I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia seven years ago. Over the years I haven’t had much success with any of the medicine regemine that I have been on. If anything they either made me extremely nauseous, gain or loose a lot of weight, moody, depressed, and suffer from hair loss. Also my doctors keep telling me that my fibromyalgia shouldnt be getting worse however my physical and emotional health have gotten to a low point. There are so many days where I cant get out of bed… Days where where my pain, balance, focus, memory, mood, and anxiety make me want to give up because I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. On top of that in Sep of last year I was in a accident where I was rear ended by a Big Rig which caused me to have a bulging disc which put me in a further state of depression because now I have daily back pain. Since my accident I have been diagnosed with PTSD . As a result my job performance has suffered to the point where I can’t focus at all when I’m at work and complete any task by deadline. And because of that I’m scared I might loose my job. Also I have a three year old and I feel like physically there is so much I can’t do with him but want to. Days when I’m not able to take him out and play or just enjoy life make me feel like Im a bad mom. And I’m just overwhelmed at this point. Not sure what to do and would love some advice on things you all do to shake the depression and anxiety caused by fibromyalgia???As well as things you all find helpful with managing pain???
Hi. I know how rough it can be to have fibromyalgia. I hope your doctors can find an antidepressant to help you. I don’t know what I would have done without lyrica and lexapro. If you can find a counselor to help with ptsd, which I had to from being molested.
My fibro has gotten worse over time, even though they say it wouldn’t. Do you have anyone who can help you, husband,friends? I hope so. Don’t be afraid to tell others. If they don’t understand, move on to someone who will. Everyone I’ve told was often said I know someone else who was it.
Have you tried tizanidine for muscle spasms, ask about meds for anxiety.
I hope you find some relief and support😊.
Hi proud mom,
I’m new here. Your post spoke to me. I have suffered from chronic, treatment resistant depression for many years, pre-dating my FM diagnosis. I went to a pain management appointment at Stanford which did help. They recommended of all the antidepressants Cymbalta (or there is one similar that is newer) since it helps with chronic pain. They also recommended lyrica 3x/day. On lyrica, you have to go slowly up the doses (titrate) as it is a pretty strong med.
I don’t know if you are in a state where medical cannibis is legal, but CBD capsules (oral) helped me with pain and sleep. I also take tylenol 3-4 x/day which helps a lot. And sometimes I take Norco (opiate) if the pain gets really bad.
With all you’ve been through, I think you should be able to be referred both to a psychiatrist and a pain management specialist. And also you seem to me to qualify for federal disability.
I don’t know your state, but in California, state disability insurance covers you for a year, then you apply for federal disability, which covers you after that.
I have been on federal disability for about 4 years. I initially had to stop work before I knew I had FM, for depression which became so bad that I no longer could concentrate at work and worried about being “found out” and fired.
With all you have endured, and your diagnoses, not to mention being a mom of a young child, you really should not have to work. If your doctor’s office can’t help you file for disability, they can probably refer you to a social worker who can. By the way, I also feel so fatigued, spaced and/or in too much pain to leave my bed occasionally still. I think I have some idea how you feel. Good luck and take good care!
The thing about physicians is they think the textbook is everything. With fibromyalgia it can absolutely get worse, especially with stress and the accident you mentioned plus more pain from your buldging disc. It spirals from there, pain is worse making sleep worse making you more depressed. I have flares as well that last a month or so.
Things that have helped me is cymbalta, it is both an antidepressant and helps my pain. CBD without THC will treat your pain without making your mood foggy or altered. You have to find what works for you. I am lucky and have a very supportive boyfriend that keeps looking into new treatment options.
My advice: Do not give up. Do not let others give up on you. Seek new physicians. Get another opinion. If you are not satisfied, get another. I encourage you to look into temporary disability, it make give you time off to focus on improving your health.
Fibromyalgia is a challenge (to say the least) and finding a doctor who gets it can seem to be an even bigger challenge sometimes. I was also told that things shouldn’t get much worse and that fibromyalgia is not progressive, tell that to my progressively worse symptoms. Seeing a psychologist/counselor/therapist might be something you find helpful, not only is it an opportunity to just express your feelings, but it may prove helpful with some of the emotional and cognitive symptoms you are experiencing. Fibrogal mentioned CBD oil, I’ve yet to try it (cannabis won’t be legal until some point this summer) but I’ve heard some really good things about it as well. For my cognitive symptoms I’ve tried downloading some apps that test things like short term memory, vocabulary, that sort of thing; I don’t know how effective it really is but it makes me feel like I have some control back, which is a big thing. I hope you’re feeling better and find some things that work for you!
Your list was very helpful. Introducing tumeric into my daily routine has helped. I also tried swimming which felt good in the moment but later on my body would be in so much pain. I don’t know if it’s because I have a heat/ cold sensitivity that causing my fibromyalgia to flair up or what??? I’m going to looking into finding a good place to have acupuncture done in my area. Plus I have been doing a lot of research to find a new team of doctors to help me.
