I'm worn out from the pain

[tinalynnbrown66]

Hello Everyone,

I'm worn out, tired from the pain and nothing I've done has helped one bit! Nothing! I've tried the medications my doctor has prescribed me, Effexor, Cymbalta and Gabapentin, None of those worked for me. I'm taking CBD at night to sleep and Aleve to get me trough each day. I started going to my Chiropractor again, during my last visit he said it was 90% me as to why I hurt and told me to go home and Ice my arms twice a day! I did do that and it made it worse! I hurt now more than I did before. I'm due to go back tomorrow to him but I'm reluctant. I can't sleep in my bed because I can't get out of it if I do. I sleep in our recliner which is okay but not ideal. My shoulders, neck, upper back, biceps and forearms hurt the most along with my legs. I need help, I want to feel better. I can barley take a shower or do my hair because of the pain. I'm working on eating healthier, and changing some things in my life but this does take time. I don't feel stressed but I do work and I do what I can to push through each day. I'm trying not to get depressed but the pain is getting to me! I have read some of your threads, thank you so much for sharing as the ones I have read have been helpful. I welcome positive suggestions. Thank you for listening and allowing me to share. I am blessed with a Husband who is very supportive. That's a plus for sure!

 

[tinalynnbrown66]

I also had Covid back in December and shortly after that is when my Fibro symptoms started. So it's only been 6 months but it's been a very hard 6 months to say the least.

 

[sunkacola]

hello @tinalynnbrown66 and welcome to the forum.
Many people here including myself can relate to what you are saying, and it does tire a person out considerably. I spent about 3 years listening to the doctors and taking medications that didn't really help anywhere near as much as I needed them to, and my life was a kind of hell. I finally decided that I had to take charge of things myself and find out what would work to make me feel better, and that started a very long process of trial and error and trial again and research and more trial. It did take a long time but I finally developed what works for me, I follow that, make adjustments as needed, and it changed everything for me. I still have fibro. I still have chronic pain and exhaustion and my life is not at all what it used to be. But I am able to manage it physically, mentally, and emotionally far better than I ever would have thought possible at the beginning. I think my life is as close to being normal as it can be, considering that I have fibromyalgia.

I wrote a whole long post about this, listing the things I tried and that worked for me but also a whole lot of other things I have learned and found. I found that (I know this is a cliché but bear with me because it is very true) that my mental/emotional approach to fibromyalgia is one of the most important aspects of making your life good again.

None of the things a person needs to change and learn in order to deal with and manage fibro effectively will come easy and all of them take time to assimilate and learn and get used to, to the point that they become second nature. But the only way to get to that point is to start, and then never, ever give up.

You can do this.
Here is my post, and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

My advice for managing fibromyalgia (especially for newcomers)

I am not a doctor or anything, just a person who has lived with fibromyalgia for several years now and has done a lot of research and trial and error experimentation. What follows is just basics. There are a lot of variations. You will find your own versions of everything I say, as this is not a...

www.fibromyalgiaforums.org

 

[tinalynnbrown66]

Thank you so much, I did read your post today but it wouldn't let me reply to it for some reason? I'm doing a lot of things you wrote myself too. Every day is a new day! I can't give up, that's not an option!

 

[tinalynnbrown66]

hello @tinalynnbrown66 and welcome to the forum.
Many people here including myself can relate to what you are saying, and it does tire a person out considerably. I spent about 3 years listening to the doctors and taking medications that didn't really help anywhere near as much as I needed them to, and my life was a kind of hell. I finally decided that I had to take charge of things myself and find out what would work to make me feel better, and that started a very long process of trial and error and trial again and research and more trial. It did take a long time but I finally developed what works for me, I follow that, make adjustments as needed, and it changed everything for me. I still have fibro. I still have chronic pain and exhaustion and my life is not at all what it used to be. But I am able to manage it physically, mentally, and emotionally far better than I ever would have thought possible at the beginning. I think my life is as close to being normal as it can be, considering that I have fibromyalgia.

I wrote a whole long post about this, listing the things I tried and that worked for me but also a whole lot of other things I have learned and found. I found that (I know this is a cliché but bear with me because it is very true) that my mental/emotional approach to fibromyalgia is one of the most important aspects of making your life good again.

