Fibromyalgia Support Group

I am not sure what to write here. I am a 25 year old student that have been diagnosed with Insulin Resistance and Fibromyalgia. My rheumatologist has started me Lyrica. I am also taking Lodine which I think helps a little. It makes it more bearable, but doesn't take all the pain away. I want to talk to my doctor about more pain medications, but I also fear that I am over reacting or that it would be considering whining. I am also afraid of dependence. The main reason I want something slightly stronger than I have is I want to be able sleep without waking up from pain and to work more comfortably.

I also am worried about how my life will change with this condition. I want to have kids, be successful in my career and do all the things that a normal person wants.

I have told some of my family members about my condition and I feel like they may think it's all in my head. I'm not sure how to explain it.

Okay, I will end my rant now. Really I am just looking for some support and advice on how my "new normal" will be.

KellyAnn,

Welcome to the group!

Hi, and welcome! There are a number of posts that give specific info on Fibro/family reactions, etc. Do ask for something for the pain, or, if you stiffen up a lot, a muscle relaxer.

Kelly, welcome to the group! We're very helpful, and understanding. We all "get it" because we've all "got it." You are allowed to whine, cry, rant, rave, laugh, love, just about anything. And jump right in with questions or comments whenever and wherever you feel comfortable.

Now, some of your questions... The main key is having a rheumatologist who works with fibro patients. Unfortunately, not all doctors do. Some will flat tell you it's all in your head, or "it's a trashcan diagnosis for doctors who are too lazy to figure out what's really wrong."

Depending on your pain level, you may need more aggressive pain management. You may need to see a pain management doctor. Unfortunately, sometimes we do get branded as "drug seeking." One of the tricks there is never ask for a medication by name. Just keep a pain diary... how bad you hurt, what you did, what you took, how that helped or didn't help your pain levels and show the doc when you see him. That's one suggestion anyway.

As to how it's going to affect your life... there's no way for me to tell you. Fibro is unique to each and every person that has it. For example... some here can barely get out of bed. I don't have a problem with that. My pain levels are moderate compared to most here, but my chronic fatigue, which goes along with Fibro a lot of times, is pretty bad. And my sleep disturbances are severe.

There are a lot of co-morbid conditions that tend to go along with Fibro. Hypothyroidism, particularly Hashimoto's Diease, is pretty common. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is another one that's pretty common. Fibro Fog, this brain haze that we seem to be enveloped in a lot of the time... forgeting what you were talking about in the middle of a sentance, going to the store for one item and you can't remember what it was, etc... is pretty common too. Pinched nerves in the neck is pretty common, as is Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

You could have one of these, none of these, or all of these. And others! Because of that, no one can tell you exactly what to expect. But I will say this...

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition. You will have this the rest of your life. It can be managed (sometimes with more success than others). It may flare on you (symptoms getting much worse) for a day or an hour or years, and it can also go into remission and tho you may still have pain, it's a whisper, not a scream. You may find that certain things cause flares and learn to avoid them. Stress will trigger one... for myself weather flip-flops are a big one. You may need to learn to avoid certain foods, or certain movements. Maybe even certain people. (We've had whole discussion on toxic people in our lives and how we just don't have the energy or will to continue to deal with them and their baggage.)

There are several here who have small children, at least one who's expecting, and several very young women, I know we have at least one 14 year old. They can tell you more about fibro and raising a family than I can (I'm 47 and my daughter is 2 years older than you!). But you'll always find a willing ear, and advice here.

Welcome!

KellyAnn,Very warm welcome to this dynamic fibro support group happy that you have joined us! Echo the wise words already spoken especially by Moira just now! Please check out the articles in the Articles section both here, in Fibro Challenges sg-Fibro AIDE( my article) and all the helpful articles in Chronic Pain Sg including the awesome one by mitzigirl! have a good look through the forums here too as you will find plenty of helpful posts! Like you was young when fibromites hit my life-just 24( today am 39-my birthday- so lived with moderate severe to severe fibromyalgia for 15 years) yet if you read my articles you will see that am a fibromyalgia survivor plus show you how you can be one too in the articles or if you pm me! Wanted children desperately yet it never worked out for me that way,however, even so live an authentically happy fulfilled life still as have learned to be philosophical plus have a wonderful fur baby that hubby walks called Sebster- he is a special dog! Being philosophical and being own life coach helps me to deal with whatever challenges fibro hits me with. Highly recommend two books written not about fibro or by fibromites yet will help you to cope courageously with the way your life is now- Still Me: written by the late great Christopher Reeve+ the book just published called' Things Get Better' by the young courageous Katie Piper! Find a tens machine sometimes takes the edge of the pains enough so can sleep a fairly good night. A sleep easy herbal tea plus brain training my brain with puzzles at night can help too! Ensure you get plenty of humour in your day as laughter is such good medicine for reducing pains as well as to give you all the courage/perspective you need too ,okay! Please check out the humour posts here and my humour article over on Self Esteem+ Positive Thinking sg where am a glB-) =D! Am always here for you so lean on me anytime okay as am happy to help you with my fibromyalgia experience/knowledge as well as my dynamic optimism philosophy enthusiasm! Click on my act avatar to take you to my profile page. Take most excellent care of you-make it so No. 1(Star Trek Next Generations fan )! Angels mightily bless your fab self (¡)KellyAnn,may it be so! Sending super gentle soothing hugs to You from the Uk,love Clarita (British batgirl) xxxx

