Hi. I'm new to the forum and so happy to be here. I'm 76 and was diagnosed some 10 to 15 years ago. I've muddled along not always validating that I have this condition. I also have osteo arthritis and sometimes I haven't been able to discriminate between the pains. However, from what I've read (just a bit) already, I KNOW I have FM. Any action I take seems to be followed by a need to lie down. And then there are days of lying down. Just this past week a friend came to stay with me for 4 days, and when she left, I had zero energy for 3 days - mostly spent in bed. It's very frustrating because I have always led a busy life. I also find that there's a line that, if I go over it, I'm in bed for at least a day or two. I' am not under the care of a reheumatologist these days, but years ago one had put me on low doses of amitryptiline, which I remember as helping. Then I changed insurance plans and started getting notices that this drug was not good for seniors. So when I moved to upstate NY I stopped taking it. I do take cymbalta but I don't feel any relief for FM from that one.
If anyone on this forum is from the Hudson Valley or Capitol area of NY and knows a good rheumatologist, I would love to hear about them.
More to the point, I am glad I found you all