Total Twilight Zone...

[leeleelee]

Hi all. I really need to tell my story so thanks in advance for reading...I'm not sure where to start except to say that since Sept., it feels like I'm inside a stranger's body. I'm 56 years old, married, mom to 5 (2 bio, 3 step), Nana to one amazing angel. I've worked my entire life, worked multiple jobs in my 40s, and was facing the regular aches and pains of getting older (have bad knees) but otherwise, I was in good health, with rarely even a cold. I've had moderate depression for years, but I've got a good doc and medication for that.
One of my kids (18 y.o.) is medically fragile and his needs are time-consuming and extremely expensive. My husband is retired and (somewhat) physically disabled. I work full-time, thankfully at home, even before Covid, and I have a small side business of selling the paintings I paint Before September 2020, I was very busy, was reasonably physically active, and juggling things fairly well.
Then, in mid-September 2020, I felt like I was coming down with the flu - I was achy all over but had no fever. Also, no cough, sore throat (that might come with Covid), no anything else. I made a video appointment with my doc and she sent me to a rheumatologist. After a specialist change (due to a young male doc who told me that my symptoms were due to my weight) and every test they could think of... I'm diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
The all-over achiness comes and goes, and I have muscle and joint pain in various areas of my body (shoulders, arms, wrists, hips, quads, back, etc). Plus I get weird nerve-type pain (I guess I'd call it ) tingly, burning, icy, numb etc.
I'm on gabapentin and a very small dose of muscle relaxer to help me sleep and I'm doing 4 or 5 minutes of exercise every day, increasing by a minute each week, as my specialist recommended. I feel better when I get sleep but it's really hard to get as much sleep as I seem to need. Like so many others, I have tolerable days and intolerable days. My boss is understanding but I have a management job that is getting more stressful next month when a co-worker will be out on maternity leave and I take on her duties. I'm really nervous about not being able to live my old life... or even close to it. Any suggestions?

 

[sunkacola]

Hi leeleelee, Welcome to the forum. For suggestions on how to manage this the best you can, see the post that is pinned at the top of the General forum here.

I personally think the diagnosis was a bit too abrupt, because you have not apparently been tested for other things that could be causing these symptoms, and really you should be, before getting a fibro diagnosis. With the virus and everything that might be difficult, so in the meantime start implementing the advice in that post because no matter what is causing your symptoms doing those things will be likely to help you. I would also recommend getting a Covid test because it doesn't manifest the same in everyone and you might have it, or have had it. The effects can go on for weeks or even months.

Doing the exercise and building up slowly is great, so you should feel good about doing that. The other major thing is not to allow yourself to borrow trouble from a future no one can predict. If you worry about your future the only thing it will do is have a negative impact on your present. It won't help you and it won't help what happens in the future. Instead put that energy into living as healthfully as you can right now.

 

[leeleelee]

I personally think the diagnosis was a bit too abrupt, because you have not apparently been tested for other things that could be causing these symptoms, and really you should be, before getting a fibro diagnosis. With the virus and everything that might be difficult, so in the meantime start implementing the advice in that post because no matter what is causing your symptoms doing those things will be likely to help you. I would also recommend getting a Covid test because it doesn't manifest the same in everyone and you might have it, or have had it. The effects can go on for weeks or even months.

Thanks for your reply. I'll look at the post as you suggested.
As I said, I've been tested for a lot of things, including Lyme and Covid, and all showed nothing. It's possible it's something else, of course, but unless I develop other symptoms or something changes, that's the diagnosis I have.
Thanks again