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Welcome Introductions
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Hello, my name is Valerie and I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in August of 2013. I am a wife, mom, part time college student, and full time administrative assistant. I have suffered with joint pain for over five years before being diagnosed. I have two sisters that have Lupus (SLE) and also suffer from fibromyalgia. My father's family all have some form of auto immune disease; he has two sisters, one has lupus and the other has chronic fatigue syndrome. Rheumatoid arthritis has striken my father and four of his brothers and he had one sister that is deceased that suffered the crippling effects. My doctor prescribed Savella in early October 2013 of which gave me severe side effects within two weeks of starting, since that time I have not been on any type of medication. My flare ups are coming closer together and lasting longer which has caused me to miss work more often. That is unacceptable to me and I'm not dealing with that too well. My doctor is not really familiar with fibromyalgia (her words) and I have an appointment this Friday, but I don't think she will be able to help me. Do any of you have any suggestions of meds (the only other treatment I know of now is Lyrica) that I could ask the doctor about?
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Hi there! I am sorry you are hurting and missing work. I have to say first…don’t keep that appointment and waste the money. Get a new doctor who can help treat fibro. Many people on here can suggest meds to ask about. What area are you in? Maybe we can help find you a doctor. If I had cancer I wouldn’t go to the pediatrician so please, please…find one who has experience with fibro. It’s a big enough headache without some quack not believing its real or able to suggest appropriate meds. Another thing…get the list of meds…and read side effects. I wish you the best! The wonderful folks on here will give you better advice on the drugs than I can. Hugs!!

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Hi Valeria... If that doc is not familiar with fm i think it is a good time to find a doc who is.. Many rheumatologists and neurologists do much with pain syndromes . Before you make an appt i would tell them what your condition is and if the doctor is familiar with it and treats it. many treatments are being tried out for these conditions and has to be rather tailored to the person as far as which drugs or combination and the dosages. there is no 'one size fits all'/ That is why i strongly suggest you getting a doc who is familiar and does treat these conditions. You are a busy women and certainly need the best care that you can find.. I send you much love and positive thoughts your way. HUGGGGGGGGGGs

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Thanks Suzie and Tiffany for your kind words and advice. I was referred to a rheumatologist by my doctor when multiple attempts at blood work to diagnosis rheumatoid arthritis. The rheumatologist is who diagnosed the fibromyalgia, but referred me back to my primary physician for care and treatment. On this flare up, I’ve missed the last two days of work, and the flare started a week ago Wednesday. I live in Huntington, West Virginia so if anyone could recommend someone, I would love to hear about them.

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Lifescript.com was my second search and it is coming up with many. Hopefully someone on here lives near there and can recommend one. Did you get the feeling like your doctors were playing pass the buck? When searching for a new doctor it is wise to ask, Can you diagnos AND treat Fibro? When I want to talk to a doctor, I call the hospital/clinic whatever and I ask…
May I speak with Dr. Zimmermans nurse please? The nurse may have to call you back. But you will be speaking with a person who works with the guy every day. Once said nurse is on the line ask her…does Dr. Zimmerman have success with treating fibro patients? What is his bed side manner like? How long have you been working with him?..I have found that nurses are wonderful people and will actually talk to you for a little bit. And if you don’t like the answers, she may be able to pass on who the fibro guru is in the area.
If your appointment is going to take a bit to get, ask them to put you on the call list if someone cancels. Be sure to mention in your appointment how much work you have missed.
I hope you feel better soon and can get up and about again shortly.

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Thank you Tiffany, I will give your suggestion a try. I appreciate the help.

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Hi Valerie, I had been taking cymbalta for years but needed a change. It worked well for a long time. I switched to Savella after reading so many reviews in here. I’m doing well on it. I’m so sorry about the auto-immune issues in your family. Have you tried a neurologist? Mine manages my fibro. My pain management dr manages my migraines (Botox) and trigger points. Good luck.

