Good on you Shaylynn. barb
Hi Holly, I am so glad you have joined us!! You have got a lot of great feedback to your post, I just had to add as others have said… You are not lazy, and you should keep writing, please don’t ever say you can’t do something, you may just have to do it differently.
Like you, I love horses, I was learning how to jump, and riding was the only thing that helped my stress… Obviously pre- fibro, now I get great joy just being at the barn, feeding the horses, maybe just a simple ride for 10 min, no cantering or jumping, but I try to focus on what I can do, if I thought about what I used to do… They would prob lock me in a padded room… Lol ,
I also went down that denial path for a long time, but now I’m just so thankful I have a group of dr.'s that believe me, and are willing to work with me…
Hugs & blessing
dee
Wow thank you everyone so much for all your support! I can't switch doctors right now though because I have been going through a lawsuit from my accident and he's been dealing with everything for it, so as much as an ignorant jerk he can be, he's trying his best to help. I will be taking a fibro course at a local hospital in march to learn some new exercises and ways to cope with the pain. My biggest issue at the moment is that I push through the pain to accomplish things I shouldn't be doing, last summer I dug up a garden and it nearly killed me but I felt like I HAD to do something. I was very pain tolerant before I got diagnosed with this but the pain I have now is SO different from the pain I used to have just from working hard or whatever. I explained to my mom that a lot of the time it feels like someone is constantly poking an extremely sensitive bruise that is near my joints or muscles. Even my relationship with my fiance has been hit by this because even the simplest affections hurt. Like when he strokes my arm for more than 2 minutes I get really sore. I'm so used to ignoring pain and at this point I figure I will always be stuck with it so why aren't I pushing myself? How much worse could it really get? I know these are bad questions to think about and I know I sound stupid but at this point I really can't see myself giving up what I love because of this, okay okay that sounds good but what I mean is when I can get back into horse back riding once I get my money, I don't see myself holding back. I love cantering and galloping, its what makes riding so much fun for me. Then there's parkour, which I have wanted to do for so long and I told my aunts physiotherapist that its my goal to get into that. He kinda looked at me like I was crazy but I am so young and I shouldn't be living like an 80 year old. I constantly ask myself, will I even be able to HAVE kids? What if the fibro makes it even more painful? I am also so out of shape and since I smoke cannabis my lungs are crap. I CAN'T live like this. I understand what you guys mean by limiting myself but if I do that my life will suck and I know how much I sound like a whiny teenager but this is all so new for me.
Holly--The key word for all of us is BALANCE. You can do anything; but you have to learn to be very attentive to your body. My acupuncturist keeps reminding me of this. Be attentive to when you've done as much as you should do--and quit then. It's ironic, but people who get fibro tend to be the people who push themselves. And pushing ourselves is what we have to learn not to do. You know--maybe plant half the garden one day, instead of the whole garden. Ride for half the time you would have. And by the way, I have heard that cannabis can be very beneficial for fibro pain. I'd love to find out; what's your take on it? Yes, of course you can have kids. And yes, of course having fibro sucks. It just does. But learn your limits. And help your fiance learn limits, too. You really need people around you who believe you're hurting when you say you are, and who can help you learn how to manage this. I'm feeling more helpful at the moment myself: I just visited a new rheumatologist, and she's prescribed warm-water physical therapy. She says she has some patients who manage their fibro with exercise alone, no meds. And by the way--that's MODERATE exercise. I'm going to get started on the physical therapy right away, and I'll write in the results. Hang in there, Holly! Life is still worth living. Balance is the magic word.
I know exactly how you feel. But take the writing courses you were talking about. If you can find something online like we talked about, then go for it. Don't pressure yourself, because that will make things worse. Just sit down when you're feeling your best and start writing. You can do it! I believe in you!
Chronic pain does not equate to laziness. Just get that out of your mind. Neither is the extreme fatigue Holly. You can only help what you think.
Holly, I have been taking gabapentin for quite some time, originally for diabetic peripheral neuropathy starting in 2003. I have continued with it because having pain of some sort all these years, and just finding out last June I had fibromyalgia. This gabapentin (brand name Neurontin) is for nerve pain. It is very similar, if not the same, as Lyrica, and costs a lot less. I found out from my rheumy today that with a special card one can get Lyrica for $25 a month. May be gotten from the makers of Lyrica? I am not sure on that. For me, we are going to wait and he told me I could try homeopathic herbals. Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum's book "From Fatigued to Fantastic" talks about the herbals like Jamaican Dogwood, Passion Flower, Valerian root, Hops extract. I may try a couple of those, maybe after I see the herbalist who is at my acupuncture's office (have yet to be seen there). Those are maybe referenced for a better sleep, but some could help with pain. I also take Tramadol for pain and he told me that Effexor (generic Venlafaxine) is also good for fibro. That may be similar to Cymbalta.
I know I talked about a lot here, but if you want to talk about any one thing more, just ask
Karen
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Karen,
I am on 2400 mil of Gabepentin a day to control my Bipolar Disorder. My last Rheumotologist told me that Bipolar and Fibro are somehow ememies. First time I have heard that one. I cannot take Cymbalta. I have been on it for over 3 years with no results. I think I have given it enough time to do something. I have heard that Effexor and Elavil are to SNRIS that they use to treat fibro. I am going to the Doctors today to discuss some other treatments besides the 3 FDA Tops Dogs, Cymbalta, Savella and Lyrica. I am also going to ask her for a stronger pain med besides Vicoden which is like taking cough drops for a cold. I have COPD and Chronic Kidney Disease so it makes it hard to find something that I can take to improve my quality of life but not do more damage to my organs. Thanks for the information. As we know we have to be our own Advocates.