Hi, new to the group, member from afar!

[Rasmoo]

Hi everyone, I've just joined this group. I'm an American who used to live in Sydney, now based in Bangkok as of early 2014. I decided to go into business for myself as a child protection/safeguarding consultant working with non-profit agencies and international schools helping them develop safeguarding policies, procedures, etc. For years I had suffered neck pain, but I thought it was just the stress of my previous job - we had a really cramped open-space office which was almost impossible to work in sometimes! Also stopped sleeping well in about 2007...I went to the GP, had xray, MRI, nothing showed up. Tried Baclofen but it didn't work (low dose). Physio, etc. etc. Then when I moved here, the pain started spreading lower down my shoulders and back, then arms, etc. Last August I met up with an old friend from years ago who was visiting with his wife....who happens to be a rheumatologist. I was commenting on my pains, and she said 'stand up'. I did, and she began pressing the fibromyalgia pain points. OW! That made it pretty clear to me....so I started using Tramadol as you can get it over the counter here in Thailand - and I must have gotten a bad batch so ended up in ER when I was visiting my parents in the US. Finally had a rheumatologist there confirm it...then a second one here in Bangkok. After some time of denial and not wanting it I am finally coming to terms with it.....am now on 150mg Lyrica, 30mg Cymbalta, doesn't completely stop the pain and still have trouble sleeping. Had a flare up the other day that was the worst day of my LIFE. But hopefully I can make some lifestyle changes that will help....work is very hectic and I travel constantly, so I know that doesn't help. Anyway sorry for babbling on, but hi and would love to hear some of your stories! :smile:

 

[cmetryme]

Rasmoo, welcome to the forum, we are glad you got to get a release by telling us your story. we all didnt believe when we were told we had fibro. i and my friends thought oh that just the doctor telling you that is fibro because they don't know what you have. its like a bin they can throw their patients in. for me i have those pressure tests and that was my believer. as i was already diagnosed with skin lupus i thought it was that causing me the pain.

you are on lyrica at a very low dose. when i was on it, 2700. your doctor is starting you this way to see your reaction and if it helps. doctor will increase it over time and get you some relief.

you said you has a flare up. do you know what cause you to have that? if not think back 2-6 hours before it happened. did you do something stressful, eat something, touch something. you need to avoid those triggers to reduce your pain. im sorry this is happening to you too.

it helps if you have a daily log book so you can write down the drugs and times, the pain levels, what you think may have caused your flare up(so you can go back and see if you did the same thing to cause it). this will help when you go to the doctor so you and he can see if the meds are working. the doctor will increase them or take you off them based on this log book. you can see what your daily and monthly average pain level. read back through those days and see what might be a trigger and avoid it.

we are here going through the same things you are. reading and repling to the posts helps everyone and you.learn and share what you have learned.