Hi! I am new! :) <3

[Liannemg]

Hi! I wanted to join your site as I have had Fibromyalgia since 1999. I was a Registered Nurse for 20 yrs & had to quit after the birth of my son 10 yrs ago. I loved my job I didn't want to but was physically suffering too much to take care of others & work 12 hr shifts. I spend a lot of time reading updates on Fibromyalgia, hypothyroid, Candida, & everything that plagues myself & my children. I have realized over the years that I prefer the Health & Wellness industry over Conventional Medicine. It makes so much sense to find out what is causing your illness rather than prescribe a medicine that just might help the symptom only. I am excited to see what others have found helpful. I also have osteoarthritis & a multitude of things but usually have pain everyday. I have been using Duragesic patches that have helped to somewhat improve my quality of life. I was so stiff & miserable & that is when I went to a pain Dr. I literally couldn't lift my leg to get dressed. I also have MS for breakthrough pain that I only take if it is bad. The burning pain is one I can't tolerate. Plus the knee pain with osteoarthritis. I used to be a runner. I also take motrin, antidepressant, sleeping med that helps me fall asleep but I wake up every couple hrs or sometimes every hr. I tried Lyrica & didn't notice much of a difference. But Cymbalta did help but I had to drop it bc it was a $45 med. I still take Effexor, the generic. But did notice my pain increasing after I stopped the Cymbalta. I really believe that good healthcare is only for the rich. The alternative doctors are all out of pocket, supplements get expensive & fresh food & organic food is expensive, but that is what we need to be healthy. Only I can hardly cook with the extreme fatigue & pain. Wish I could afford a cook & house cleaner. This dramatically changed my life! I used to keep a very clean house, do the yard work, grocery shopping, laundry, had dinner made every night for my husband & was working FUll time. I went to part time after I had my daughter who is now 15. Then stopped after my son, the pregnancy was a hard one & had toxemia & I think my legs would swell for a yr after. It all went downhill then. I don't have much family support. I have a sister who never asks how I am or offers to help. Her chiropractor, years ago told her he thought it was a garbage term for just being unhealthy! What an idiot! But researcher has now proven that to be way off but she doesn't do any research on it. Unfortunately my daughter was diagnosed with fibro, but we have also found her to be hypothyroid & anemic & has yeast in her gut. My older sister has it & 1 of her children, but all 3 have hypothyroid, I do too. I believe my son also has some symptoms as he complains of feet burning & legs & arms. Both my kids get migraines as well. Which can be from FM. Luckily, I have a lot of Faith! Prayer helps me relax & lessens my pain when it is really bad to the point of crying. I am a witness for stress making it worse. It is essential to have support! My husband does a lot of the things I used to do, except cook or clean but I get comments thrown at me like "Your legs aren't broken are they? He never asks how I am & doesn't give the back rubs I ask for & need badly. Then I have to be the support for my kids & give my daughter the back rubs she needs, which I will always do! And now I have to go back to work part time bc we are drowning financially. The Dr & hospital bills & the medicine bills leave us short every month. My husband has a minimal paycheck & has not had a raise in ten yrs & doesn't look like he ever will. Which puts me back to work. Anybody else with the same! I know we all have misery, so I am glad & thankful for this forum! God Bless everyone in pain & please give them some relief! Amen! <3

 

[Hurting in Philly]

Hi Liannemg and welcome! First let me say that I am sorry that you are going thru all that you are. I think most of us can sympathize with you. So many of the things you say ring true. I try my best to eat organic because I believe that all of the pesticides and hormones in the foods have helped to cause fibro/make it worse. BUT organic is so expensive. I was juicing which is so good for you, but literally just couldn't afford to do it anymore cuz I was spending like a hundred dollars per week on fruits and veggies. Its terrible that it seems like your kids are being affected by the disease as well. I know that must be hard on you watching them suffer. I am only working because I have to as well. It is so hard and I cry almost every day. Thankfully, everyone here has been so supportive and given me lots of advice on how to minimize the stress as much as possible and to relax whenever possible. Hopefully you will find this forum to be just as helpful. Again, welcome. Look around as much as you can and jump right in to threads. I promise it will help you a ton.

 

[1sweed]

liannemg,
Welcome to the forum. The hardest thing about fibro, aside from the pain is the heartache our families and non-believers put us through. The mental abuse is hard because our stress levels would be a lot lower if we had kind words and gentle hugs, and loving responses. But alas, many of us do not receive what is need and so we become stressed in many areas of our lives and numb in others. And the depression that comes from living in a place where we never know if the day will go well, or we are in trouble again piles on a hard burden of loneliness and sadness.

In some cases our families themselves are facing non-believers that make them feel like you are taking advantage and so to protect themselves you become the bad guy. They too become sad and lonely, not knowing what questions to ask and who to ask. Families become distant with each other through emotional pain. Sometimes they come around to fighting for your side and other times anything that is wrong becomes your fault. If the job they have does not pay well and so they are struggling to stay afloat then they will become resentful and mean. It is a frustation that can ruin good marriages if not addressed. Could you speak with your preacher or a therapist, or a good family friend that your husband trusts. Maybe attending a support group together or speaking with your doctor together would help. Do you try to express words of love to him on a daily basis?

Just know we care and are here for you if you need to talk. And good luck with all of the above. See you around the forum.