Late last night I started rummaging around the site. I have to say, its pretty wonderful how supportive everyone is of one another. I had a few questions since I am completely new to this amount of pain for this consistency.
I was never officially diagnosed until recently, I have been on active duty since 2003 and I medically retired Nov 2014 (sorry if I repeat myself, I think Ive posted that but I have issues remembering stuff thanks to a few well placed IEDs) and had a doctor's appointment after a really bad week. He said, well this is just a flare up and itll pass but aside from that theres not much I can do its just how fibromyalgia works. I asked him what that was and he asked me how I didnt know. Apparently I had test book signs and symptoms and someone along the way in the military did diagnose it but it never told me.
I try really hard to manage without medication. I did a pretty good job of it since what I can only assume was the trauma point that started all this pain and discomfort. So my first question would be, I am currently taking Lyrica and Daypro for many different reason, what is the most mild medication out there that you have found that treats fibro symptoms? I dont need ALL the pain gone, just enough for me to walk around and play with my kids.
When we were in Afghanistan in 2012 I lived in the gym. I loved it there it was my little slice of home. When I got sent to a village whose only luxury was a "shower" I was concerned. Luckily one of the guys we were supporting carried weights everywhere with him, and by weights I mean basically an entire crossfit gym. I left that country at 190lbs and 10% body fat and was by far the most pain free I had been in so many years. So my next question would be, what do you do beside drugs to manage symptoms and prevent stiffness?
And finally, I am forced to go to the VA for medical care right now. I have health insurance since I was retired, but, I am also retired for PTSD so I have to get care from the VA system. They insist that its a very low case of fibro so they have my rated really now. Recently I have been on bed rest a week out of the past 30 days. Are there any magic words or phrases that I should be aware of? I am not trying to lie. I do not lie and I will not cheat the system. If it were up to me Id still be in uniform and still doing what I love to do and what I am good at. The powers that be deemed I was unfit for further duty so I left. I am not trying to get over on anybody, I wouldn't imagine trying to sully the good name of the people that actually made progress in getting fibromyalgia actually recognized as a disorder. I just think I am saying the wrong things because I don't like complaining even though I do it often. Is there a treatment or is it just medication? What should I expect my doctors to do for me that isnt out of the relm of possibilities.
I will try to maybe ask questions more often and I am going to go through the past post and see if I can find info. I would like to add, that marijuana has helped me tremendously, not as much as Lyrica but very helpful none the less. I get its not for everybody and some people might not agree but with my PTSD and multiple injuries (not just firbo) its is a better alternative to the meds. I can spend time with my kids and thats what matters. I am coming out of a very long very strong flare up so I hope to be more active in the group and I look forward to getting to know you fine folks.
First off, I am pretty new to this site also, but I want to THANK YOU for serving your country and us. I am so SORRY that you had to be injured in your service. My son is in the Navy, so I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. In relation to medications, I have been fortunate not to have to take any. I am in the worst flare of my life, but so far managing with natural herbal stuff. I would definitely ask your doctor if you could try some of these as very helpful. First off, Magnesium is a substance that our body needs and we do not get anymore because the ground the food is grown in is depleted of the magnesium. Our body needs this to function normally. Also Tumeric is a natural anti inflammatory and when you are in a flare you can load up on it, but again, ask your Doc. I have found these helpful to me right now and I agree with you when you exercise you feel so much better. I have not been able to exercise like I did and it definitely makes the fibro worse and any anxiety issues worse. We can both vow to start up again really soon. Try heating pads on areas that hurt also. You will be in my prayers today. Take care
1st I will sound like a broken record, talk to your PCP before you try any helpful tips.
It is best if your PCP sees you in a flare, be a walk-in if necessary!!! I did this with my PCP & it let him know just how bad a flare can be. My niece had to drive me to the MD's office & took it upon herself to take me home with her. At a thrift store I bought myself a fannypack, in this I keep my cell phone when I am in a flare, if I fall or get stuck (unable to use the stairs), then I can call a relative to come & help.
