this is agervating last night and today not doing as good pain level is comming up all over but hasent put me down yet
hopfuly i wont go down but this is weird for 3days i felt prety darn ok pain at ez torable level but last night out of nowhere the knifes are back and the burning and the creepy cralys too
so im wondering if im flaring bad and the meds are tring to control it and this will just be a lil spike in pain and the other stuff or is my body just playing tricks on me and decided to give me a peek of what i used to be before this got so bad.....
ether way i will keep trying until they get it right for me because i wanna be who i was not who i have become and i really wanna ride my mtb the hills are calling my name and so are my tools i really really hate having to turn down work but i have to i cant have people waiting on me cause i cant move or my brain is fked and i cant think dosent mean though i wont still do my own stuff but sometimes it takes a long while
this suxs but iI WILL NOT let it beat all but one of my friends are gone but long as i have my wifey my animals i still have something to fight for and also now i got some new friends here and a place to talk with pep that really understand whats happining and how i feel so THANK YOU ALL even though i have only been here a short time i really like this site and the pep on it it is helping me lots
Brent - you’ve got the right attitude for a patient with Fibro. We just never know from one day to another how we’re going to feel. What will set us off - the weather, a bad phone call,a cold, a full moon, a night of no sleep? You have to search for what is best for you and fight the fight to find it. I was ready to throw in the towel and forget trying to find a doctor who will listen and help me. Now have appts. scheduled with a sleep doctor and a rheumatologist for next week, doctors #8 & 9. This doesn’t include my chiropractor, therapist or massage therapist! Without them I would never get out of bed. But you are right - we have dreams and goals and family that we want in our lives. As depressed, frustrated and sleep- deprived that we are, there is a life waiting to happen. You’ll get on that bike and that ride will never be more beautiful! I have to believe that we will all find a doctor who will help get us as close to our former selves as they can. This week I’m in a positive mood - last week, that’s another story! There’s some good advice listed above. Take what you can use to your benefit to help you through your day. Let us know how it goes. hugs~ Sandi
Oh, Brent, I'm sorry to hear that you are going through all this. I can tell you that you will have a rhythm of good days and bad days - enjoy the good ones and know that the bad ones will pass.
When you have a bad day, look back 24-48 hours and see if you have pushed your limit in some way. Pacing your activity and limiting the time you spend doing things to a reasonable amount that your body can tolerate helps a lot.
I am on gabapentin, but also baclofen for chronic back spasms (spinal injury). I tried trazodone but it oversedates me. I use Cymbalta instead. Tell your doctor about all concerns - he needs to know so he can provide the best care possible.
Two things come to mind in your post:
1. You mention spasms. You might want to do some online research on myofascial triggers. Some spasms, if caused by connective tissue spasm, can be helped by finding the trigger point and pressing on it. Search terms could include myofascial pain syndrome, chronic myfascial pain, myofascial trigger points. I have a number of trigger points, and I am able to avoid the cost of physical therapy by doing home accupressure, slow stretching, and range-of-motions exercises.
2 You also mention that you have no insurance. I assume you are in the US. I have insurance, but they don't cover certain meds that I absolutely need. I use rxassist.com to help with covering the cost. In one case, my cost is 50% of what I would have to pay without it. Seriously - look into it. You can go online, get a temporary card, and then they will mail you a permanent one. You can use the temporary card and have it on file with your pharmacist. Hopefully that will save you some $$$.
With fibro fog, I find it helps to stay organized. Keep your meds in one place with a daily log (note pad) next to them. The dollar stores have pill boxes, that's where I get mine. You could label them AM and PM or whatever you need to. I started a notebook (hardcover 3 ring with dividers) to track daily symptoms, list current meds, section for questions for the doc, section for a calendar, goals, coping methods and a section for support info (I plan to take my notebook with me to my next doc appt). It might sound silly, but it makes me feel like I'm in charge and being proactive.
Tramadol is very strong, and I found that it affected my ability to think clearly. The instructions even said not to drive while taking it - too powerful for me. I take baclofen to relax muscle spasms.
ok well here is a update went to doc told him whats been happining and how iv been doing so basicly here is what he did
gavapenton 600mg 3x per day he added effexor xr 75mg took me off tramadol cause i thought it was doing no good ( i was wrong) and he added flexeral for the sleep spazems and to try and help me sleep so monday morn im calling the doc and askin to call in tramadol
i did what you all said and found copons for the meds and got a prety good discount like 85% off on some of them
but here is the messed up thing i had just refilled my script for the gav 3 days earler bad appoitment timming cause the pills i had are now useless for now so i explaned this to the drug store and the offered to split my meds to 2 weeks insted of a month to give me a break cause i had just filled a script but what they failed to tell me is it actualy cost more for less pills so when i went to pick them up they told me the total and i was like WTF it was only 10$ more for the full script so if i split the meds it would of almost cost me almost dbl for my meds for the month so when i told the parmesest to just fill the whole script she got mad and decided to take a hr to fill my meds in a empty store with me being the only one waiting so i will tell u guys in a way that is in accordence to site rules watch the store C and a V and also a S if that is where u fill your meds if the pharmisest is seeming to eager to help with a discount check the totals before and after before you pay
I have used that place, too. I tell them I need to fill the new prescription because the dose has changed. That helps a lot. I have been "bitten" by the price differences, too, so when I can refill the new dose as a new prescription, that really helps. Can you do this?
Well I am new to this community. I tried the Gabapentin and it didnt do anything for me. I am on Lyrica 75mg 3 times a day. I have a bad memory because of the side effects and that I am also on a pain patch along with Percoct and it seems to help for now the combination. I tried Savella and I didnt like it. I know that Lyrica is expensive because at one point I was paying 130.00 for it after insurance until I stopped working this late fall and now am on state insurance and I had to get everything prior authorized but they are finally covering it. I use the Medication containers for my medication so then I know if I have taken it. You can get ones for up to 4 times a day for under 10.00 at walgreens. I also set my alarm on my cell phone for my afternoon medication since I only have to take medication three times a day it works.
Everyone has metioned the prescriptoin drug programs and I would also check into your local state insurance sometimes if you already have insurance they will do it as a secondary one.
I would have trouble getting affordable insurance because I am a cancer survivor.
However, it's always good to check for state insurance, because it can cover gaps in current insurance or provide insurance where there is none.
I also use medication holders - in my case weekly one as a daily use container. 3 doses, vitamins, optional pain meds, and migraine meds. I can tell what I've taken, find migraine meds easily, and see if I've taken any optional meds even when I am in a fog. Great idea!
I am also using my phone calendar to alert me to dose times. I have a wristwatch with 3 alarm settings, but somehow I don't always notice it. The phone alarm is loud, distinctive, and really works. I'm glad you mentioned it - works great!
You are finding some great solutions to situations we are all dealing with!