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Hi there and welcome! I’m on cymbalta and lyrica. They together help me. I understand how you feel about missing work, I was close to missing work when the dr put me on lyrica. Thank goodness.
I hope this helps. It takes the edge off so I can function.
Joy

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Valerie it is normal for the rheumatologist to send you back to your primary doctor. But if your primary can’t learn and look into treating you, then you need one that can. My primary is not the best with it, but he knows all the things we can try, it’s all about what works for each individual. He calls it a cocktail. I trust my doctor, and he is now learning more about it for me and a few other patients, because we too have been sent back to him to treat us…
I hope this makes since.
Joy

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Thanks so much! I appreciate your advice, any help or advice I can get is welcomed.

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Thanks for your suggestions! I appreciate the advice and support.

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Hello Valerie

I would suggest that you find a doctor who believes in and is knowledgeable about fibromyalgia. I'm afraid your appointment on Friday will be frustrating and won't really accomplish anything because your doctor has already admitted to you that he/she is not really familiar with fibromyalgia.

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I have been on Cymbalta for 2 and a half years, the first year it worked great, now not as good, but more than I realize I'm sure. Tramadol is about the only pain reliever that I can take, function, and it helps with the pain, along with Aleve. I have also been taking Xanax for several years. Just last week, we added two new ones. Ambien, and Adderall. The Adderall is taking some adjusting, but really helps with focus, and it will make you feel somewhat normal. But if you take too much, it will drive you up a wall. My GP started me out on 20mg, daily, but I have personally had to cut that in half for now. Will probably need more later, but I feel a lot better.

My sister has Fibro as well, runs in my family too, as well as Lupus. She has been using the Adderall for about 3 years now and is able to work full time, and function somewhat.

All of these have worked for me, and helped.

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Thank you for your support. I appreciate it greatly.

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Thank you all so much for your advice and suggestions. It’s so nice to have so many thoughtful words of encouragement while dealing with something that is so frustrating and devastating at the same time. You all have made me feel better about taking my next steps to taking back my life.

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Glad to help.

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I just wanted to give everyone an update on my doctors visit today. I spoke with her and she has prescribed Cymbalta for my fibromyalgia and when I told her about the my current flare up that I was experiencing, she gave me a shot of Toradol and Steroids. Both have helped with my flae up and I hope that the Cymbalta works at controlling my pain. Thanks again to all of you with your support and advice. It has been a blessing having people who understand what I'm going through. Hugs to you all!!

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Hi Val, I've been battling FM for over 20yrs & been experimenting with different drugs(due to allergic reactions)& also I use topicals. What has worked for me to live a somewhat normal life has been low doses of Xanax & Gabapentin & on occassion IBU800mg. Had a couple of steroid injections in different area of my body over the years but bad reaction & didn't work me. I use topicals that I either make using essential oils which include rosemary, peppermint & lavender,etc.or buy. I don't do waterexercise due to my allergic reaction to the chlorine & water. However, I have a filtration system on my water & a jacuzzi tub where I do epsom salt soaks using essential oils also. I get weekly medical body massage,CMP Release Therapy & Reflexology & gentle stretching. My therapist comes to my home & will adding Yoga again. I use to get chiropratic adjustments & accupunture(also helped).Meditation/Guided Imagery, things to calm the mind, body & soul have been all helpful to me. I buy & grow organic foods. I try to eliminate as much sugar, gluten & processed foods from my diet.My drink of choice is WATER,but I love my coffee & tea. I found that sugar & too many carbs send me into a frenzy, so I watch those closely. I found peppers(except green bell pepper) helps my pain. Seems as though what I eat will affect how I feel. Water has been the best med for everything from headaches to muscle cramps.& body aches. One thing I would suggest is not to fall victim to TV Infomercials which claim a cure-all. What I have found to be very helpful & kept me from running to the emergency room is a book by a Dr. who has the disease, Devin Starlanyl, The Fibromyalgia Advocate, it's been my go to book since 2002. I hope this helps. (((((HUGS))))