Fibro and Chronic Fatigue Support Group

Anyway, I am a full time employee at McDonald's in Manchester Pennsylvania. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1998 when I was 18. Docs have been treating me with Gabapentin, Naproxen, and sleeping pills. (among many other meds like vitamins and adderall) Now that I have health insurance, I finally get to see a rheumatologist in december, in hopes of finding a treatment for the pain. It's a terrible struggle to work my full shift without wanting to cry out in pain. I am grateful that all my co-workers understand completely and don't get too irritated when I slow down after 5 straight hours. The fry station really kicks my butt! By the end of the day, I feel like I've been hit by a Mack Truck a few times then thrown off a cliff. Most days, I am too tired to cook dinner for my family and we end up eating soup and sandwiches or frozen pizza and salads. My housework has also suffered greatly. I have about 6 loads of laundry to do (folding it tears my back up), I sadly can't remember the last time I scrubbed my bathroom or kitchen floor. I'm glad that I have kids and I can tell them what to do though. Haha, my little butlers and maid. I feel bad asking my husband for help because he works a full time job, third shift, and has back problems also. We thinks it's just a pulled muscle or a pinched nerve.

Anyway, I have rested long enough and must feed my little housekeepers.

Post edited by: Mtroup, at: 11/15/2010 02:11 PM

Welcome to the forum. I can't imagine having to work a full-time job with that kind of pain. If you're taking those meds and still in a lot of pain, it may be time to consider a different FMS medication (Neurontin is old-school, ya know? lol). There are many new ones out now to consider, so it may not be a bad idea to think about adding something else to your pharmacopia of meds.

However, you can also teach your children how to do other things that are terribly painful for you, like the laundry folding, and scrubbing. Heck, give them a small weekly or monthly allowance, if you can afford it. The lessening of your pain would totally be worth it!

For your husband, I would recommend that he does consider going to a doctor about his back pain, if he hasn't. If the pain persists longer than a week or two, it's best to see if it's more than just a pinched nerve or a pulled muscle. Even a pinched nerve can mean serious issues, because that usually means that there's something wrong, and an MRI might be in order. He may be doing more harm than good to continue working, and ultimately (worse case scenario, but it CAN happen) he could end up paralyzed. You always hope that doesn't happen, but ignoring it doesn't mean it won't...

Anyway, I hope you're finding this forum helpful and supportive. I hope you'll hang around and talk about anything you feel you need to, vent, ask questions, whatever, whenever! I also hope this finds you feeling well today, and in no pain!

Hugs,

jen