Newbie here

[Am77]

Hello, my name is Amareet. Nice to meet you all. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia a month ago after first being diagnosed with RA. After scans not showing any inflammation on my hands and feet and my bloods clear, they changed it to fibro. I am in the most extreme pain. My body is extremely swollen, the burning pain is unbearable. I’m on zapain and pregablin but they don’t seem to be taking the pain away. The pain brings me to tears. The brain fog is shocking. I can’t remember anything at all. Im 46, 3.5 years into the menopause. I suffer with depression and anxiety. So that’s me. Hope to get to know you all. Thanks for reading.

 

[sunkacola]

hello Amareet, and welcome to the forum.
Unfortunately, as you are discovering, pain medication is not always effective for those of us with fibromyalgia. Some people, through experimentation, have found some medication that helps, but we are all different and what works for one won't necessarily work for another.

If you are experiencing a longer than average course of menopause, as it sounds like in what you wrote, then you may be experiencing some of these symptoms as a result of that. The brain fog, depression, and anxiety could be caused at least in part by your menopause. Have you considered HRT? I am not recommending it, as I have no idea if it would be right for you or not, but it might be worthwhile to talk to your doctor about that.

As for the pain, most of us find that we have to do our own experimentation with various different things to find relief. I have written a post about that and maybe if you read it you will find some worthwhile things to try. (see below)

Many of us also have depression, including myself, so we can empathize with you on that. for some of us, the depression was a part of life before fibro, and for others having chronic pain brought depression into our lives, but we can all relate to what you are going through. I hope that you will find answers to your questions and support within this forum. We are here to help.

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

 

[Am77]

hello Amareet, and welcome to the forum.
Unfortunately, as you are discovering, pain medication is not always effective for those of us with fibromyalgia. Some people, through experimentation, have found some medication that helps, but we are all different and what works for one won't necessarily work for another.

If you are experiencing a longer than average course of menopause, as it sounds like in what you wrote, then you may be experiencing some of these symptoms as a result of that. The brain fog, depression, and anxiety could be caused at least in part by your menopause. Have you considered HRT? I am not recommending it, as I have no idea if it would be right for you or not, but it might be worthwhile to talk to your doctor about that.

As for the pain, most of us find that we have to do our own experimentation with various different things to find relief. I have written a post about that and maybe if you read it you will find some worthwhile things to try. (see below)

Many of us also have depression, including myself, so we can empathize with you on that. for some of us, the depression was a part of life before fibro, and for others having chronic pain brought depression into our lives, but we can all relate to what you are going through. I hope that you will find answers to your questions and support within this forum. We are here to help.

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 for you kind words. I should have mentioned that I am already on HRT. 2mg. I have a history of depression, probably 10 years now. My mum died very suddenly in October 2021, which I believe has bright the fibro on. There was a lot of trauma in my family that has affected not only my MH, but now my physical health. I have multiple issues with my back and right knee, which also hinders my mobility. I am also in talking therapy regarding previous trauma that went on for 12/14 years. I am a mother of an 8 yr old who has autism. Our eldest is 16 and he has ADHD. The house is very busy and I need to be able to keep up. I am struggling to do that. My mood is so low. I cry daily with this pain. The burning. The lack of sleep. the swelling. Life seems very dark at the moment and I can’t seem to find any light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[sunkacola]

One thing I can tell you from my own experience is that if you dedicate yourself to finding out what combination of things including diet, exercise, mental health boosters, and lifestyle that will benefit you the most, and you find things that help lift your spirits and/or make you feel even just a little bit better physically, it is the most empowering thing you can do. And if you feel that kind of empowerment, even for a few minutes each day, it can make a huge difference. And that is your light at the end of the tunnel.

The thing is, no one can do it for you. You have to do it yourself. And we feel so exhausted and overwhelmed sometimes, and totally incapable of making some kind of change even if it would help. But the thing to keep in mind is that you don't need to do it all at once. One tiny step, just one, can make a difference. If you can find it in you to make one step toward a change that might help, then treat yourself like a small child who has shown you a drawing, and give yourself praise and admiration for doing it. It may sound silly to do that, but do it anyway. Take tiny steps of experimentation to find out what your healthiest lifestyle will be, and give yourself a lot of credit for every single step, no matter how small it is. They all count.

 

[Auriel]

Hi Amareet welcome to the forum
, sorry you're experiencing swelling and a lot of pain (I get the burning neuropathy pain and extreme fatigue too!) I've never had swelling (I hope I never experince that either) did they find r.a in your blood tests? (or was it a medical theory) yes the memory issues we have can be quite annoying (I know I feel old before my time because of them) is it ok to ask? Have you ever done modelling (just think you have a very beautiful face) I hope your swelling goes down soon (there was a young girl that used to be on here, also had swelling too) ok, hope you're happy to have joined us
️️

 

[Fibromom3]

Hi, my name is Karri and I’m 45 years old. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia around 3 years ago. Up until about 6 months ago I was managing my pain from fibromyalgia pretty good with medicine (Cymbalta in the morning, gabapentin at night) but then I had my first of two knee surgeries in May and that threw me into a Fibromyalgia flare that is completely ruining my life. I’m in such severe pain 24 hours a day, and feel so depressed. My doctor switched me from gabapentin to Lyrica yesterday and I’m praying it helps: do you mind telling me what medicines you take? I am also on a regimen on Norco and Tramadol, but I’m hoping that if the Lyrica works I will be able to stop taking those.

 

[Auriel]

Hi Karri (@Fibromom3). Welcome to the forum! ️, I take gabapentin for mine too (makes me so sleepy ) I hope the lyrica does something good for you (cos all those different meds are more than enough to drows you out) yes fibro is life changing (it can indeed alter your life, in ways people don't realise) wishing positive changes for you soon ️️