Hi, I'm new here!!

Hello, Me-Ouch! You are exactly in the right place.

I'm glad you found us. Emotional support is what we do best! After all, we all understand, basically, what we all are going through....if that makes sense. The members here have luck with such different regimens, as you probably already know.

Did you find "Fibro 101," our 1st thread? I still find new information there and I've been here awhile. I'm almost 58 too, and I must've had this crazy condition for at least 30 years. But then, with age comes new "delights", and it's hard to know what's causing what.

I'm sorry you haven't found anything that really helps you. I had injections too, for sciatica, and they did squat. And they're no fun!

I substitute-teach elementary age kids, but not all that often, and I know what you mean....my DH carries probably 98% of the weight of supporting us. I can't imagine how I'd work every day! I did it for awhile...was a teacher's aide for about 3 years. But theoretically, the aides here are supposed to be able to lift 20 lbs. No way could I do that now. Ah well. Guess we all just muddle through the best we can.

Hope to see you around soon!

Debbie

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Debbie, I did browse the fibro101 topic and am continuing to do so. It's very informative and helpful! I agree with you that the older I get, the more difficult it is getting to deal, and, more and more new 'delights' are starting to present themselves as well. Just recently I've developed a painful tailbone, and that's a new one on me. That is really why I started reading up here, because it's hard to know if it's something new or fibro related, and I did in fact find a thread on tailbone pain. What a joke this syndrome is eh?

DW, nothing wrong with microwaved meals ;)

Smurf, the dreaded "E" word, but you are right. I've found that gentle stretches do WONDERS for my pain. Sometimes the stretches are so painful but I notice they do help. I've had headaches sometimes relieved just by gently holding deep stretches in my neck. Weird!

I used to do heavy aerobics in the 80's and now I'm lucky if I can walk around the block. Oh well....

I wonder sometimes if I didn't actually damage my body being Jane Fonda in the 80's, with all the running and jumping?? Who knows...

Myself 09 said...
I swear by my warm water aerobics.

Welcome!

I haven't tried those, but I was lucky enough to purchase a house that had a jetted tub already installed. At first I wasn't too sure about it cause it can be a royal pain to clean, but it's worth it.

A long soak in a whirlpool during a particularly bad flare-up is a godsend.

When I was still working, if I had to call out of work because of pain, I might take 2 or 3 soaks throughout the day.

Even without a whirlpool though, I don't think anything beats hot water, whether it's a shower, a soak or whatever. What could be better than getting that warmth seep into sore tight muscles? Wow, I feel like getting into the tub right now by talking about it.

Hi, Me-Ouch, and welcome!  I am basically on ibuprofen with food, Tylenol and some supplements to help control my pain.  I take malic acid/magnesium supplements and vitamin D3 supplements and these have helped me.  I was recently put on a muscle relaxer, Robaxin, that has made a significant difference in my pain and I was so surprised about that. 

 

I do gentle stretching exercises, I walk daily as my daily gentle exercise, and I pace myself.  Everything gets done but in a different time frame.  All of this has helped me live a full and enjoyable life in spite of this illness.  Yep, the flares are crummy but thank God they don't last forever!!! 

 

I have also found that a positive attitude has helped me so much...almost as much as medication.  If I focus on things and look at the positive side of things, I do far better.  In Fibro 101 there is a great link about maintaining a positive attitude if you are interested.  You might already have a positive attitude but I'm just passing on what has helped me over the years with this illness.

 

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better.  Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you.  Hope to hear more from you soon.

 

Sherrine

Welcome! Many of us know exactly what you're experiencing all too well.

I've had Fibro for over 25 yrs I suspect. Got really bad about 9 yrs ago and finally got a diagnosis. I really thought everything happening was just the way my body was. The pain became WAY too much and had to go on pain meds.

I have been blessed with the most understanding husband and family. Even my employer/co-workers did their best to understand. They saw me daily and knew what I was dealing with. I am now on LTD, applying for SS Disability.

The most important thing I can say that has helped me is reducing stress and learning to manage. I don't look into the future with dread. (my brain won't go there). Not working has helped me tremendously with being able to nap/lay down when I need to. OH WHAT a RELIEF that is. I remember crying in the morning trying to get ready for work.

