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Alma31

New member
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Messages
5
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
00/0000
Country
US
State
GA
I am new to this forum. I had to retire in 2011 due to CAD and pain. I have always been upbeat and positive, and I used to be able to keep up with the house chores, although I have never been obsessive compulsive. Between the brain fog and the pain that takes over, the morning is the WORST.
I have always been very active: taught HS for 20 years while I studied for the last 11 yrs to finish 2 degrees until my body broke down. In 2003 my father died and I was devastated. My mother declined in mental health after his death and was put in a home in 2008, for total care after a stroke. I was very close to her. She was in a wheelchair for 5 yrs, dying last year. It was an agonizing slow death for me seeing her like that for 5 yrs.
Lately, I have been having dizzy spells since Jan 7th, brought about an 11 hr car ride with stops to attend a family funeral. The dizziness is when I lower my head, turn it, look down or up. My balance has been affected after my lumbar back surgery 2 yrs ago, but my spinal stenosis pain went away. Last week I saw a top rheumatologist here in GA, and a top ENT to see if my inner ear is causing dizziness, who prescribed a brain MRI. I feel constantly exhausted, specially in the morning and night. The afternoons are better and I refuse to lie down and let life pass me by. I walk a mile once or twice a week, go to the gym to lift minimum weights on the machines and do the elliptical, or swim. After exercise, it's payback and the pain is almost intolerable during that night and the following day. I can't exercise but every other day, or on the 3rd day.

Gabapentin makes my life tolerable. Clonazepam .5 (1 to 2 a day)helps with my anxiety and helps me to sleep at night. Cymbalta is new for me, and I hope it will work for the pain and depression. My calves and legs hurt greatly (I stretch them), including my right foot and I have nerve tingling and numbness in the feet, but no diabetes.
I don't overdue any medicine and sometimes I might result to one hydrocodone/acet.
when nothing else works only to take one pill. At night hydro keeps me up. I also have sleep apnea and use a CPAP.

I hope this post will help someone, and I wonder if any has dizziness and balance problems too. Hang in there and don't give up! I have hobbies and little projects to distract me.
 
Sorry your going through so much at once, have you tried amnitriptolane at night? It has been a Godsend for me.
 
Hi. I have just found this site. I live in the UK, I have Fibro. It seems to totally take over my body. As Yourself I do have dizzy spells & often sway to my left. My memory is awful, I could be chatting away then "Bam" I start to stammer & try so, so hard to remember what we were talking about. I feel so embarrassed. That fog completely becomes thicker, the more I try the thicker it becomes.
 
Welcome to the fourm . I tend to walk to the left . I no a lot of ppl who get dizzy. Some meds can make it worse. I have amitripoline at night it helps me sleep .without it I never sleep a wink. Good on you Alma for keeping going . But why are u letting your self lay there at night in pain. No one likes pain pills but if they help u sleep help u go to the gym then why not take them. Yes I to only allow myself a set amount a day but one pill won't do much for anyone ,pain meds need to be taken offen to build up and work well. Well so my dr tells me lol.
Chez
Ohhh goodie someone else from uk I was feeling alittle lonely .xxxx
 
Yikes I hate leg pain and dizziness! Have you talked to your pharmacist about the medications you are on and if they could be causing the dizziness? I am lucky to live in a small village with a wonderful pharmacy I go to. The pharmacist is so great and I can call her at any time when I have questions. When my doctor tried to put me on a new medication, the pharmacist told me she recommended that I not go on it because of the interaction with another medication I am taking. She called the doctor and they came up with an alternative medication. I do get dizzy from time to time but I have to then check to see if I remember eating. I forget to do that sometimes and my blood sugars drop which make me dizzy. With your leg pain, have you tried using a warm water pool just to do some stretching and walking in the warm water? This helped me a lot. At night, I will take a super hot bath before I go to bed to help with the pain in my legs. My husband will also give me a leg massage sometimes. I live though the pain of the massage as I usually feel better after. Of course, there are days where there is no way I will let him touch my legs as it hurts too much. I hope you find some help. This disease is no fun. Hugs!
 
Thanks to all for your posts and support:Vellybean, Forgetmenot, chez, moe1959 I am not used to this website yet, so I hope this post makes it to the right place.

I do take a very warm shower every night and I soak my legs in a warm tub sometimes. I also get in the hot tub at the gym and that helps. I also know that if I stretch my calves, my leg pain is lessened. I also am aware that there are no interactions with my meds.
I can't take amytriptiline for it makes the very tired and a hangover feeling the next day.
I am feeling better these last few days and my dizzy spells are only happening when I lie down and turn my head to one side or the other. I talked to my doctor who said that MRI of my brain looked fine. I don't have any significant changes. He said the dizzy spells are Benign Positional Vertigo and they will go away by themselves. I can tell they are less often and I feel better.
I walked one mile at the park with my hubby today and I am tired now but not too achy.
 
Hi there Alma 31 I am also a new member. Hope your having a better day. A lot of what you wrote refers very much to me, I too have dizziness & fallen five times in the last year two falls were quit bad, bracking my rib & arm. My tingling is mainly my legs & feet, aching and throbbing I just want to pull the off. Only now and them I get tingling in my hands & fore arms.
I love walking and try to walk a little each day but it can and dose make them feel worse, I have been told, however that is good for people with fm.
I too have hobbies but find it difficult concentrating some times I guess that's thats all part of the illness.
I'm glade that I read your post as this is the first forum I have joined and it was a relif to find some one with the same issues.
 
Great to hear Alma! Glad your vertigo is getting better!
 
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