hi Kelly welcome to the group..

first dont fear the future live in the day..you can have your dreams children and career.

and one important thing is having a good relation ship with your doc .. you need ot be able to talk to them.and ask advice..if you need something for pain then take it living in misery is not the way to go..also alot of the meds will take the edge off the pain but leave some behind.. many here are very active some are not at all, its all degrees but also pre exsiting problems we have,fibro goes hand and hand with alot..

one other thing it took me along tome to grasp..it is very good to have a healthy fear of the meds we take,be sure you always look them up and when trying a new one have some one keep an eye on you..again we look foward to getting to know you

Thank you. Everyone here is been so great!!! I really look forward to learning and sharing here!

Hi Kelly - Welcome to the group!

If you have just been diagnosed and started medication, than it may be too soon to be asking for stronger meds. It takes time and a lot of tinkering to find the right medication/s and doseage for each Fibromyalgia (FMS) patient. Allow a minimum of two weeks or longer to determine how effective a medication might be for you. The longer a chronic pain cycle continues, the harder it becomes to manage or stop. And, pain management is pretty antiquated especially for folks like us. Unfortunately, many pain management doctors will tell you that if you have some quality of life with pain than that is acceptable.

The three primary medications used to treat Fibromyalgia are: Cymbalta, Savella and Lyrica.

If you are not on a medication for sleep, than you should be. FMS interrupts the deep sleep cycle with short bursts of high intensity brain activity. Your muscles require deep sleep in order to recover from the days activities. No deep sleep means higher levels of pain. This rapidly becomes a vicious circle. Amitriptyline is one of many medications prescribed for this issue.

As for your family, this is a very common problem. Most people think that taking a pill will fix everything. In this instance, the equivalent would be putting glasses on a blind man and expecting them to see. FMS is a disorder of the central nervous system that causes widespread chronic pain. The mechanism that causes it is not understood. In some people, it can be triggered by an accident, high levels of stress, surgery, childbirth just to name a few examples. Only certain classes of prescribed medications are effective. OTC medication such as Tylenol is usually not effective for the type of pain caused by FMS. Fibromyalgia is recognised by the Centers for Disease Control, the National Arthitis Foundation and the World Health Organization.

I'd like to suggest that you consider purchasing a book called "Fibromyalgia for Dummies." Like all of the dummies series, it contains easy to understand information. It will give you a comphrensive overview of this nasty syndrome and how to manage it. You can find it on Amazon. Read the book and then ask your family members to look at it too. Knowledge is power.

Your new normal is going to take some adjustment. You can have a life but you will have to learn to pace yourself and learn to say "no" without feeling guilty. This is one of the hardest lessons to learn when managing FMS. Paybacks are hell if you just keep pushing yourself. It can days, weeks or longer to recover from overdoing it. Learn to ask for help, break tasks/errands down into more manageable increments.

Ask for accomodation at school to take some of the pressure off of getting assignments done in a specific time frame. Life is whatever you want to make it just with a slower pace. You are not alone. We are all here to help and listen. Take care and keep in touch.

Welcome Kelly. This is a great group of people.

Welcome... and as I always say... sorry you have to be here! 25 is so young and I know it has to be hard to be looking toward your future in fear. Many people lead successful lives with fibro... but I know, having just been diagnosed at the end of last year, it takes a while to accept the illness, learn about it, and be okay... I have found fibromyalgia for dummies to be a very helpful book. The more you know- the easier it is to explain to others- because they CANT comprehend, or even imagine what this is like. It might help to try to live in the moment... projecting too far out into the future can cause stress (I'm an alcoholic and I say the Serenity prayer A LOT... and it reminds me to stay in the here and now and control only that which I CAN control) You will learn so much in this group- the most supportive group on MDJ in my opinion! You are not alone, vent all you need to- we welcome that here. Peace to you.