike psychologists, please don't dismiss any psychological therapies that your doctor may want you to try - they are really effective for some sufferers, you may be one.
Eileen, I'm sorry to hear of your suffering. Please take care of yourself.
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Yea, I think I'm going to do that. It would be nice to feel better, getting up and down, in and out of chairs, walking, etc. shouldn't hurt as much as it does. If anything, maybe I'll finally sleep better. This of coarse assumes I'm correct in my self-diagnoses, something I suspect doctors hate patients doing. Don't have a lot of faith in the medical profession but I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the posts everyone.
I forgot to mention, I know exactly how you feel right now.
Getting out of bed is a challenge for me. Part of it is pain, part of it is the fact I just don't sleep right anymore. Walking is a challenge, sitting is a challenge, standing is a challenge. All of this started after a rather serious surgery in which a portion of my intestine was removed.
My chiropractor recently said the same thing to me that yours said to you. I currently don't have the means to get to a doctor to get a proper diagnosis. I just lost my job and I haven't had insurance for quite a long time now, which is why I feel so strongly about this. I only see a chiropractor because he provides his services to me as a favor. :) So, if you have the means, taking that opportunity is the best thing for you to do.
Good luck. I know what this pain is like and I know how it can rule your life. Self-diagnosis can be touchy, but I really think being up front is the best way to go.
I forgot to mention, I know exactly how you feel right now.
Getting out of bed is a challenge for me. Part of it is pain, part of it is the fact I just don't sleep right anymore. Walking is a challenge, sitting is a challenge, standing is a challenge. All of this started after a rather serious surgery in which a portion of my intestine was removed.
My chiropractor recently said the same thing to me. I currently don't have the means to get to a doctor to get a proper diagnosis. I just lost my job and I haven't had insurance for quite a long time right now, which is why I feel so stronly about this. :) So, if you have means, taking that opportunity is the best thing for you to do.
Good luck. I know what this pain is like and I know how it can rule your life. Self-diagnosis can be touchy, but I really think being up front is the best way to go.
That is awful, Alleynbard. I'm sorry you're in so much pain. My mother's husband had that same surgery, and I don't know if your two cases can be compared, but after a while his pain subsided.
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That is awful, Alleynbard. I'm sorry you're in so much pain. My mother's husband had that same surgery, and I don't know if your two cases can be compared, but after a while his pain subsided.
Thanks. The surgery was about three years ago. While the initial pain of the surgery ended, another pain started. It invaded my body and simply made it difficult to move. After awhile I had trouble sleeping and nothing was ever the same again.
Apparently, fibro can start with trauma to the body. It is my hope that the pain will subside. But right now, it looks unlikely that will be the case.
Yes, I read on the internet that although little is really known about the condition it is believed that an injury/trauma can bring it on. Me...I had a back injury from lifting a resident in a nursing home many years ago. Alleynbard,would you say that your pain has increased or stayed about the same? Do you have any specific pressure or pain points on your body that stand out in particular? I'd love to compare notes. The inability to sleep right is horrible. It gets to the point where you can't even remember what it's like to feel rested. Curious Alleynbard, since you don't sleep well either...do you remember dreams much at least compared to before the condition? How is your memory or general thinking process? Any different?
A few years ago, I had a epidermal injection in my lower back which helped out quite a bit, though that treatment was for backpain which was assumed to be from the lifting injury from years ago.
I can see the doctor anytime, I just hate paying the deductable. I don't spend a lot on medical care within a year so I never seem to get past the deductable. I should make an appointment though, with this economy, you never know when the job is going to cut corners and drop the insurance benefit.
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Yes, I read on the internet that although little is really known about the condition it is believed that an injury/trauma can bring it on. Me...I had a back injury from lifting a resident in a nursing home many years ago. Alleynbard,would you say that your pain has increased or stayed about the same? Do you have any specific pressure or pain points on your body that stand out in particular? I'd love to compare notes. The inability to sleep right is horrible. It gets to the point where you can't even remember what it's like to feel rested. Curious Alleynbard, since you don't sleep well either...do you remember dreams much at least compared to before the condition? How is your memory or general thinking process? Any different?
The pain behaved oddly at first. One day I simply noticed "Hey, I'm in pain." The surgery, at that point, had been about a year in the past. For a long time it sort came and went. I would say my first year was like that. The whole time I had people telling me it was likely the surgery. Then, everything changed. The pain became more pervasive and invasive, if that makes sense. It increased before it finally hit a ceiling. As it stands, I have "good days" and "bad days", though those terms are remarkably relative I imagine. But it never gets any worse than the ceiling it hit. I noticed over the counter drugs do nothing for the pain. No matter how much I take, nothing seems to help.
I do have some pressure points that are sensitive to the touch, most notably my shoulders and neck. The pain will sometimes isolate into certain areas, though that is not entirely accurate. It grows more intense in certain joints and muscles groups while the rest of my body just continues to ache. For instance, I often get flare ups in my right arm, in the soft tissue and in the bone. I also have issues with the neck and back.
One thing I have noticed is the increased number of migraines I am having. In addition, I am highly sensitive to the cold. Winter is particularly tough for me as it feels like the cold settles into my body. After I get cold, I start to hurt and I simply cannot get warm. I have noticed warm baths or showers help with that.
Sleep is a diffcult prospect but didn't become a huge problem in slightly over a year ago. I have to take a good chunk of melatonin to fall asleep with any regularity. When I do sleep the dreams are a bit more intense, but that might be the melatonin. What I did notice before I started to take the melatonin was that my dreams had turned darker. Not nightmares really, just more intense and bit more dark. I do remember my dreams but not in the same clarity as before. Mostly images. No matter how much I sleep I always, always wake up tired. I haven't had what I would call a reliable night's sleep in over a year. Just enough rest to keep me going.
I struggle with focus on a bad day, but most days are "okay". I have noticed a drop in my brain function though, I simply don't remember things as well as I used to. Its like I have trouble making certain connections now, which is likely connected to the pain and lack of sleep.
Hope that helps.