Living with Fibromyalgia

alliwithaneye

Glad to see I'm not the only young person dealing with this. I was diagnosed at 13 and have been in chronic pain ever since and I'm 27 now. I don't remember what it's like not to have pain. I did finally find a doctor last year that has been able to help me somewhat with prescribing me Tramadol that I take every 6hrs... otherwise I can barely move and that is impossible with a 1 year old running around me. I also suffer from Degenerative Disc Disease, IBS, Gastroparesis, Severe migraines, stomach migraines, depression and anxiety... pretty sure most of that besides the DDD is tied into the Fibro though. They tried Lyrica with me around Christmas last year and it made me so tired I could barely stay awake during the day so I quickly came off of that. So far I have found a complete vegan diet has helped me tremendously (had been a veggie since birth but cutting out that dairy seemed to help). If any one of you who is suffering with this would like a friend, please send me a message. It's not fun going through this alone...or without anyone who really understands.

csswim

I am having a horrible flare-up of Fibro and RA. We have had continuous severe storms for over 2 wks. It has been 12 days since i've done anything but lay on the couch. (can't get up the steps to sleep in bed). My feet, toes, hands and fingers hurt so much that I can barely walk around in the house or grip to hold anything. Right now I'm living on Vicodin 24/7. I am up all night, (even tho I am exhausted I just can't sleep)then I fall asleep about 6am and sleep til about 2pm. I had lost 22 pounds when I first started MFP in May 2012, but now I haved gained 24 pounds, because I just don't care. I'm tired of asking my friends to help me(although they are awesome, as is my husband) I am using Methotrexate inj every week, Vit D 50,000IU weekly, folic acid and Celexa, all for RA. I know exercise and diet are key to feeling better, but it seems so impossible right now.How can I break this flare? I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in Sept 2011. I also have Rheumatoid arthritis that was diagnosed Mar 2010, which I use Methotrexate inj every week. I had 4 attacks of pancreatitis in 2011 of unknown cause. I have been in the hospital 5 times, 1 week at a time in the past year. I also stopped working after short term disability ended in Sept. I was relatively healthy (except overweight) until a sudden severe gallbladder attack in Nov 2009. I had to have emergency surgery and was on high doses of antibiotics for a month due to severe infection in the gallbladder. This is when I feel like my body just started to decline. I know I am in a funk right now, so I'm venting. Not my normal up beat attitude. Thanks for listening.

retroactivenerd

I am a 19 year old female and got diagnosed with fibromyalgia today. I've been positive all day because I saw how worried my boyfriend was when I told him what the doctor said, but honestly I'm terrified. My mother is over weight and addicted to narcotics because of her fibro. I remember growing up she couldn't do a lot of the things that other moms could because of the disease. I see how much pain she is in everyday and I am terrified to end up like that. Right now I am only experiencing extreme muscle pain in my arms. I've always had back and neck pain too, but always associated that with the fact that I am a little "top heavy" if you get my drift. My doctor prescribed flexerill. I haven't had to take it yet because I took a vicodin that I had left over from when I got my wisdom teeth removed.

I've always been fatigued and achy, but I also have chronic anemia. The extreme pain only started about a month ago. Does it keep getting worse? What are the best ways to suppress the pain without narcotics? I don't want to be dependent on them to function.
I just have so many questions. My mom was diagnosed when she was pregnant with me (she was 30) so I always assumed that if I did have it I wouldn't get symptoms until later in life.

knittnponder

I have had FM for roughly five years and I also don't have insurance. About a year and a half ago my oldest daughter was having some issues so we did some food eliminating to see if something she was eating was the issue. First we took dairy out for a few weeks and saw no change. When we added it back in it still didn't have any noticeable impact on her symptoms so we decided that wasn't it. Then we cut out gluten and it was like a light switch had flipped for her! Her skin cleared, her fatigue lessened, the dark circles under her eyes went away... it was magical! Because she obviously needed to be gluten free the whole family here at home went gluten free as well.

I didn't go strictly GF myself initially, choosing instead to hope that wasn't something I needed but eventually I decided to give it a go. I went completely gluten free and was amazed at how much better I felt. It wasn't a cure all but my overall pain is MUCH less, the rashes that I would always get on my hands especially went away, I slept better and I was less grumpy. Incidentally, I tried eating some gluten a couple of weeks ago and the rash came back immediately!

The other things I've learned about myself and FM is that I can't eat any artificial sweeteners, not even a piece of gum! I looked into nightshade vegetables and while most of them don't bother me eating a potato will leave me whimpering on the couch in misery within an hour or two of eating it.

I take a magnesium supplement and find that to be immensely helpful along with vitamin D. I cut out refined sugar and foods as much as possible but when I do indulge I can tell because I feel pretty crappy. I drink a green smoothie every day and those are so amazing for me that my family can tell when I haven't been drinking them.

I'm not saying those things will be the same for you but it's worth looking into how you feel after eating certain things. Since you already keep a food journal here on MFP, try cutting out one food at a time for a few weeks and see how you feel. Then try adding it back in and again, see how you feel.

CrazyTrackLady

hello, all. I had joint and muscle pain for years, and it was getting much worse, when I went to the doctor and asked to be evaluated for fibromyalgia, RA, Hypothyroidism and Lupus. Nothing was conclusive, but my RA factor was elevated to 23, indicating a full blown inflammatory response was going on somewhere in my body. I had no pressure points, no rash (but I did have eczema), and no swollen joints. My doctor wanted to test me again and send me to a RA doctor.

I went off gluten, and three months later went back to get my blood drawn. My RA factor was back down to 14, my skin issues were gone, all my aches and pains were gone, my horrible PMS had disappeared, I was energetic, feeling great. AND, my cholesterol was down 40 pts in 3 months.

I'm not a doctor, but I see the correlation between gluten intolerance and joint pains and aches. It worked for me, maybe you might see some relief?