None of the things a person needs to change and learn in order to deal with and manage fibro effectively will come easy and all of them take time to assimilate and learn and get used to, to the point that they become second nature. But the only way to get to that point is to start, and then never, ever give up.

You can do this.
Here is my post, and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

My advice for managing fibromyalgia (especially for newcomers)

I am not a doctor or anything, just a person who has lived with fibromyalgia for several years now and has done a lot of research and trial and error experimentation. What follows is just basics. There are a lot of variations. You will find your own versions of everything I say, as this is not a...

www.fibromyalgiaforums.org

Thank you so much

 

[sunkacola]

Thank you so much, I did read your post today but it wouldn't let me reply to it for some reason? I'm doing a lot of things you wrote myself too. Every day is a new day! I can't give up, that's not an option!

That particular thread is closed for comments. I closed it because it was never meant to be a Q and A thread or a discussion, but rather just one post that people could read for ideas, encouragement and suggestions. You may ask me questions in any other thread you want, though, or even open up a thread for that purpose, or send me a PM.

 

[tinalynnbrown66]

That particular thread is closed for comments. I closed it because it was never meant to be a Q and A thread or a discussion, but rather just one post that people could read for ideas, encouragement and suggestions. You may ask me questions in any other thread you want, though, or even open up a thread for that purpose, or send me a PM.

Thank you so very much, that is very sweet of you! I appreciate it! I'm just not sure what to do for relief from the pain? I take Aleve, Advil and Tylenol, not all at once of course but I try to change it up. They only help for a short time. I'm trying new things to see what works.

 

[sunkacola]

Thank you so very much, that is very sweet of you! I appreciate it! I'm just not sure what to do for relief from the pain? I take Aleve, Advil and Tylenol, not all at once of course but I try to change it up. They only help for a short time. I'm trying new things to see what works.

Well, the whole thing is that in my opinion it is far better to avoid using medications at all. I am not saying never, but that is not what you want to rely on for every day just being able to get around, and you don't have to. Just using medications is a dead end street.

The biggest mistake I made early on was not realizing that medication was not the answer. It's so easy for us to think that because all our lives we are told - you have a headache, take this pill. You have a backache, take this pill. And when it's just muscle strain or a headache once in a while that's entirely appropriate. but for chronic pain it is not the best thing.

The best approach to fibromyalgia is doing the things I outlined in that post. You say you want to do something for the pain.....that is what to do! It may not help immediately today, but in the long run it is the best approach because it becomes a routine that you have daily, with modifications always possible.

I went from being in so much pain I couldn't get out of bed until the tramadol took effect, to taking a pain medication maybe once a month. Even when the pain is bad I have so many other things I can do to help relieve it that I do those first rather than reaching for a pill. An d how I did it was following the advice that I put into that post. I know it will work because I have done it. As they say, your mileage will vary. But there is no human being with fibro who will not feel better to at least some degree if they are eating a fully healthy diet, getting appropriate exercise, going outside, managing stress to keep it as low as possible, maintaining a positive attitude, removing toxic people and situations from their life, and accepting what cannot be changed while working to improve what can be and giving themselves a lot of credit for every single success.

This is what to do for the pain.

Start today. You don't have to do it all at once, but start something and track your progress. I found when I started in a truly dedicated fashion doing all of those things I started feeling better almost right away because I knew I was taking charge of my own health. It took about 6 months for me to figure out what worked for me and what didn't, but during those months I steadily felt better. After less than a year my life was dramatically improved. I don't wake up in pain most days. I can plan something and feel 60 to 75% sure I will be able to do it when the time comes. (Part of that is what I do and don't do in the couple of days leading up to it). I can go hiking. I don't fight with my body, and I don't get frustrated or depressed about my fibro. I simply manage it the best I can. You can do this too. I hope you will. I know I am on a soap box here. But I want everyone to have the experience I have had and that is why I do all this. It may not work out for every single person to the degree that they feel as good most days as I do. but it will help and you'll never know how much it can help you if you don't give it your all and find out.

