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RE: Fibromyalgia - 8/13/2007 12:38:34 PM

Vampyrefledgling

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Webmd is a wonderful resource. It provides related links and articles from medical journals and such.

I was experiencing some pain a few years ago that they couldn't quite diagnose and the doctors thought it was fibromyalgia. I was lucky though and it wasn't. An older friend of mine does have the disease and handles it well, though it hasn't always been the case. She dealt with it almost the way people deal with the death of a loved one, shock, anger, denial, acceptance (I think I missed one step in there). Perhaps your first friend needs time before she can come to grips with the fact that her life is not over. Easier said from where I'm sitting, I know.

~Fledgling

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RE: Fibromyalgia - 8/13/2007 1:38:49 PM

MissIsis

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I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1994. I have a very physical job. The doctor had me on antidepressants. I have tried quite a variety. I had a cortesone shot which helped. If you need to get one of those shots, be sure to go to someone who is good at it. If not, those shots can be painful.

I gave up the antidepressants. There was no evidence that they were helping me, & the side effects were making me loopy. I have found for me, the best help has been in the form of tramadol only when absolutely necessary, prescribed of course. I feel better about taking it when needed than other pain meds because it is supposed to be much less addictive.

Things that seem to help the most:
-getting treated for physical things when necessary. I have had problems with my hands, which required plastic forms for added support, back problems on & off, feet. Usually, different things at different times.
-using pain meds when I can't handle things & need a break from the pain. Normally, I have some kind of pain all the time, but there are times when it is strong enough to bring me to tears, & a little relief helps.
-taking it easy. I feel very lucky I am able to work & have continued throughout & still to work. I save my energy for working. I don't do a whole lot of socializing anymore. I can't always keep the house all that clean, so it is embarrassing sometimes to invite people over, if I don't know if I will be up to cleaning.
-taking things sometimes, just a minute at a time. If you can start with a day at a time, & can't, try taking an hour at a time, & on down to a minute at a time, if that is all you can manage. It really does help.
-eat healthy foods.
-go for slow walks

Things you can do to help a friend who suffers from fibromyalgia:
-offer to help clean their house for them. If your friend has a talent, offer to let him or her help you with something in exchange for your help, when they are feeling up to it. I know for me, I hate to ask for anyone's help, but I am always up for trading, especially, if the favor can be returned in my time, when I am up for it.
-If you are close enough to the person to do so, call them, & tell them you are on your way & you are bringing dinner, & won't take no for an answer.
-massages if you are able to
-take the little ones to the park for them, or offer to take them to classes your friend might not be up to taking them to.
-don't let them shut you out of their lives.
-be a friend. Be there for them, listen to them. Sometimes that is all that is needed to keep me from feeling like I am in this alone.
-use your imagination.

I hope this helps. Your friends not be up for hugs. Sometimes, they hurt. Be understanding & know it isn't personal towards you. I hope they find their own ways to cope & I hope their good days outnumber the rough ones.

I edited this because, unbeknown to me, when I left the room for a moment, the cat decided to type on this thread.

< Message edited by MissIsis -- 8/13/2007 1:41:10 PM >

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RE: Fibromyalgia - 8/13/2007 4:44:42 PM

Vampyrefledgling

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My heart goes out to all of you! I know these words are pretty empty, just words on a screen, but still, I don't know what else I can do...I feel like I have to say something, like I want to do something, but I don't know what. I will just say, you are in my thoughts and on my heart...

~Fledgling

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RE: Fibromyalgia - 8/13/2007 6:47:39 PM

Twicehappy2x

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My youngest has the Fibro along with RA, i only have the RA so to all of you who have posted, my sympathy.

To put it plainly it sucks!!!!

The pain, the tired, the stiffness, the lack of sleep, it takes a lot to cope with either condition.

Go to NIH for some great reading material on the fibro.

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RE: Fibromyalgia - 8/13/2007 6:51:48 PM

ownedgirlie

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Quick Hijack - Twice, it's great to see you back but with my spider phobia and all, I can hardly read your posts!!

Total heebie jeebies over here.....*shudder*

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RE: Fibromyalgia - 8/13/2007 7:12:19 PM

LafayetteLady

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From: Northern New Jersey
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quote:

ORIGINAL: velvetears

As to the first paragraph - on what grounds is he ordering this catherization? Did you fail a stress test - did he do other preliminary tests - if not please question him. That's a very expensive test which carries some risk. Why take the test if its not indicated. It's not usually the first route they go.

As to the second paragraph - cymbalta is one of the only antidepressants i know of that is suppossed to relieve physical pain - it's an SSRI. You need to get rid of those doctors, for them to convey that kind of attitude to you is not professional or ethical. No doctor should ever tell a patient they have mental problems because they cannot find out why the patient is suffering - how egotistical of them.

Actually, I was given two stress tests for chest pain, a "normal" one and a nuclear stress test. I only today was told more detailed information regarding the results of the nuclear test. An "abnormality" appeared in the front portion of my heart, indicating that during exercise there is a lack of blood flow that doesn't happen during rest state. There has been a lot of talk of a "false positive" and the catheterization is to determine the exact cause of this lack of blood flow. The horrible thing is that they are telling me that this may be just the way I am anatomically "built", which I find hard to believe because I haven't always felt like this. Anyway, the procedure is scheduled for tomorrow. I am in quite a "state" over the whole thing at this point. I recently moved to the area and don't know a lot of people. I live completely alone and since I work nights don't really venture out too often. The friend who had told me that they would drive me to the hospital performing this procedure (which is about 45 minutes away), told me today that she can't do it. I had to scramble to find someone else, which was a nightmare. I am now lending my car to someone at work who doesn't have one so that I can drive myself there and be dropped off. Other friends from work have promised to pick me up when the time comes, because they were concerned that I would be alone the first night home (which I have been told I shouldn't be). Just one more stress item to add to the list, right?

Anyway, I hope that they actually do find something so they can fix it and I can start to feel better. The doctors at the local hospital who are pretty much telling me I am a mental case (not the same hospital where procedure is being done) are useless. The second doctor who costs me a small fortune is not at all telling me that everything is in my head. The medications that she has put me on have helped to relieve a lot of the stress and anxiety, but not the pain. The plan with her was to follow up in a month and see where things are standing from there, which I believe is a wise plan. Some of the medications have been helpful, some have not. Giving them a month to see how they work is not far fetched at all (although when they aren't all working and making me feel better it seems long). My follow up with her is about a week from now, so I will have the full results of the procedure and we can move on from there. One of the biggest problems is that without insurance, I am relying on "charity care" which doesn't exactly provide good doctoring.

Walmart offers a great many medications for $4.00. Cymbalta is not yet on that list, and the cost could prove to be impossible for me to maintain. The Celexa is helping some, not entirely, but we will deal with that next week. One thing at a time, as the saying goes.

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RE: Fibromyalgia - 8/14/2007 4:19:31 AM

Twicehappy2x

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ownedgirlie

Quick Hijack - Twice, it's great to see you back but with my spider phobia and all, I can hardly read your posts!!

Total heebie jeebies over here.....*shudder*

Hello to you as well, the garden is fairly under control, and the RA is giving some peace with my hands so i can type a bit in the morning.

The spider was my alternate avatar for some reason my pic and journal have disappeared so i have to take the time to redo them, sorry to give you the shivers.

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RE: Fibromyalgia - 8/14/2007 9:32:09 AM

ownedgirlie

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Shivers aren't always a bad thing