Hey everyone! I just joined the group as part of my desire to make changes in my life for the upcoming year.
These winter months are starting to really wear on me. The last few weeks have been hellacious as I have been having a flare up. I don’t know if it is the cold or the fact that the sun is gone and the clouds persist but this is awful. We had sunshine today and I swear I could feel my body drinking it in like water. My doctor recommended a tanning bed for this time of year if I can get past the skin cancer but my husband is adamantly against it.
I am taking Cymbalta and have been on it for two years now. I keep thinking that if I hurt this bad with medication how bad would it be without it? And then I wonder is the medication helping?
As part of helping myself I am looking for a new job. I work part time at the farm where I board my horse so yay for physical labor when you are in pain. I need a job with more hours. I want to start getting massages periodically and maybe a manicure now and then. I want to pamper myself a bit. And my local YMCA has a nice heated, really warm, pool that I want to start walking in with all the old ladies. So I need membership money.
Mostly I just feel like I need to change or else I feel like I might just give up on everything. It is so hard to get out of bed sometimes.
Welcome :). One thing I wanted to let you know, instead of a tanning bed maybe try vitamin D supplements? I didn't have any luck with cymbalta myself, sometimes you need to try a few things before you find something that works.
Hi Anne, You sure did come to the right place. Lots of great people and info here. Several of us on here have gotten heating blankets or throws to try to keep us warm. You may want to try that along with hot baths. This helps me. I am also on cymbalta 120 mg a day, but also several other medicines as well. Glad you can work, I sure do miss it. Hang in there and your flare will pass, just take it easy. If you need anything let me know. Gentle hugs, Robin
Welcome to the support group. I hope you will get as much loving care as I have. I have learned from reading posts today that so very many people are having hard flares right now. I hate that they and you are having them but it helps me to know I am not the only one. I found enough money in my already thin budget to purchase a membership to a fitness center with a warm pool and a hot tub. It is really nice, a gift to myself. For Christmas Mom got me a gift card for a massage. It was so wonderful. I let her go deep and endured the pain because I had so many knots all over my body and I wanted to get rid of them. But they will do as light or as deep as you request. On my own I was getting monthly chair massages 12 dollars for 12 minutes. That helped to some extent. Well that is my 2 cents worth.
So happy you have found us. The other ones on here are so knowledgable and supportive.
This group has helped me a lot …I have learned that everyone deals with a lot of the same issues and it is great for information and you find out you alone . I have had months of a flare with unbelievable pain not being able to sleep I have been on 60 mg of Cymbalta for 3 months and have noticed a big improvement…I am sleeping better at night…I also have Psa so sometimes I am confused about what pain is caused from what problem …Hoping 2013 is a better less painful year for everyone! I was just told that my Vit D is too low and I take 2000 U a day I now have to take a prescription for 12 wks and the 2000 U a day. I would do the tanning bed but not all salons have stand up beds…they need to prepare for their aging tanners it is too hard to crawl in and out of beds.
I take Lyrica for my pain. After this last flare I think I am going to have to see the Rheumy for an adjustment. It is true people with Fibro tend to have low vit. D levels. I take an over the counter supplement of 5000 units. It brought me back up to normal range but I have had to continue it to keep it normal. I love the days when the sun is shining brightly. I too seem to just drink it up.
Anne - welcome. You made an excellent decision to reach out. There are so many people in every country in the world that is experiencing what you are and feel the same things you do. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. We are here for you.
Given your intro, many people have and will talk about the practical aspects of what doctors to see and what medicines to take. They are certainly valid. I tend to go the other route. Here is an example. I hope...no, in fact, I pray that you are able to find something to laugh about. IMHO, I feel that there is no medicine that can make me feel better than I do when I'm laughing, relaxing, making love, being massaged, etc., I know it is different for everyone and it may take awhile for us to get there, but for me, when I can start laughing through the pain, I know I'm moving in the right direction.
I've had fibro since 1991 so I'm an old pro with "too-much" advice. I'm happy to share but I tend to ramble on, so we'd have to send messages. Let me know.
Welcome, Anne! I just joined last night.. trying to also make some changes in the new year and finally start taking care of my pain. Looking forward to getting to know some people here and not feeling alone!