 

[tinalynnbrown66]

Well, the whole thing is that in my opinion it is far better to avoid using medications at all. I am not saying never, but that is not what you want to rely on for every day just being able to get around, and you don't have to. Just using medications is a dead end street.

The biggest mistake I made early on was not realizing that medication was not the answer. It's so easy for us to think that because all our lives we are told - you have a headache, take this pill. You have a backache, take this pill. And when it's just muscle strain or a headache once in a while that's entirely appropriate. but for chronic pain it is not the best thing.

The best approach to fibromyalgia is doing the things I outlined in that post. You say you want to do something for the pain.....that is what to do! It may not help immediately today, but in the long run it is the best approach because it becomes a routine that you have daily, with modifications always possible.

I went from being in so much pain I couldn't get out of bed until the tramadol took effect, to taking a pain medication maybe once a month. Even when the pain is bad I have so many other things I can do to help relieve it that I do those first rather than reaching for a pill. An d how I did it was following the advice that I put into that post. I know it will work because I have done it. As they say, your mileage will vary. But there is no human being with fibro who will not feel better to at least some degree if they are eating a fully healthy diet, getting appropriate exercise, going outside, managing stress to keep it as low as possible, maintaining a positive attitude, removing toxic people and situations from their life, and accepting what cannot be changed while working to improve what can be and giving themselves a lot of credit for every single success.

This is what to do for the pain.

Start today. You don't have to do it all at once, but start something and track your progress. I found when I started in a truly dedicated fashion doing all of those things I started feeling better almost right away because I knew I was taking charge of my own health. It took about 6 months for me to figure out what worked for me and what didn't, but during those months I steadily felt better. After less than a year my life was dramatically improved. I don't wake up in pain most days. I can plan something and feel 60 to 75% sure I will be able to do it when the time comes. (Part of that is what I do and don't do in the couple of days leading up to it). I can go hiking. I don't fight with my body, and I don't get frustrated or depressed about my fibro. I simply manage it the best I can. You can do this too. I hope you will. I know I am on a soap box here. But I want everyone to have the experience I have had and that is why I do all this. It may not work out for every single person to the degree that they feel as good most days as I do. but it will help and you'll never know how much it can help you if you don't give it your all and find out.

Thank you so very much, this is very helpful and I know I do have to take charge of my life. Thank you for sharing, I need it!

 

[shoshosho]

To the OP, you had mentioned you have to push through it every day. By 2016 I realized the more I pushed the worse it got. I found that I needed to balance my activities. Last august my neurologist recommended Medical Marijuana, before my Fibromyalgia diagnosis. Once I got the dose and type right, edibles for me, It was a miracle. Not a cure but definitely relaxed my muscles and reduced pain. Smoking/Vaping did not work for me. When my Rheumatologist diagnosed me with Fibro this past May the first thing she asked me is if I tried MM, I said yes and that was it. She did not recommend any other meds, as I am on a lot already. I found that I could pull back on the other meds with nasty side effects. Down side, no driving. But I was not supposed to drive while on my full course of meds anyways. Hope this helps. Hang in there and try to relax, and listen to your body.

 

[tinalynnbrown66]

To the OP, you had mentioned you have to push through it every day. By 2016 I realized the more I pushed the worse it got. I found that I needed to balance my activities. Last august my neurologist recommended Medical Marijuana, before my Fibromyalgia diagnosis. Once I got the dose and type right, edibles for me, It was a miracle. Not a cure but definitely relaxed my muscles and reduced pain. Smoking/Vaping did not work for me. When my Rheumatologist diagnosed me with Fibro this past May the first thing she asked me is if I tried MM, I said yes and that was it. She did not recommend any other meds, as I am on a lot already. I found that I could pull back on the other meds with nasty side effects. Down side, no driving. But I was not supposed to drive while on my full course of meds anyways. Hope this helps. Hang in there and try to relax, and listen to your body.

Thank you so much, yes I take CBD every night, it does help me sleep and it does relieve the pain. There are days I wish I didn't have to push through the pain but unfortunately I don't have much of a choice at this moment. I have to work, I live in the Bay Area in California. I grew up here. Maybe some day I'll be able to get out of this state but as of right now it's not possible. Thank you for sharing, I appreciate it!