Anyone else??

Pain and chronic fatigue, you have reason to be a couch potato. Don't call yourself useless. It is not your fault that your sick, or that your doctors haven't been able to make that better. I have been diagnosed with all of those health issues you listed except allergies, and I've went through life feeling meanlingless and worthless myself. I learned it's not my fault I feel this way, it's not something I am going to make myself feel crummy over anymore. I have went along time with debilitating fatigue, and the only thing that is bringing me out of that is treatment for autoimmune disease, though I am still struggling for that diagnosis. Nothing they treated me for with the fibromyalgia helped my fatigue. Exercise is very tough to try to accomplish if your run down. You should try but if your not able, then your not able. I find that it brings on more pain, and it is very difficult for me to do it, but when I did try it, I think I over did it. Walking can help your energy so if you are able to push yourself into doing it, try it a few times a week. If not, then don't worry about it. I find that it does nothing to help my pain, except stretching exercises or machines that do that, and that is relieving for my pain.

I have to agree that just sitting around on a couch or in bed is only going to make the pain worse and the muscles deteriate which can cause a whole set of other problems. Walking even around your house to the end of your street etc will be good. Doesn't have to be a gym or a work out dvd. Also just strecthing that you can do sitting down would be good for you. I found some here on the forum in the Fibro 101 I keep a copy here at my desk at work to do. Have to move even a little bit or the pain is going to be worse and worse, just don't over do.

Gina

BunBun, I'm right there with you. I used to be able to go to the gym for two hours a day and do high intensity cardio, weights, etc. Now I can barely walk for 30 min without wanting to pass out! I'm curvy, too, so I feel like a giant fat slop unless I'm active.

Walking, stretching, swimming, yoga, thai chi, are all excersizes that have been working well for me so far. On bad days I can't even bring myself to do those and end up staying home and snacking, which is bad bad bad. Need to find the willpower to diet!

Please remember though that you are ill. Try not to be overly hard on yourself and just do the best you can without over-doing yourself. You can only do the best that you can do.

All the best :)

Well the sad thing is I was trying to go off my meds because my husband and I want to get pregnant. However, I had a HUGE meltdown, of sorts, because I was in so much pain and ended up going back on them. The one thing I'm certain of is I will have the support of my Rheumy/Internalist, as well as my hubby, and my MD.

What's even sadder is as soon as I got back on my meds.... BAM!!! I'm suddenly having a 'good day'. I'm hoping that anyone on here who's been pregnant and has had to stay on their meds had a great pregnancy, and the baby is 100% healthy. Really that's my biggest wish for our 'baby to come'.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm hoping to ride my bike tomorrow and do some Yoga before I go get my injections... if I've got another good day on my hands;) My meds REALLY do help me. Not to the point of 100% health all day, everyday, but they help! :D

Dagger couldn't have been more on point....start small....if you can only walk a half a block...start there...if you can only stretch for 3 minutes do that....

This is not an all or nothing process...you do what you can do and build from there...I was a ballet dancer for 20 years and there are some days where I can barely make it up the stairs...but tomorrow can ALWAYS be better....don't be so hard on yourself..work with the fibro...not against it..

I feel the same way. 2 years ago I was cycling to and from work, I was running at lunchtime and ran for 15 km on the weekend. I then had a hysterectomy to remove a big fibroid which I recovered quickly from. I then got Coeliac disease - I was soooo tired and had lots of other food intolerances and vitamin deficiencies. Then I seemed to get a bit better and now I am worse - very tired and in pain - tingly fingers and hands etc.

I am trying to get a diagnosis. I have started yoga which I do with my bosses blessing during work hours. I have just started visiting a chiropractor. And I have booked in for a massage.

I really miss taking my dogs for a run. And I miss the endorphin high you get from exercise.

BunBun,
I used to be very active before I got my fibromyalgia. I used to go to the beach everyday and do long day trips 2-3 times a week, and have tons of fun, like walking 8 miles a day. Now, due to fatigue and pain I am unable to. Even when I am not in pain, the severe fatigue knocks me out. I try very hard to do 1/4 of what I used to do, like get on a bus and walk a mall or walk around the park down the street for 30 min. But then when I do, I am in such pain and fatigue, I get knocked out on my butt for a couple of days. Even worse, when I do something fun, like go to a function or try going to the beach or a trip, I get knocked out and am in pain and practically dead for weeks.

Kim,
I also have many of the food intolerance that you also have, like fructose, gluten, wheat, lactose, and casein, which were diagnosed back in 2008. I was great for a while and then in 2009, I started having my pain, severe fatigue, stomach issues, headaches, and everything under the sun. That is how I got diagnosed with Fibromyalagia. The food intolerances just make me feel more crappy.
I know I can definitely relate to what you all go through. Even worse, I also have tremors, which make things worse. But, I try to live my life as much as I can. Unfortunately that life is more things I have to do broken down in little steps, like chores, rather than what I used to have like do the chores in 20 min or less than go out and have fun for hours.

"Live life as much as I can"....that about says it all. As ironic as it is there are some positives about all of this, this mess that is fibro, myofascial pain, fatigue, headaches, pain and all the rest of it. If I stop to think about it (assuming my fog doesn't get in the way!) I can see so many good things that fibro has done for me. When I have no energy but I'm can't sleep, I read. It's only 4 in the afternoon and if I look up from my bood, my youngest son is sitting on the other couch reading too. We don't talk but we are there together and I focus on all the greatness in him rather than the argument we had over his filthy room.

I sit in the sunroom with a cup of coffee (yeah, yeah, yeah I shouldn't have so much caffeine...whatever!) and marvel at the nature around me. The gentle rustling of the wind through the trees and the sunlight streaming in through the branches.

Have you ever heard the expression that on a walk grandparents are the best. As the toddler stops to look at every shining object the grandparents are happy to let them because they can catch their breath and rest too! Ah, the secret to life. Slow down and smell the roses.

Ah, how many people are forced to slow down at such an early age! :)

Marilyn -- I also fight the guilt. This may be one reason women have fibro more often then men. As women we are products of our environment - my work ethic is just like you - work, work, work which translates to being successful at what I do which brings stress and guilt because I have to balance family, home, 'down time and leisure activities'. Yeah, right!!!

I feel horribly guilty when I can't clean the kitchen, vacuum up the stairs, or all I want to do is sleep when my husband wants to spend the day out on our boat. Guilt and stress do us no good. Somewhere along the way we should be able to say 'Yes' to ourselves instead of to everyone else.

Yes, I need a break.
Yes, I need a nap.
Yes, I'd like to stay here why don't you go without me?
Yes, I'd love for you to bring me my meds and something to drink.

LOL - it's my fantasy world, not quite my reality yet. But I'm trying too.

Yeah, guilt is something I fight all the time.  I called out of work today (again).  My whole body feels like someone flipped a switch and turned on 'vibrate'.  It's not like I'm salary, I lose money when I call out.  Not like WANT to sit on my butt in front of my computer all day...

I think guilt is harder than having Fibro. I can feel myself slowly wasting away. Man, I gotta fight this. Need to get help,but I am on my own (no insurance).
I am a very strong person (I thought) so I am gonna start concentraing on the mind thing instead of the pain/fatique thing.
It helps knowing I am not the only one feeling this way.
Thanks
Marilyn