[thunderbear]

Well my doc found out yesterday why I have so much pain. I have fibromyalgia. I don't know anyone with it. And I don't know what to do to make it better without pain pills. I just hurt so much. Sometimes it's so bad, I get sick to my stomach. The burning in my mucsels is awful. Nothing takes it away. Pain pills dull it but don't take it all the way away. She put me on Neurontin. She gave me pain pills to help me through this bad time then next week I start my Neurontin and Vit.D one a week. I need advice about this.

[lynn P.]

(((thunderbear)) - so sorry to hear your recent diagnosis. Learn all you can about the illness and be careful with this medicine. I looked it up and it can increase suicidal thoughts in people who already have depression. Don't be afraid to exercise - it's natural as humans, not to exercise when we're hurting, but it's so important to keep moving when you have fibro. I suggest you join a water aerobics class - many arthritis and fibro sufferers do well with this form of exercise.

[Rhapsody]

I know what you are feeling as I have RA & FIBRO and the PAIN can be never ending. I just recently found that Flexeril works wonders - it takes the edge off of my pain enough that I can actually go a day with out pain.

Please keep all your appointments with your doctor and try your best to relax and stay away from stress... Stress will cause flare ups in your pain.

[thunderbear]

Thanks guys
Lynn I also heard about the Neurontin causing suicidal thoughts. I read on CNN that they were either considering a black box waring or they put one on the med. I scared me for my cousin because she took them recreationaly. So I told her about it and she quit taking them. And Rhap flexeril works good for me too. I always took it for muscel spasms and I would rather take it for my fibro because I trust it. Does it hurt to get things like massages for you? I know that when I thought it was just torn tendons my husband would try to massage my back and the burning in my muscels was so bad I wold cry. It also hurts if someone gently squeezes my shoulder like when their saying hello. I have to look to see if it bruised me. I don't know all of this is weird. Because there is no reason why I should hurt but I do, mostly in my shoulders biceps and calves.

[Jewels]

Dear Thunderbear,

I was diagnosed with CFS in 1988, then about 12 years ago with Fibro. The pain is so bad I can no longer tolerate the massages I was getting to relax my body. I take Lyrica 4 times a day, Flexeril and Vitamin D and Calcium. The Vitamin D helps the body to absorb Calcium, and I have found it works to a degree with the pain. But, being a rather huggy type person, I can't hug many people anymore because the pain is too much. I also take Vicodin ES, as well as MS Contin. So I am on high pain meds, which do the trick, and I am not as pain filled as I was. But the pain doesn't ever completely go away, at least not for me, even with the Flexeril. I will be thinking good thoughts for you, and will pray, if that is ok for you, that something will get set up for you that helps take the pain away so you can live a more "normal" life. Hoping you can find a balance between the pain and living your life the way you want,

Jewels

[thunderbear]

Jewels
Yeah hugs hurt for me to
The doc gave me some vicidon. But she says she is'nt going to give it to me but just this once. It helps but I can see why she don't want to prescribe it. My aunt (she's the dir. of nursing for university hosp) told me I need to find a doc who understands chronic pain. But I like my doc. So I guess flexeril wll have to do for now. Hopefull mabye it will ease up sometime soon

[sabby]

I'm so sorry to hear of your dx hon. I too have fibro and I find that some days are worse than others.

I have taken neurontin in the past, and it worked wonders for the pain in my legs that I had at the time. Right now I'm on Cymbalta for the depression caused by the fibro and for the pain. I've been on it a over a year at 60 mgs. Right now though, I'm thinking I need something more as it's not taking the pain away as it did for the first 10 months or so.

I also find that sometime ibuprofen helps a bit and celebrex does a great job with the inflammation that I get. But when there is a change in the weather and it's going to or is raining, nothing takes away the deep seeded pain and ache I feel all over. I just have to endure and take my flexeril at night when I go to bed.

I hope you can find some relief soon. Take care hon!


sabby

[Scolaiocht]

My Mom has fibro and it's been a up and down journey for her. She had a lot of issues with being misdiagnosed, etc, because she went through a bout of cancer.

Just be warned that some doctors are not "believers" of fibro, so you may have to get a little push and shove with them if they get this way. My Mom broke her wrist badly and had to doctor hop until she could find someone willing to treat her in the right way.

As for medication, my Mom is on Celebrex and a few other joint supplements and painkillers. She tries to avoid taking the pain pills unless she's having a day of higher pain. Like sabby said though, weather tends to trump medication sometimes. =/

Over time, from what my Mom has told me, you learn to understand the in and outs of what triggers more pain, what makes it better, etc. Also, when you are feeling less pain, try not to jump the gun and go out and do a million things -- you'll end up hurting. (:

[thunderbear]

Originally Posted by _sabby_

I'm so sorry to hear of your dx hon. I too have fibro and I find that some days are worse than others.

I have taken neurontin in the past, and it worked wonders for the pain in my legs that I had at the time. Right now I'm on Cymbalta for the depression caused by the fibro and for the pain. I've been on it a over a year at 60 mgs. Right now though, I'm thinking I need something more as it's not taking the pain away as it did for the first 10 months or so.

