Fibromyalgia and treatments

[Misfit Toy]

I went to my CFS doc today who prescribed tramadol. Will pick it up tonight. Also, an anti-inflammatory for the back..starts with an M. He also said, "please do not go to a rheumatologist, they will dope you up with Lyrica and you cannot take that. They are not good for those with sensitivities. They don't get CFS." HE is right! Anyway, my CFS doc does trigger point injections with a homeopathic and medicare covers it. WOO HOO. Will start in 2 weeks. He is going to be on vacation soon. Also, I am to have an XRAY of my back and after that, if everything they do doesn't work, then an MRI.

The physical therapist said last night, that because I have had 7 surgeries for endometriosis, that could be a lot of the problem. Plus, I had back surgery in 1995. I have a ton of scar tissue and it's pulling and causing pain in the muscle. They are going to try and loosen this up in a very small and non irritating way. My doc is on board with this. The reason it's suddenly a problem? Because my adrenals are shot and the immune system tanked. And, it's never ending, my hormones. My hormones are low causing a lot of inflammation.

Does it ever end? Well, I just want it to be tolerable. If it doesn't end...I can deal, but I want a little more of a life. Thank you so much friends. : )

 

[heapsreal]

good luck, keep us all informed on how you go with your treatment.

cheers!!!

 

[Misfit Toy]

Thanks heaps!! Will do!

 

[*GG*]

I went to my CFS doc today who prescribed tramadol. Will pick it up tonight. Also, an anti-inflammatory for the back..starts with an M. He also said, "please do not go to a rheumatologist, they will dope you up with Lyrica and you cannot take that. They are not good for those with sensitivities. They don't get CFS." HE is right! Anyway, my CFS doc does trigger point injections with a homeopathic and medicare covers it. WOO HOO. Will start in 2 weeks. He is going to be on vacation soon. Also, I am to have an XRAY of my back and after that, if everything they do doesn't work, then an MRI.

The physical therapist said last night, that because I have had 7 surgeries for endometriosis, that could be a lot of the problem. Plus, I had back surgery in 1995. I have a ton of scar tissue and it's pulling and causing pain in the muscle. They are going to try and loosen this up in a very small and non irritating way. My doc is on board with this. The reason it's suddenly a problem? Because my adrenals are shot and the immune system tanked. And, it's never ending, my hormones. My hormones are low causing a lot of inflammation.

Does it ever end? Well, I just want it to be tolerable. If it doesn't end...I can deal, but I want a little more of a life. Thank you so much friends. : )

Yeah, I was going to say something about Rheumatologist, but wasn't sure how widespread that experience is (rather useless for our ilness(es)). I would be careful with Fentanyl, I was on that for a few months and I just needed a larger dose and would wake every hour with massive pain in the shoulder I was sleeping on! Some bad news from work and my body crashed! A few months later and I went into a major flare and was out of work for almost 3 months!

I also wanted to add that I think trigger point injections have helped me a lot, been getting massages also. Can you work out your trigger point injections on your own with a ball or a theracane?

GG

PS Cane ordering website http://www.theracane.com/how_to_order.htm , also available on other website. massagewarehouse.com

 

[Misfit Toy]

I was taking Meloxicam and Ultram and couldn't sleep. Not sure which one is the culprit. The pain is better, but not sleeping is no good. That is what is going on. I am going back to Soma and trying Ultram again.

 

[heapsreal]

it would be the ultram/tramadol causing sleep problems, the same happens to me. I use a slow release tramadol i take in the morning and it last about 10-12 hours , if i need pain relief at night i use something else like panadeine(paracetamol and codeine) or lyrica as it helps with sleep too, i dont generally use it during the day. Another thing could be to use a muscle relaxer like baclofen at night while using the tramadol in the day.

Good to see the tramadol helping, has it helped some with mood and energy?? i find it a good little side effect.

cheers!!!

 

[August59]

I had severe low back pain years before fibromyalgia onset. It was probably a different type of pain, but it did wake me up at various hours usually in the 4am to 5 am time bracket. I still get it occasionally, but ice, motrin, walking, stretching excercise and very minor strenghtening excersise fixed it everytime and still does. It is not relateded to my fibro, but it will aggravate my fibro if I do not jump on it fast.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Yes, it helped with mood, but I am tired. I took Soma tonight and I am feeling loopy. It will hopefully knock me out, but yes, the Ultram and the other keep me awake, my mind chirps. Not much pain but can't sleep which causes pain. Next up, mental health therapist tomorrow for the grief! ERRRR..

I am trying to do my exercises from PT, but having a hard time being motivated. IT was hot and 103 degrees here today.