There are days I text my husband before he comes home and warn him that I look the same and the house looks the same as it did when he left in the morning. - oh and pick up something for dinner. :) He encourages me to rest which is nice.

One of the most frustrating things for me is dealing with people who don't understand. I'm at the point that I don't want to hear from the very well-meaning friends who tell me that so and so has/HAD Fibro and now because they do x, they are all better. Sorry, they didn't have Fibro. I had one person tell me that she had Fibro in her hand and after playing tennis and exercising her wrist she was all better.
A critical part of the Fibro diagnosis is sleep problems. I have such fatigue that I could sleep all day, yet sometimes can't sleep at all. It's more than fatigue, it's all out exhaustion. I also have the IBS, headaches, restless legs, numbness/tingling etc.

Many of my loved ones say "we gotta get you better!" I so appreciate it, I really do, but I tell them that I am continually working on managing my daily life and most importantly my mental state. I try to stay positive and when I'm in too much pain or too tired, instead of having negative thoughts, I simply don't think. I shut it all out.

It's an isolating and lonely illness. I lost a best friend because she just didnt understand anything at all. Her comments were too hurtful, so talking to her was out. She was even one that I didn't really ever bring up Fibro to, as her tone let me know it wasn't something she was interested in talking about.

I remember years ago, my rheumy put his arm around me as I was walking out in tears and said, "don't worry, we're not going to forget about you. There is a lot of research being done".
I'll never forget that moment. It meant he understood and was willing to travel this road with me. THAT is KEY - a great, knowledgable, understanding Doctor!

I'm sorry that you have to suffer from Fibro. I do believe though that we are an incredibly strong group of people.

My best..
Jacey

What a group of angels ... Lovely to read these posts ... Lying awake here with a flare up of fibro ... Nice to connect to all you sweet souls ... Thx for your honesty and "real" sharing, everyone!
Means a lot!

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories! It makes me feel a little less guilty that I quit working.

Yes, you heard right. Even though I feel like someone ran me over with a truck, backed up over me and ran me over again, and then picked me up and threw me over a bridge, I still felt 'guilt'.

But as time goes by I'm beginning to feel better about my decision. I had zero sleep last night, so today I KNOW I made the right choice. Otherwise this would have been another day of me sitting at my desk, crying in pain and depression. Today I at least can take things slow at my own pace and not have to worry about some jerky boss walking by glaring at me all day.

I finally had to take a xanax toward morning just to get to sleep. The reason I couldn't sleep though was because my poor DH has been having neck problems, so I insisted he use my pillow last night. He argued, but he goes to sleep way before I do, so I told him to try it out and I'll take it back when I come to bed. Turns out he loves it and I now ordered him one from Amazon.

It's the buckwheat pillow and I'm wondering if any of you have one or have tried one. I've never slept so wonderful since I ordered this thing. It's pretty expensive but if we can get some quality sleep, it's worth every penny for us IMHO.

I don't know if pillows have been discussed here already, but I certainly wanted to mention the buckwheat hull pillow in case it might be helpful to others here. We all have poor quality sleep issues here anyway so I would be happy to answer any questions anyone has.

I would also be interested if anyone here has one and what your thoughts are. My neck still kills me all the time so I wonder if I'm kidding myself, but my neck has been bad for as long as I remember anyway.

Oh yeah, I have fibro, that's why! *rolling my eyes*

Like you I'm always looking for the cure that never comes. Maybe some day though, right? We can be hopeful at least...never lose hope! :))))

couchtater said...

I know now I couldn't work now. I had one of the worst nights last night and if I had gone into work I would of been totally non-functional. I was up until 5am!

Wow, me too, it was almost 6 am before I finally got any sleep, and that was only because I took a xanax. Must be the weather or something.

I know there's been a lot of weather changes in Chicago where I live. Hot one day, cold the next, rain and humidity, all the perfect storm to set up a massive fibro-flare. I even took a hot soak before bed and it was still awful.

Another day in paradise I guess