Fibromyalgia

[the1much]

i havent read every post,, and dont have this problem,, but do have advice on cymbalta..
dont ever,, EVER,, EVER!! just stop taking it all of a sudden.. they tried over-dosing me with the stuff

,, for all my nerve damage,, i used to take 4,,, YES 4 a day

but stopping it can cause bad, bad, head ca-ca ,, and you'll not even know what your doing..

 

[Jena]

Sounds like that is really good advice.

I have never heard of this over here, but I have met several people who have had problems with withdrawal from medicines.

Mine is really good, but I have always been very aware of these problems associated with withdrawal. No point in make yourself feel worse.

Many thanks,

Jena.

 

[HennysMom]

to all of you - I wish I could make some of your SO's understand the pain of FM. I'm fortunate (well I guess that depends on how you look at it) that my DH understands everything I suffer and go through because he also has FM. So, fortunate? Well.. not really but, in a sense, yes.

Cant stress it enough about the potassium - it is a key player in how we feel with FM. If you cannot tolerate a supplement (which remember - too much isnt good either, make sure you ask your dr if taking a supplement just HOW much to take for YOUR SIZE) - eat a banana every day or every other day. It has enough potassium in it to help with FM. Also - drink Gatorade as it has electrolytes in it that also help. I drink G2 which is way less sugar and isnt as sweet or has as many calories. It also helps with FM headaches too. All of this was recommended by my Neurologist who also specializes in FM.

This weather changing from the 60's and 70's here in VA and now back into the 30's is absolutely a killer.

 

[HennysMom]

Quote:
Spook - I was the one who has the endo - but I also have thyroid issues (Graves disease). I'm fortunate that my endo also specializes in sports medicine and internal medicine - and - he attends all the conferences on FM, for whatever reason. He keeps up to date on all the new advances and treatments so he works along side my Neurologist, Rhumy and GP in order to help with new things for me.

If you have PCOS are you seeing a OB/GYN? That should be your first step - then possibly an endo depending on what the GYN says. Blood tests should be ran for hormone panels and ranges, absolutely. If they're off - then everything else can feel horrible - including your muscles and joints - and mimic or exasberate FM symptoms 10 fold.

I know when my thyroid levels are off either way - my FM is worse and the chronic fatigue is thru the roof.

 

[Jena]

Hi Hennysmom,

You are right about the support .It makes a great difference to know there are others out there when you have a bad day. Our weather has also been an issue recently.

I am having real trouble with my feet, so feel really down in the dumps, I want to get out and get going but know it will just make things worse, so just treading water for now and hoping it gets better. I know if the weather improves it should be easier.

I do try to eat a banana at least every other day, it seems to be sensible.

Hope you all have a better day,

Jena.

 

[HennysMom]

Jena,

have you tried just soaking them in an Epsom Salt bath or a mixture of water and witch hazel? Sometimes the Salts help me...

I too have that pins and needles / bruised feet feeling. I have small fiber neuropathy that affects my legs from right above the knees to the feet and from right above the elbows down to the hands. Its awful - I'm not quite at peripheral neuropathy, but its close, biopsies showed it wasnt as deep as to warrant it, so Neuro went with small fiber, so it still affects the nerves. Add Raynauds on top of it and -

I cant wait for Spring and Summer to get here - winter is the worst and I dread it each and every year.

Also - do you own an old fashioned hot water bottle? you know the kind - the rubber type? If not, get one - I LIVE with mine. Another trick - a type of thing you can heat up in the microwave (has hulls or dried beans in it) and you can place it under your feet. Heat always works better for me than ice - I simply cannot tolerate cold things at all - not even when I reach into the freezer or put groceries away - DH gets that job as my hands turn blue too quickly.

Feel better soon - I wish there were more I could do for you.

 

[Jena]

lol...Thank you,

Your advice is priceless.

yesI do have an old fashioned water bottle. I am sat cuddling it right now.

It is amazing how it helps.

I am seeing a consultant next week, and hoping to get some answers then, but I understand the feelings in your hands and feet.

This year is worse than ever but I am just keeping warm and waiting for a break in the weather so I can get into the garden. Now I have found myself standing in the garden on the way to the coup and suddenly realise I still have my water bottle clutched close. lol...

Take care,

Jena.

 

[HennysMom]

LOL! Dont feel bad - I've done the same thing with my water bottle!

Nothing like walking outside or into the car with it!

Just wait til you take it with you and have to STOP at a store, run into the bathroom to refill it with hot water...and get the looks of other people...

 

[curliet]

Quote:
OMG, are you here with me??? You just described perfeectly 90% of what I suffer most days. See, we do all have a common bond.

edited to add---
Oh, and add to that the times that we walked away from the kitchen sink and left the water running, or from the stove with the burner or oven left on. Or mailed the bills and forgot to put the check in. OK, I know you all know what I'm talking about. It's a wonder that our families don't have us committed, haha.

 

[Jena]

lol... have not done that yet, I have got to the shop and then looked confused because I have realised something is missing and then it has dawneds on me that it is the water bottle and I have left it home...

I just smile.... good job the girl in the shop is a friend. I have asked her to look out in case I do that. lol.

I found some salts and I am just sitting down to sink my feet into a nice hot bowl of water and salts. then I can keep the bottle on my lap and knit. paradise for now. just finding a good movie, I checked the girls and they are having a rice fight. So they are good for a while.

Jena.