Fibro flare up

[FibroDave]

Hi,
My Name is Dave I am a 52 year old male that has Fibromyalgia, I am having issues with a recent flare up and wonder if this is happening with other suffers.

I am currently suffering with a flare up, with pain and discomfort in my chest, upper back and under my arms. I suffer from Anxiety and this is through the roof at the moment. Problem that I have got is that I actually had a heart attack about 12 years ago and had to have stents put in also have had reoccurring episodes of costochondritis. Also I suffer from hidradenitis suppurativa which is also flared up just now.

So been going threw this flare up for around 2 weeks but my anxiety is causing me to feel like it is my heart that is causing this. My pain is not constant and nowhere as severe as my heart attack was. It fluctuates in strength and duration and as I said the pain is under my arms (arm pit) and upper back either side of my spine.

I guess what I am looking for is anyone else experience this or is it just me, and any advice on relief from it. I only on Co-codamol as didn't want anything that would put my driving licence at risk.

 

[sunkacola]

Hi @FibroDave and welcome to the forum.
I have not experienced what you are going through, having not had a heart attack. BUT, I do have fibromyalgia and very severe and chronic anxiety which I have yet to get under control, so I can completely relate to what you are saying about that, as can others on this forum who will probably join in on this thread to reply to you. What you are going through is certainly not "just you", and you are not alone no matter how much it feels that way at times.

My question for you is have you talked with your doctor about anxiety medication? If not, you might consider that, because certainly the stress of feeling so anxious and fearful is making your pain and other symptoms worse, and if you could get a handle on that it might help a lot. It could even result in a reduction of the pain.

The thing with anxiety is that we know darn well we don't have to be so anxious....as you said, you know you are not having a heart attack,.....but knowing that doesn't make the anxiety abate at all because the anxiety is not subject to logic. If it were, none of us would have a problem because we could just talk ourselves out of it.

There are things you can do that might help, though. You can look up online "techniques to reduce anxiety" or something of the kind and find hundreds or thousands of sites and videos that offer stress-reducing things like meditation, guided meditation, music, and so on, as well as physical movement techniques that you can try. I recommend that unless you've already worked your way through a whole slew of those with no positive effect, you take a look at what is offered just in case there's something that could make a difference.

And, if you haven't done so already, read the post pinned at the top of the General Discussion forum section, for lots of ideas on how to manage fibro.

I hope this forum is useful to you, and that you stick around because we all have things to offer each other, and we are all here to help each other.

 

[FibroDave]

Thanks for your response. I am on sertraline for my anxiety and have been for a few years but the frequency of my attacks is indicating to me that no longer working.

My stress is through the roof at the moment in the middle of a breakup and the headache of getting my money sorted and finding a new place to stay.

Today my anxiety got me the most worked up I ever have been. I was in tears which is something I just don't do.

I am going to see a doctor in the morning to put my mind at rest about my heart and to ask there thoughts on the sertraline.

 

[sunkacola]

@FibroDave I am wishing you the best of luck and hope that you can get things straightened out soon and find a medication that will help with your anxiety. I know how bad it can be to have the rug pulled out from under you like this....been there myself. Even if the breakup is ultimately a positive thing in your life, the upheaval is hard to go through.

 

[FibroDave]

@sunkacola doctor said my pain is costo again lol and agreied with my thoughts on sertraline (been on for 5 years+) and has changed it to venlafaxine.

 

[sunkacola]

pain is costo again

Costo? What does this mean, please?

I wish you all the best with the new medication. Please let us know how it goes for you.

 

[FibroDave]

Lolsorry costo is costochondritis

 

[sunkacola]

Just looked that up, @FibroDave . It sounds very painful!

 

[SBee]

Something I am prone to do @FibroDave .. I am a right git at shortening medication names in particular as they can be so hard to spell let alone say.
And I also forget that what I shorten, or even what I think, makes (mostly) sense in my own head, and yet I am thankful no one else has to look inside it though...