Thanks, for sharing with me some of the things you have found helpful!
I have started therapy which has helped me to sort through some of the emotions I am feeling post my accident. However, I’m still finding it hard to get through daily task that use to second nature. My focus and memory arent improving. My therapist said it may take some time so to not pressure myself to see change overnight. I also started to see a psychiatrist that put me on a new antidepressant. He also prescribed me a pill to take for anxiety and ptsd. As well as a rescue pill to use when I’m in full on panic attack mode. I have seen a little change but he said it would be a lot of working through different med combinations to find the right regiment for me.
My sons father passed before he was born. So no husband to help out. But I do have the support of my family and friends. However, as a mom I just want to be able to do more with my son and just get back to being happy and enjoying life. I hate to depend on others. My pride always gets the best of me and I end up physically pushing myself more than my body can handle. And then I’m left dealing with a flare up for the next week or so.
Medical cannibis is illegal in GA. However, they did recently pass a bill in which certain conditions can use the oil form. The downside is that fibromyalgia isn’t on of them. My doctor gave me Norco and Soma to help with the pain. However, it’s not something you can take and run after a 3 year old all day long so I haven’t used it much. I’m still just trying to to find the right doctor and med combination. I’m trying to stay optimistic but some days I still feel like like giving up. My son is really my motivation. Without him I know I would have just given up and crawled in my bed and never gotten out.
Also, I did apply for disability but I was denied. I am going through the appeals process now. In Georgia is an up heal battle to get approved for disability for any condition. In the mean time my doctor gave me till the end of July off. He stated that my job was only adding more stress and that in return my flare ups were becoming more often and lasting longer. So hopefully with being off, therapy, and new meds I will find some type of relief.
Overall on a day like today when the weather is crazy and the pain seems unbearable just reading your experiences and advice make me hopeful that things will get better!!!
Hi proudmom, reader1 here. I’m new so I don’t have pearls of wisdom on fibro. I do know mom guilt and it’s the worst. I bet you’re doing just fine, I’ve needed all manner of government assistance and it’s okay. Hang in there mama and don’t forget to buy a new lipstick or something you deserve a happy.
Praying for you. Hope you find answers and help. I agree with the others, you are not a bad mother. I have recently been diagnosed with PTSD, again. I thought I had conquered it. But its back. Probably because of my dissertation ups and downs. It doesn’t help much when you feel like there’s no hope and you are trying your best. But that’s all we can do. I am trying to stimulate myself with humorous PhD quotes. Whatever it takes, I need to get things done. We understand and support you.
blessings
I’m so sorry I’m so late in replying to your reply to me! (I missed your post somehow til now).
I’m glad you appealed your disability, and I’m glad that your doctor has taken you off work so you can rest and better heal from your accident. I wonder if you are taking anything at all for the pain? Tylenol amazingly helps me a great deal, in fact I prefer it to Norco for most of the pain I get. I take tylenol 3 or 4 times a day and it doesn’t affect my cognition. Give it a whirl if you haven’t yet! Sorry to hear GA will not approve CBD oil for fibromyalgia. On the other hand, insurance wouldn’t cover it anyway and it’s super expensive, and apparently doesn’t work for everyone.
Since my last post to you I started an “arthritis class” in a “therapeutically warm” pool. I used to be a physical therapist (when I worked), and if you can find a “therapeutically warm” swimming pool for a light exercise class, I really recommend it (not swimming). I was on this site, reading exercise posts, and several people mentioned pool exercise. Then a light bulb went on in my head and I googled “therapeutically warm” pool and my county name. Bingo, I found one in the next town over (I am sort of new to way northern California). So I went to the pool class, and am finally enjoying exercising again. For so long, my fibromyalgia would flare after any attempts at exercise.
Exercising in pools is great for several reasons, but one is the buoyancy of the water, which makes you weigh way less and allows you to walk or exercise (to a point) with no or less pain, especially if you have a disk problem or arthritis. You don’t have to get into a particularly warm pool to get that benefit, but the warm ones are the best for mostly anyone with pain because they feel so good to be in. I think the warm water (it’s not hot like a hot tub) helps with pain relief. Also of course the exercise helps relieve pain (releases endorphins, etc.). Anyway, the fact that I can now exercise with minimal or no flaring has really helped me feel better mentally and physically temporarily anyway. I am not sure about the carryover effect yet since it is new, and I’m only going 2x a week. I hope to go more often soon when I get a little stronger. You still have to watch your movements and not do anything that causes increased pain. Anyway, you may not be ready for this yet, but you could always discuss it with your doctor, who also might want to set you up with individual physical therapy in a pool. This would be a great way to get your body stronger and for you to feel better in preparation for going back to work in August.
Anyway, I hope this post finds you feeling a little better and less overwhelmed than earlier. Take care, and let me know if you have any comments etc (this time I will check on this post every couple days, I swear!)