 

[omerbasket]

Cymbalta (active ingredient: duloxetine; It's a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or in short, SNRI) really helped me (before that I took Amitriptyline [common brand names: Elavil, Tryptizol, Laroxyl, Sarotex, Lentizol] which also helped me, though I think that to a lesser extent). I'm diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, though at least in the time that I'm on Amitriptyline or Cymbalta my primery symptom is fatigue and malaise. Anyway, I don't know if what I really have is Fibromyalgia, ME, both or neither. But, for my pain it really really helped (though it did not do anything for me - as far as I can tell - for the other symptoms).

 

[heapsreal]

Just be careful with tramadol and antidepressants as they do interact with each other, if sensitive to antidepressants tramadol will make it alot worse.

cheers!!!

 

[Misfit Toy]

Today I went for physical therapy. I was there for 30 minutes. I was exhausted before going, so exhausted that the exercises were causing me to be so dizzy. I am too sick for physical therapy. Within 10 minutes of doing the modalities she wanted me to do, I was in pain. I kept having to stop her from doing what it was she wanted me to do. I came home, tried to lay down from exhaustion and pain and couldn't sleep due to pain. Tonight, I went to bed early as I have to get up in 3.5 hours and a car alarm went off outside. I feel it is a metaphor for my life. It scared the shit out of me, lasted an hour and now I am up. My ovary has been feeling like a needle has been stuck through it on top of everything else and I am due for my period.

Even with tramadol and SOMA, I cannot sleep. I did, but that alarm woke me up, set off everything including intense panic.

I am not sure about Physical Therapy. I was probably in too much pain due to having already been so weak and sick. I can't go to PT, come home feeling that much worse. It's not worth it to me. I am sad and fed up.

PT, and doctors do not understand the complexities of this disease. That the CFS or now, ME, complicates everything. I don't just have fibro, I have exhaustion which then causes more pain.

I am living on pain meds and anti inflammatories, which helps sleep but I am feeling depressed and drained.

A year ago, I was running around, going to the beach and "living". Now, I am too effin tired, sick and I can't keep up. I am worrying about everything like how will I work t his fall or should I even work? At this point, my body is saying, "no way." But then I am worried about finances without a job and paying for medicines since I have no medical coverage for prescriptions.

So, it started with PT, ended in pain. Fell asleep only to be woken up be a car alarm-ovary hurts pain is worse and I am now having a fu%(in panic attack because my life is increasingly unmanageable.

Do I go for more PT, otherwise known as torture? Do I wait until after my period? What do I do? I am too brain fogged to know. Too sick.

 

[heapsreal]

Sometimes i just dont think its a good idea to do any physical stuff especially when feeling so crappy. Get some good sleep meds and try and sleep it off. Pain can be depressing and withers down what energy u may have. easy to say and hard to do but try not to stress, stressing using up alot of energy and just adds to the viscious cycle, sometimes we just have to try to just roll with the punches. Personally i dont think anti-inflammatories do much for cfs/fibro pain and long term can cause gut problems. I think your best off with muscle relaxers and pain killers that are more sedating until your body calms down. Valium is a good drug for sleep, muscle pain, headaches etc etc. Your body is wired and you need to slow it down, also look into other herbal stuff to add to your pain killers and sleep meds, kava is known to help improve effectiveness of sleep and pain meds.

just some ideas, hope you feel better soon,
cheers!!!

 

[Misfit Toy]

You are right about the valium. I miss valium. That helped lots. I actually think the muscle relaxant helps the most, even over the pain meds. The pain meds are a problem because even with half a tramadol, I feel wasted. I talk like someone who smokes a lot who is drugged.....raspy. I am not sure about PT at this point. She is supposed to call me about it and I am going to go over it. I am in too much pain, I am too stupidly exhausted and it flares the CFS and Fibro. I was so dizzy yesterday. Thanks heaps. Glad someone is checking in on this. This is the only place I can get some good info. I need it.

 

[*GG*]

I would say if you are feeling that lousy and fatigued. Don't go! I did PT and didn't listen to my body and I went into a major flare! there is a little more to the story, probably, but that is my general feeling.

GG

PS Not a women, so not sure about the menstrating aspect.

 

[ukxmrv]

I wouldn't be able to cope with physical therapy even on my "good days". It would leave me in pain, exhausted and with increased viral symptoms. I'd just not go.

One of the turning points in dealing with my own pain was stopping the things that were making it worse (like physio, massages, osteopath) and having a break. Then slowly doing more of the good stuff.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Yes, I am starting to think a long those lines myself. She taught me how to strengthen my core and I have those techniques that I can do at home. Thanks folks! Still stiff as a bugger in my back in the morning. And, SOMA is expensive stuff! YIKES.