Reduced pain

[Matilda71]

I've now been diagnosed with fibromyalgia by my rheumatologist but recently my pain has got much better, has anyone else experienced this.?

 

[Harpy]

Matilda71, bad news about the fibro but great news your much better.
Some times when I was originally diagnosed with ailments I would feel a little better, finally to be told what is actually wrong with me did take the weight off a bit. I hope you feel better for the long term .

 

[JayCS]

I've now been diagnosed with fibromyalgia by my rheumatologist but recently my pain has got much better, has anyone else experienced this.?

You mean without any treatments of any kind being started? Like Harpy says praps the weight being taken off can make a bit of a difference. The most likely reason I'd think is that our pains come in flares and in your case a flare may have just ended. As the diagnostic process involves not just "trouble", but also a lot of strain organizing, getting to, waiting, talking and being in appointments, that is very likely to increase pain and stopping it to decrease it.
For me the pain got a bit better when I finally had got thru all of the treatments that doctors felt would be good for me, but actually harmed.
And trying any new treatment has a high likelihood of causing harm until the right dosage at the right time is found or it's stopped completely. It's something I keep forgetting, esp. if a few things work without harming, but analyzing treatments as triggers help detect possible reasons for flares.

 

[Matilda71]

JayCs
I was started on duloxetine 30mg and am now on 60mg. I also take nortriptyline 20mg at night. I was wondering if this has helped also.

 

[JayCS]

duloxetine 30mg and am now on 60mg. I also take nortriptyline 20mg at night. ... wondering if this has helped also.

Definitely possible, these are 2 meds that do work for some - we just have to watch for that changing any way, usually side effects increasing, which we all get, or main effects decreasing, sometimes the other way round, but usually only in the first weeks, like you're in.
It's more difficult with meds, but with my supps I regularly re-check if they're still doing what I want them to by watching out if I run out of one if that makes a difference, and if that never happens just stopping or reducing. And definitely, whether supps or meds: If I ever forget to take one, I try not to bash myself too much, but instead to note exactly what changes in my daily (b)log, so use it to test what then happens.
(In my case the similar med to yours, amitriptyline, hardly worked at all, only zombified me all the time, and after 4 months I stopped cos of 8 side effects that were becoming a real problem, incl. weight gain of 6kg which took 2 years to lose again (and of course can make moving harder). But at the moment I'm having considerable success experimenting with strange doses of a thyroid (pixie dust) and an antihistamine (halving) med).

 

[cookiebaker]

I was started on duloxetine 30mg and am now on 60mg. I also take nortriptyline 20mg at night. I was wondering if this has helped also.

very possible the meds are helping
for me, the duloxetine made me excessively groggy, and the nortriptyline gave me tremors after a couple of weeks.. needless to say I dont take either anymore... but that is me..

keep track of how you are feeling for at least a month after reaching the full dosage your doc recommends, and know what kinds of side effects to be aware of.. there is a website called drugs(dot)com that has a very comprehensive list of side effects for most medications - a very valuable resource when trying out new meds.
If - at any point - you start feeling off, overly tired, or anything out of the ordinary, dont be afraid to tell your doc about it. Even if it is months from now.

 

[Matilda71]

Hi again.
I've started a part time job, 12 hours a week, now all my pain has come back and I feel really poorly, how do other people cope with working with fibromyalgia?
Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[JayCS]

how do other people cope with working with fibromyalgia?

I'll try a short take on that one:

• taking the (10 months) sick leave as well as "spare" time to work on symptoms,
• finding out what I need (in real life, which was different to what I expected),
• telling my colleagues and bosses what I need,
• adapting the way I go about things,
• changing what exactly I do/prioritize, where possible,
• asking to switch tasks,
• getting all possible (3) disability types to be able to continue whilst doing less & differently
• when the jab-triggered MCAS brought my energy down: home office plus using up overtime,
• retiring, but continuing with online work, paid if I can find it, or volunteer if I can't,
• starting again if/whatever possible.