Hello Anne – and welcome. I, too, am new and find I don’t seem to write much–but I have learned a lot just by reading what others are going through. The town I live in does not have a support group so I joined a few weeks ago and in just a short time and have learned a lot. And, not that I wish anyone to have the pain I have, it is nice to know I am not the only one. I had been on OxyCodone for years and was still in pain–so I questioned whether it was helping–I decided that such long term use wasn’t good for me and weaned off of it–now I realize just how much pain I actually have–but there were too many side effects of the Oxy so I won’t go back on it. My pain doc agreed to my request for a very low dose of Naltrexone-- since I have been on that I have not had one day of the “headache all over my body feeling” . Sorry, I rambled a bit-- really meant just to say welcome. :>}
You gave me a laugh today, lol, when you said you would go walking in the heated pool with all the old ladies! It just made me remember one time before I had the fibro problems, I signed up for hiking club and it was "old ladies", figured it would be lame. Well, they ran me into the ground, I was huffin and puffin, exhausted and they were still going strong. I was so embarassed. It was so funny! I said I'd never call and old lady an old lady again. ha ha I hope you get your membership money. It helped me alot being in the heated water. I am sensitive to chlorine so I stopped, but I might give it a go again.
Tanning beds are known to be damaging to the skin, what Emma said is good option if doctor says ok.
I posted a discussion on Anti-Inflamatory Diet, you might want to read about and consider. It has been a major difference for me with pain and fatigue. Welcome to the group.
Thank you all for such kind words! I am so glad to be able to connect with other people who know what I am going through. I can try to explain it to others but I am sure they do not understand completely since they have not experienced it. I am looking forward to getting to know you all!
Hello, Anne, and welcome to our site! You've started out with some great questions and observations.
My doctor told me that the Y offers reduced rates to people who aren't making a whole lot of money. Apparently the rates are reduced enough for those with very little money to afford. So that could be one thing you can check off of your list.
I can kind of sort of answer your question about whether or not Cymbalta is helping you. I recently ran out of my Lyrica, 200 mg. I had some Lyrica left that was 100 mg, so I took two pills in place of the other pill. Well, it was too strong for me, so the next day I only took one pill of 100 mg. BIG HUGE mistake. By mid-day, I was wondering why I couldn't get through my day without feeling completely exhausted and full of pain. By the latter part of the day, I was in incredible pain. I took two more pills for my nightly dosage. Even so, I still felt terrible. It lasted for several days. So for one lowered dosage of Lyrica, I suffered for 3-4 days. So yeah, I think our pain meds do help us more than we realize. Of course, I can't speak for you, nor would I suggest that you do as I did! But if your pain is reduced after you started your meds, I would assume that it's working.
Getting a less physical job will probably be beneficial for you. You can try working longer hours on another job and see how it works out for you. Some of us have found it difficult to maintain more hours, due to the fibro.
Getting a massage might be just the thing. I know that I loved mine. Some people have said they had flares after them but I had some real pain relief after them. I wish I could afford to still get them. Pampering yourself is a good, good thing. Please take care of yourself.
Ha ha, Ally, you made me laugh, picturing you being bested by the "old" ladies! My mom was quite the pistol until she got pneumonia at 72. So I can just picture them running us ragged! And they would, too. LOL!
I also just joined the group and when I hear so many of the comments, it like I'm listening to myself talk. I also have been really feeling the pain of the winter months. I live in pa and we just recently had snow and I feel like I'm 80 instead of 46. I think I will check and see if my ywca offers a swim class with the older ladies and hopefully I can keep up with them lol. good luck in finding the membership money.
Welcome, Gram Ruth! We're happy to have the both of you here and hope you can take something away from our group.
Wow, yes, this winter has been KILLER thus far for my fibro. I now have it badly in the left knee and elbow, with right knee also affected. In the past, they were minor pains, unlike my back. Do others find this winter to be far worse than last winter?
Gram Ruth, my rheumatologist swears by those water exercise programs for us. I want to try one too but not sure I want to go at it in the cold winter months. Please, please let us know how you do if you take it.
Here's hoping that we all find some meaningful relief for our fibro. That would make 2013 a wonderful year.
LOL! You just might! My mother has friends in their 90s who are amazing. Hey, maybe there'll be a cure for fibro within the next 10 years so we too can be amazing in our 90s. :-D
