I know that you all will know what I'm talking about. I wake up in the morning and I have to pull myself out of bed. I walk all hunched over-shuffling my feel. I try to move around to feed my animals and feed myself and get ready for work. WORK! I think "how am I going to make it thru this day?" I stand on my feet all day and I can't see how it's possible. I am soooo depressed about this. I'm barely getting by financially so I can't quit my job. I have been looking into other job positions. It's the anticipation of the day in front of me that brings me down . All of these feelings after a night of little sleep. I am in so much pain at night that I keep waking up. I haven't had a restful nights sleep in years. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I have an appointment in a couple weeks with my rheumatologist. I just hope there's something he try. I'm on Savella, Tramadol, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxants. Well, thanks for reading. I'm not able to talk to anyone else about this because no one seems to understand how bad I feel. The see me "functioning" so they think I'm fine.
Oh Carol, your situation is so awful! It's truly terrible that people like us, who are in pain 24/7, cannot quit our jobs and have a program cover us medically and with a small amount of money until disability is approved.
Would getting a roommate be feasible for you? Can you apply for welfare? Do you have a GP who can give you something to help you sleep?
I know there is a thread that talks about what help is available to lower income Americans. I'll find it and bump it up to the top of the listings so you can look at it. I don't know if anything on it would be helpful for you but a lot of things are listed, so it's worth a look.
For what it matters, I do understand and care. And I dearly hope that you can get some assistance soon!
It's so nice to hear from you, but I am so sorry that you are feeling so bad, and having trouble keeping up with your life. Surely every single one of us can relate to you. The very best thing I can tell you is that it's time to have a heart to heart with your Dr and tell him first of all that you NEED TO SLEEP!! We are useless if we cannot get proper rest. Not sure if you can take narcotics at night and get up and drive and work, or pass a drug test at work. If you could even get them, perhaps there is a sleep aid strong enough to work in spite of the pain levels.
I wish I had answers for you, my friend. Of all of the research I have done, this is the most controversial illness I have ever encountered. There is not even an agreed universal definition, much less treatment. Savella, Cymbalta, Lyrica. They seem to be the most popluar of the fibro meds. Of those, I take Lyrica for Sciatic nerve pain, which works very well, however it will not touch joint, muscle or bone pain. Not mine anyway, but I take meds for autoimmune arthritis. The better the arthritis is, the better the fibro is.
I hope that you are seeing a Rheumatologist, I just always think that they are our best hope for understanding and treatment. We are always here to talk to, you can always come here for understanding, I only wish we could do much for you, for everyone.
Hi Carol - my heart really goes out to you!! It brings tears to my eyes, because you are describing the kind of day I have as well. It's a lot of wear and tear on the body to be in pain constantly and on top of this, not getting the sleep we need to restore our bodies for the next day. Our bodies don't have this luxury. I wish I could be there for you and just give you a HUGE hug and we could both cry together! I had to retire a few years ago because of my Fibro. I loved my job, but spent many years 'pushing' through the pain and I have paid a heavy price for it. I so wish you could just not work and take it easy and do the things you want to do that make you feel comfortable. When I was working, I would average about 4 hours of sleep a night - but it was interrupted constantly with trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Before I knew it, it was time to get up. I would always have to get up much earlier than I would need to, because I get so stiff and needed time to unwind! My poor sleeping habits are still the same to this day. It is not a quality of life that I want and it's very difficult to find someone in the Medical field who can really and truly help us out. I am so sick of all the Meds I take as well. They barely work and it seems like such a waste of time to me. Can you apply for Disability, maybe? There has to be something you can do, to ease your worries about what you are going through, both physically and financially. I had to apply for Diasbaility and it's true - I don't get as much money as I got when I was working. But I am not complaining because I just could not carry on the way I was doing. I had to be realistic and I made the decision to really slow down. Carol, do you have family that you need to support? There is so much I could tell you about Disability, but I don't want to pursue it if you are not ready. In other words, I don't want to appear pushy to you. Please take care of yourself! Laurie