I have tried salon pas & wintergreen rub & other analgesics, they don't work for me but they do for others. I bought myself a TENS/EMS unit. It has electrode patches that you place on the body part that is giving you pain & when turned on it zaps the muscles & the pain subsides. I found mine at a discount medical supply store online. I suggest that you buy extra patches & rechargeable 9v batts & a charger for the batts.
I have bought myself 2 herbal remedy books. Fresh ginger is an anti inflammatory as well as celery. I love ginger tea & will drink 4 cups/day. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make celery tea taste any better than adding homemade chicken soup to it, of course I have no teeth so I cannot just add peanut butter & chomp away!!! If you don't like the flavor of ginger tea you can add cinn sticks or ground cloves to the pot of water. Or grate it & put it into a tea towel, wet it down & place on body part, or put the grated ginger into your hot bath water.
I am on Savela (helps me move better), Flexeril (muscle relaxer) & Hydrocodon (pain). M
Hi Juan, I am glad you joined and posted a discussion. I also want to thank you for your service to your country, that is very appreciated. Have you had a chance to look at the discussions in the Fibro 101 category? There are some things in there that highlight some treatment options. Fibro is a tricky devil, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. The thing I've learned over the years is to just keep trying and keep a positive attitude as much as possible. For me, physical therapy really helped but for others it doesn't. Medications are the same, what works for me might not work for you. Getting good quality / quantity sleep and trying to keep stress down as much as possible are really important, as is learning to pace yourself. That is one of the hardest things for me, I have to remember to slow down at times or I will most likely "pay" for that later. Anyway, please look around, do research, ask questions.
Hi, Juan. Are you finding answers to your questions in your research on site? Feel free to post discussions as well. Always love to hear more from the guys here! Hope all is going well.
Laurie
Sorry to hear that you are not feeling that you are being heard. That is deffinetly an added pressure to deal with.
For me, I have found that taking B super vitamin (supposedly has all the B's you need), zink, magnesium before bedtime, multi vitamines and omega 3 and 6 in addition to my nightly regime of Gabapentin. This has aided me in reducing the intake of pain killers.
Moving is important--but be careful not to overdo. We do not make muscle as "normals" do. Exercise can be detrimental if too strenuous--some have crashed as long as 2nyears after starting it. They have done bnefore,during, and post blood work on patients with and without fibro, in the same physical condition. Usually, the labs will go down on normal within about 2 hours. Ours stay high for as long as 36 and even 72 hours after exercise. Which is why some people feel so bad afterwards. As with everything, everyone is different, so worse for some than others.
Magnesium malate (there are different kinds of it, malate is the best for us)is very helpful with pain for us, and have your dr check your D3 levels. I have to take 10,000 units a day. Helps a lot with back pain. I also do the MMJ and it helps a lot. Tramadol is the only med I can take that does not get over ridden by my body. Everything else stops working after about 3 days--and that includes methadone! Which is not unusual for fibro patients, we have a high incidence of overriding pain meds. and many have to alternate for better relief. I used to take Soma or flexeril for muscles but my insurance took Soma away and won't cover flexeril, and guess what--all the other uscle relaxants they tried on me make me cramp!! Which seems like an Oxy-moron, but it is a side affect--took a while to figure it out. I cramp easily. I used to take Quinine for it but they took that off the market due to heart complications. Some use tonic water instead. My brother swears by pickle juice,(1 or 2 TBS, he's been cramping since a kid, he's 6'5") I frequently use coconut water. Whatever works!
Hi hun so sorry to hear you have this devil condition… I am now on lyrica also which I find a god send if im honest… But I am in constant horrific pain as my diagnosis is still quite new I haven’t found the medication Babanco yet, you should be on something to put a chemical in ur brain for the imbalance I am on sertraline you are not taking it as an anti depressant you are taking it to treat fibromayalgia, don’t feel the need to suffer it in agony don’t be afraid to take the medication your body needs to get you back on track, the support on here is brill I just put my kids to bed and zone out into the little Fibro world on my phone I find it helps a lot everyone is extremely supportive cos let’s face it… Only we know the true effects on this condition and we need that mutual understanding to stop us thinking we are crazy ️(( hugs))