fibromyalgia

kay1971

Hi everyone, I havnt been on here much, but i need some advice please.

I have oa in knees, hands and back. I had my first rhumy appointment today. The doc has now diagnosed fibromyalgia, i dont know much about it infact i hadnt heard of it til this morning. the doc also told me to hike for 2 hours per day! i can barely walk to the end of the street. i tried to tell him this but he wasnt really interested he gave me a leaflet on fm and told me to go to my gp to change my meds. I feel like i am being fobbed off again and dont know where to go from here. any advice?

skezier

Hi Kay,

Firstly flower thats a bit of a harsh way to be treated!

I may or may not have fibro.... I was in with the rumo and he started talking about another condition so I interupted him cus I didn't want something else.....

Gentle exercise might help but only gentle ill you feel much better than you do know.

Tablet change... you might need the nerve blocker ones like gabapentin or pregabalin. I was already on the pregabs and I know fr me they work really well.. though I have got a bit of a reactoin to them just now.

Hang in there Kay and I wonder if phoning the helplines would help you? they are very good and know all about us lot falling apart as well as being able to explain things to you.

I promise you the more you understand it the easier it gets but just now you have had a bit of a shock. Keep in touch and please let us know how it goes with the gp? Will do pocket duties f you need as well. Cris x

dippydoodah

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Sounds very familiar. I have OA everywhere (except my mouth ~ my husband's quote lol) and was diagnosed with Fibro in Sept.

Id love to be able to do a 2 hour trek!!! Jesus that doctor is optimistic isn't he?? I do agree that gentle exercise does help but certainly couldnt go for 2 hours. Ive just done 20 mins on the Wii and felt like that was an achievement.

I would refer back to your GP regarding medication. What are you on now? Im on normal paracetamol. I was on co-codamol but they were too much, i felt nausious, dizzy and constantly tired so Ive gone back to the paracetamol although I do take Naproxen anti inflams, Omoprazole stomach protectors and I take Amitriptyline in the evening which helps relax me and aid sleep... maybe you could mention it to your GP?

Aids around the house help, have you been referred to an Occupational Therapist?? Maybe ask your GP if he/she can refer you? Little things around the home could make all the difference and give you a little independance.

I don't really have any advice except dont do too much, you will learn your limits and rest when you need to. Don't be afraid to ask for help, that was my mistake. Felt I could do everything myself and I cant.

Ive been told gentle exercise to keep your muscles working for the Fibro will help keep you mobile. It will keep them strong. I try to do a little each day but some days I cant.

Hope you manage to get the information you need. Im kinda a newbie so Ive probably not told you anything you dont already know and no doubt someone who's been dealing with this alot longer will come along soon.

Caroline x

kay1971

Thanks fr your replies, i am off to the docs now to have a chat, i just hope i am not in floods of tears again lol. i will let you know how i get on xx

kay1971

well doc was really nice. she gave me amitriptyline and naprosyn. hope they work for me, not exactly sure what they do yet will have to read the info

dreamdaisy

Naproxen is an anti-inflammatory, so the idea behind that is to reduce inflammation and thus reduce pain. I am on it too. Amitryp I have heard of but am not on that, so cannot help. I wish you well. DD

dippydoodah

as DD says, naproxen is an anti-inflammatory which should help reduce the swelling and therefore the pain. im on it, it does help some. i thought it wasnt helping until i missed a days pills and realise how much they do help.
the amitriptyline is to help you sleep at night. what dosage are you on? im only on a low dose, 20mg per night. although i take mine around 8pm, an hour or two before im due to go to bed. they can take a while to get into your system so bare with them. im sleeping alot better lately, i do wake in the night to turn over which does hurt but instead of lying awake then for the rest of the night, i seem to be able to get back to sleep easier.
obviously i have the nights that no amount of painkillers can help with but they have been reduced...
hope they work for you too x