Newly diagnosed with fibromyalgia

Hi, Biddyboo, and welcome! I'm sorry you have been diagnosed with fibro but am glad you found us! We have wonderful members who love to help one another and, as a bonus, we really do care about each other, too. I do think you will like it here.

You will get a variety of responses as to what to take to help you. The reason is, what helps one with fibro doesn't necessarily help another. It's a trial and error type process. But, once you get the pain under control, you can live a full and enjoyable life in spite of this illness. I know I sure have.

When I was first diagnosed 27 years ago, this illness was called fibrositis and they really didn't have much to help in the way of medication. Consequently, I started taking ibuprofen and Tylenol and they helped me. Along the way I have added magnesium malate and vitamon D3, which seems to help quite a few fibromites, and recently I've added a muscle relaxer called Robaxin which has made a significant difference for me. I only take half of what was prescribed so I don't have side effects with this.

It is also important to keep moving with fibro. If you sit or lay too long, you will be stiff as a board and have more pain. I walk daily as a form of gentle exercise and I also swim in the warmer months. I do gentle stretching exercises and pace myself when doing things, too. All of the above help me be in control of the pain.

I rarely have the burning skin situation so I can't be any help there. If I do get it. It's usually just a small area and I ignore it and focus on other things and, before I know it, it's gone. Not thinking about how you feel is important. I find if I think about fibro I notice every symptom I have and then I just feel miserable. Just keep moving and enjoying your life and a lot of these issues usually fade in the background.

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there. There are links about the supplements I mentioned and how they work in the body. All of Fibro 101 is good so do read it.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine

One of the things I do is soak in a hot bath with epsom salts and then rub gently with lotion. This usually helps alleviate the burning feeling.

Hi Biddyboo,
I was Finally Diagnosed in june of this year, and my Rumy starters me on Neurontin. 300mg at bedtime. i hated it i was more fatigued sick to my stomach, but gave it a week like he said and still no pain improvement. so we went to 600mg at bedtime.. same side effects as the week before but no improvement in pain. ok week 3 900 mg. i gave it 5 days and my pain was cut back so much that i started working my walks into jogs! i was still fatigued but nausea was gone and pain was bearable.. i did notice a pretty drastic change in my vision. well i thought this is the perfect dose for me, and it was for about 4 weeks, then pain started progressing again. so i thought maybe the weather, i gave it a 5th week and finally woke up one morning and bam back to square one i felt like i had been hit by a train again my whole body felt bruised, when i get out of bed in the morning i dread my feet touching the floor, the just feel severely bruised through and through. Doc did not want me to up dosage from there because of the bad side effects, so weaned off and now on Lyrica which is no better, my pain is tolerable at least i am just tired all the time.
anyway give the neurontin some time. in the meantime creams, heating pads, and eucalyptus soak works well for me.

Biddyboo I feel for you. The burning skin showed up for me about 8 months ago and I've only had relief from it for the 5 weeks I was on neurontin. That was the only thing that helped me with it.

I can tell you though, for me, at first it was extremely irritating to me and raised my anxiety level nonstop. After a few months I did get used to it, it slowly faded into the background and I barely notice it anymore unless I concentrate on it.

I do occasionally have days where it gets so bad It's all I can think about, maybe once or twice a month, and I take a neurontin to get a break from it and relax. Hopefully it will ease up for you in time or become bearable as it has for me.

Biddyboo-

Thwt sounds a lot like what happened to me on Gabapentin, which I think is in the same family as Neurontin. I also wanted to eat 24/7. Mostly light carbs. ( think loaves of bread).

I highly recommend calling your doc and checking into options. I am on Lyrica and am finding it some help, but it has only been one month.

I also foudn that massage therapy is the one relief I have from the burning and throbbing in my arms, shoulders, neck and upper back. My edema has been fairly severe and I cant get the topical pain med my neurologist prescribed, so I hauled out my Tens device for relief. Not everyone is comfortable with that feeling. I did find though that it can ease symptoms during a flare in order to allow me to move or to go to sleep again if needed. I found some medical sites recommending it for unrelieved edema (fluid on the muscles) which seems to happen a lot with fibro. It is the only thing I can count on besides the msssage therapist who doesnt have daily appointments for me ;)

My therapist ( for my frustration issues with my life right now) had an interesting recommendation for the jump out of my skin days. I am trying it with some success. I have a handcream that I love the smell of. When I get overwrought, I put on the handcream and rub it into my hands well, fovusing on the scent and the feeling of th cream on my hands. I am not supposed to think of anything else. Sometimes it helps a lot. Sometimes a little. It is a mini meditation time and sometimes helps center me, It is really good for sensory overload for some reason. It can also be w worrystine you like the feel of, or anything else you csn concentrate in that feels pleasant to you and engages one or two of your senses. My hands are always dry and smell us very important to me.

Our spouses really get hit with this. If I could get mine into a support group, I would. He is going through his own medical issues and I am trying to help him as without sleep, he forgets a lot. he is still a sweetie too. He is good at just coming up and hugging me gently when I get overwrought from temper/sensory overload until it calms. The hardest part was learning how to let him touch me even casually without jumping put of my skin

I also tried keeping him in the loop and asking him to help me remember certain things and/or nag me to write them down. He has been trying. We are having a bad week together this week, but this time, it is because of his medical issues, not mine. I am trying hard to give him the love and support I would want. I amnot sure I am succeeding, but I think he knows I am trying. It is hard to make it fair. Someone once said something about both partners in a relationshio having to give 75%.

I hope some of this helps you. Please call your doc and get them to help you. I feel for you having to go through this. i am dealing with it too and hope your doc is able to find something that helps you more.

Good luck,