As I was reading your recent post I felt as if I was reading about my life. Just about everything you have listed are things going on in my life as well. I have had Fibro for over 20 years and I am now 51 years old. I am working fulltime and sometimes I wonder how I am able to do it. My boss does not understand anything about fibro and just yesterday told me I am the only person on her staff that does not work an OT hrs. I have explained over and over that I am not able to work any more than 40 hours and even that is difficult. She just does not understand and really doesn’t even care. All she wants is the work to get done no matter what it takes. I am going to ask my doctor for a note that I can bring to work that says I am only able to work 40 hrs a week. Hopefully it will help. My husband is getting frustrated with me because I fall asleep in my chair after dinner just about every night and end up going to be as early at 8:00 pm. I am so stressed out that my pain has been moving around from one area to another and I never know how bad it is will get. As I write this I too can feel my back muscles tensing and getting ready to go into spasm. I don’t sleep well and haven’t for many years. I too am looking at the possibility of going to apply for disability but as with you I need the income and more importantly the insurance. I am on all sorts of meds which all have the side effect of sleepiness which I don’t need any additional areas to make me feel that way. I am taking Lyrica, Cymbalta, Oxycodone and as needed flexeril. So one would think with all that in my system I would be able to sleep but that is not the case. It just makes me drowsy enough that I can’t do anything but not enough to make me sleep through the night. I usually am watching the clock hour by hour and wondering how I will get through work the next day with no sleep. I too have some other medical issues that are going on to add to my life. My pain is worse in the winter as well and I live in a cold state of VT. We are now in the warmer weather and I wish I could say my pain is better but it is now. Most likely due to stress. I feel your pain most literally and I wish I could help you make some of the issues go away but I cannot. Know that we in the fibro world all understand and are more than willing to give you support. Please reach out to me anytime you need a shoulder I am happy to listen(read) and believe me I do understand. Please hang in there the best you can and I do wish you well. I am sending good thoughts your way. I am here is you need me…
Hi there and thank you for your reply. Thankfully the spasm pain has subsided for now and I’m at my baseline pain - the never-ending flu-like aches. I’m off work next week so I’m excited to get some much needed rest and relaxation. Going to try to start zoloft while off work to see if I can tolerate that. If not…well that’s the last med to try of that type. Fingers crossed! Wishing you better sleep and a respite from pain/stress. I just need a rich man to marry so I don’t have to work! Haha kidding. 
Hope you have a nice, restful weekend.
- Michele
Hi Michele,
You as well have a nice restful weekend. Good luck at work next week. The weekend is supposed to be sunny and in the 70’s here in VT so at least some good ol’ vitamin D will help me out and the sun feels so good on my weary body.
Please feel free to reach out to me anytime I totally understand what you are going through.
All the best! 
Elaine
[Yahoo Mail Stationery ](https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/features/stationery)Hi there. I’m so sorry for your struggle. I can totally relate. I’ve been wanting to try acupuncture, I just haven’t gotten around to it. Seems like I have tried everything else. Trigger point injections didn’t help at all and even made the pain worse! I think I would like to try a float tank. Perhaps the peace and weightlessness would help. Like you I wish just for ONE day pain free. I’m off work next week and I really want to do something fun like my pre-fibro days. Alas, that life is long gone. Anyway, thank you for replying and have a nice weekend.
- Michele
I’ve said it before, but I must say it again: gluten-free diet. It took me a long time to accept that it COULD be an answer, and it took me about five weeks to see results, but it has made me feel human again. Even my brain feels almost normal.
There are many foods I mourn, but I wouldn’t change back, that would be no desirable trade.
Have to tell anyone who will listen: that almost gluten-free won’t do it, it has to be completely gluten free in order to heal whatever gluten does to those susceptible.
My fatigue seems mostly within normal bounds, the pain and knots in my back, neck, hips, etc are just about gone. I started GF on March 1, and in the fifth week, felt suddenly new again. And in the last couple of weeks, arrived at a whole new level of feeling better. I did accidentally “gluten” myself at one point during my recovery, and it kicked up my IBS and body pain for about 7-10 days, but then things corrected. It took me a couple days to figure out what I had eaten: ice cream with tiny brownie bits in it, but then it made sense. I was actually so pleased to figure it out; my understanding that it was diet related, and I wasn’t just having a mysterious good spell, followed by the same old misery.
I’ll keep saying it as long as necessary. Not everyone is the same, but this is nothing shy of a miracle for me. Try it. Stick with it. Here’s hoping it works as well for you as it did for me.
Xxoo
Thank you so much for your advice. I may have to give it a go!
I’m so sorry. I really do relate to what you are going through. Today has been one of the worst fibro flare up days for me, I am still struggling since my break up with the man I had once planned to marry, and because of living expenses I work full time at a high stress job and cannot afford anything but section eight housing no matter how much I try not to spend. It gets extremely depressing and stressful and both of those things contribute to fibromyalgia flare ups.
I know it is so hard when you probably are stressing and exhausted on your days off, but if you can do something relaxing like take a bath, listen to your favorite music, even coloring books for adults from Michaels can be very therapeutic. Whatever your outlet may be, please take time for self care. You deserve it and I’m sorry you are going through such a rough time. You can message me anytime. Hang in there.