New here and new too Fibro

Hi, Femalevet, and welcome! First, I want to thank you for your service to our country. You are a very special person to put your life on the line like that.

Now to fibro. Did you get to see a rheumatologist or did your doctor just pull "fibro" out of the hat? It's true that doctors don't total understand this illness but there are steps that should be taken before a diagnosis is given. You see, there are other illnesses with many of the same symptoms...things like lupus and Lyme disease. These need to be ruled out first. The reason for this is that there are tests to see if you have these illnesses but there isn't a good test to rule out fibro. So, if all the other tests come back normal, you then are usually diagnosed with fibro.

You do pretty much have chronic pain with fibro but it waxes and wanes. Some days are better than others. We also can have flares where the pain increases but only for a few days most generally. Fibro is not considered an inflammatory illness nor is it a progressive illness. If you find you are getting worse and worse, get checked out again. That happened to me five years ago so I saw a board certified rheumatologist and discovered that I not only had fibro but also ankylosing spondylitis and sacroiliitis. Once I knew what I was dealing with, I found things to help myself...along with my doctor's help.

Once you find what helps with your pain you will do much better. Right now you are so anxious and stressed about this and that causes more pain! You need to stop worrying because that will only make matters worse. Just take one day at a time, try different things and you should find what helps you the most. Unfortunately there isn't anything specific that helps all of us. It's a trial and error type thing. Most doctors start out with gabapentin or Lyrica, or Savella or cymbalta. I chose not to go that route and decided to use over the counter things and supplements. I found the right combination and I am living successfully with this illness and have done so many things and I have lived a pretty normal life. I've had fibro nearly 29 years and I just keep on truckin'.

I use ibuprofen with food (primarily for other illnesses that I also have that are inflammatory), Tylenol, magnesium malate, vitamin D3, and a muscle relaxer called Robaxin which has made a significant difference in my pain. I also take things like krill oil and CoQ10 that help with pain and folic acid to help with cognitive memory problems. I also walk daily. If you sit or lay too long you will be stiff as a board and have more pain. I do pace myself when doing things and I do Trigger Point Therapy on myself if necessary. All of the above have helped me live a full and enjoyable life in spite of this illness.

I also keep a positive attitude. This helps me almost as much as medication. I wrote a thread a few days ago about our brand new year. You might want to check that out. It could hopefully help you.

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there. There are links about the magnesium malate and vitamin D3 and how these work in the body to help us reduce our pain and there is a wonderful thread on how to maintain a positive attitude when you have chronic pain. All of Fibro 101 is good so do check it out.

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 ,

You can get better..i was worse in my 30's than i am today in my unmentionable decade..😛

My doc can help some, as well as studying alternative med docs recommendations.

At times if i have trigger points that locked up..i would have a gentle physical therapy to helped me get moving again..but at this point i have learned to mostly release those areas, myself..

So work with a decent doc, but also never stop researching and trying to help yourself.

If you have fibromyalgia, we are all not the same..what helps one, may not help another..so there's trial and error on self help measures.

Some things that help me is corvalen m, or a generic version ..

At times acupuncture, but more often an acupressure matt i use a while before sleep..

The trigger point handbook, available on amazon,

Topical pain relievers

Stretching

Supplements

There is a learning curve, but you can do this !

Lj

Femalevet, see another doctor. Remember...50% of the doctors graduated in the lower half of their class. Ask around and see if you can find a better doctor. Many use their primary care doctor if the doctor believes in Fibro. There are still some doctors out there in the Dark Ages when it comes to this illness.

Bloodwork should have been taken. That's the bare minimum! Talk to your primary care doctor and explain what happened and you would like a referral to a more thorough doctor...one who will rule out other illnesses.

Cilly, I take 5,500 IU of vitamin D3 daily. This includes my supplement and the D in my multiple vitamin and calcium tablets. For my magnesium malate I take capsules that contain 425 mg of magnesium (as magnesium malate) plus 2.5 g of malic acid. There is a link all about these in Fibro 101.

Sherrine

Sorry Cilly! I take a 100 mg gel cap of CoQ10 twice a day....one in the morning and one before dinner.

Be sure to do some gentle exercises every day like walking, swimming, or yoga. Also do stretching exercises. Activity does help with the pain as long as you don't overdo it.

Sherrine

FV (mind if I call you FV?), welcome from an old MVV (male Vietnam vet). I've had The Mess® For over 40 years, but only diagnosed by VA hospital doc about 6 years ago. Last year after having a heart stress test, I casually mentioned to the VA cardiologist about my fibromyalgia, to which he immediately replied, "That's the kind of information we throw in the trash." His exact words. Anyway, I second maybe seeing another doc. But, at least you had one who knows something about The Mess. That's what I call fibromyalgia. It's just so absolutely crazy. Flu like feelings, chills from out of nowhere, extra sensitivity to touch, sounds, light, on edge, steady as a rock on outside, while being as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs inside, etc.