I also find that sometime ibuprofen helps a bit and celebrex does a great job with the inflammation that I get. But when there is a change in the weather and it's going to or is raining, nothing takes away the deep seeded pain and ache I feel all over. I just have to endure and take my flexeril at night when I go to bed.
I hope you can find some relief soon. Take care hon!


sabby

Thanks for the advice Sabby. I get the pain in the legs thing. I get the worst burning along the side of my calf where my knee begins. It makes me feel better that it's fibro doin it. I used to freak out thinking I had blood clot in there. I wish I could take ibprofen or motrin but I'm allergic to nsaids does cymbalta use nsaids? I can't take asprin, naproxen, ibprofen, motrin, toradol and I can't take tramadol in case I go back on Celexa. So the only things I can take are things a doctor around here won't prescribe. I think unless you have a serious disease or are dying they won't give you anything. I know they have their reasons but still. I'm tired of trying to clean my house and having to sit in the recliner with heat packs to make the pain lessen. I am aggravated at this. I'm glad they figured out why I have this all-over pain. But it's frustrating getting help for it around here.

[Moreta]

Cymbalta is a SNRI, Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors.

Celexa is a SSRI, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.

Difference: SSRIs works on serotonin only, where as SNRIs work on serotonin, norepinephine, and at higher dosages dopamine.

I've been on Cymbalta before, but currently I take Effexor XR, which is another SNRI. I also take Mobic for all of the inflammation and Skelaxin occasionally for muscle spasms.

I find that many doctors won't give you the good pain medication when your on medication for bipolar/add/ocd. I have Degenerative Disc Disease and Fibro, but apparently that's just all in my head. Sometimes I feel like telling the doctor to take a knife and stab himself in the lower back, then try to function for a week of sitting 8hrs a day at a desk.

[kyangel_04]

I'm sorry you're hurting huni.
I was diagnosised with fibro a few years ago. It can be a challenge. Some self-helps I use. Warm baths, heating pads, biofreeze cream. Tylenol and naproxin help too.

Please PM me anytime.

[Michah]

Thunderbear,

Feel your pain dear one. I also have fibro. Fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disfunction in its origins. It is more closely placed with Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis and so on, but it does not manifest the same way. Often, it exists in conjunction with these illnesses. Have you been tested for these as well as thyroid auto-immune diseases, ceoliacs?........

The pain comes from the bodys' inability to eliminate lactic acid from the muscles. Normally, the adrenals produce adrenalin in response to stress. Then cortisol kicks in to protect the body systems form the toxic effects of adrenalin, the resultant product is lactic acid which builds up in the muscles. Initially it gives us the boost to fight or flight, but if it does not go anywhere, there is pain. Fibro is that x 20. There is a physical inability to rid our bodies of lactic acid. So, as someone mentioned earlier, the less stress the better for the pain.

Even though there is no cure, there are ways of helping the symptoms. On the cellular level, mitochondria in the cells of all body systems(except blood cells) produce an energy molecule called ATP. ATP is synthesised in the mitochondria of cells and is fundamental in the breaking down of sugars(complex carbohydrates) to produce energy as well as process fats and acids. Metabolism is also reliant on the production of ATP. Chronic fatigue syndrome is used synonymously with Fibro. Increase the synthesis of ATP in the mitochondria and you get more enrgy, better metabolism and better support for the adrenal axis. This also effcets the neurotransmitters in the brain which is why depression is very common in this disease. Also being in pain constantly doesnt help, but seeing as pain is a manifestation of the sympathetic nervous system, which relates to the brain, some AD's will help with the pain by the interuption in the pain response through the nervous system.

To help with the production of ATP and to help repair damaged membranes of the mitochondria and damaged DNA, the following may help:

Magnesium
Complex B vitamins (must have B2 and B5 in the complex)
Co enzyme Q 10
Chromium (to support adrenals and control sugar cravings)
Good you got Vit D
(be careful if you are taking calcium supplements with magnesium. The calcium can interrupt absorbtion of magnesium into the body. Small amounts should be fine.)
Zinc

It is expensive to buy these things, but if you can do a couple that is better than nothing. If you can take it all, you will get better results. It takes a very long time to recover from a fibro flare up, especially if you have been suffering for a long time.

Also, any pain management clinic will tell you that the pain cycle can be broken to a degree. My doc and I where talking about it when I decided that this is what I wamted to do. Once a week for a whole day, I take pain killers. You can do it 2 days if you want but they must run consecutively. What this does is trick the brain into "refreshing" for want of a better expression. Rather than waiting until the pain is unbearable and then taking pain killers, if you do it once or twice a week for the whole day(just the minimum dose of whatever you are on. Don't want you falling over everywhere from being doped out), you will find that the pain is manageable. You will still have your bad days, but it doesn't become debilitating. You MUST do it on the same days each week. Ibuprofen with codeine helps me but constipation is a problem. Tramadol, Vicoden, and any other opioid based pain killer will help, but the trade off is the "hangover" as I call it.

Hope that helps dear one. Also, exercise is a mountain, but some daily gentle stretching is a must. It will help with the lactic acid elimination.

Take care and big hugs,

Michah