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Kerrie - Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a tough diagnosis and even tougher to live with. It is a disorder of the central nervous system that causes your pain receptors to be stuck in the "on" position. The mechanism that causes this is not understood. FMS is recognised by the National Arthitis Foundation and the Center for Disease Control. There is no cure but it can be managed.
One of the best comments I have read which was made by another member of this board is: "People with fibromyalgia are some of the toughest in the world. Having fibromyalgia is like training for the Olympics every day."
You need to be very well educated about this syndrome. Take some time to throughly read all of the information in the blue boxes on the lefthand side of this page. Education is the best defense against ignorance. If you have family members who don't understand give them a link to this website or the National Arthitis Foundation. One the latter, you will have to use the "search" function to find the information on Fibromyalgia.
There are medications that will help. It takes time and a lot of tinkering to find the right dose and combination to provide some relief. For pain Cymbalata, Lyrica and Savella are prescribed. Only certain classes of prescribed medication work so OTC remedies are a waste of time and money. For sleep, amitriptyline or other sleep aids are prescribed. FMS disrupts the deep sleep cycle. Your muscles need deep sleep to heal themselves from the days activities. No deep sleep means more pain and it becomes a vicious circle.
Try heat or cold on the cosochondritis and/or a sports cream. Personally, I like arnica which can be found at any decent health food store. It is a homeopathic sports cream which is particularly good for inflammation. Another option would be Ketoprofen which has to be made by a compound pharmacy. I use 20% Ketoprofen with lidocaine added. There are compound pharmacies everywhere. If one is not close to your home, the prescription can be faxed and the medication mailed to your home. Ketoprofen does not get into your bloodstream so it will interfere with anything else you are taking. There is also pain patch called Flector which is can be worn for 12 hours at a time. I use those too and they work well. But, the co-pay with insurance is very high.
Chronic high levels of pain need to be dealt with as the longer the pain cycle continues the harder it becomes to break. You may want to consider adding a pain specialist to your lisr of doctors. I have a rheumotologist and a pain specialist which work in tandem with one another.
Fibromyalgia requires a totally new approach to everyday life. You will have to learn to do things in smaller increments, learn to say "no" and not feel guilty and get plenty of rest. Overextending yourself a little will result in higher levels of pain and fatigue. It is a delicate balancing act which you will come to accept over time. All of us can tell you one story or another about how active we used to be prior to FMS. Beating yourself up over that does no good. Accepting your limitations is easier said than done. You are going through a grieving process right now. If you find yourself unable to move forward, please consider getting some help with those issues.
If you are not happy with your current doctor, try going to the National Fibromyalgia Association website and register. Then you can see a list of healthcare providers for your area. You could also call your local hospital physician referral service and ask them for some recommendation.
I hope that my comments are helpful to you in some way. Keep in touch and let us know how we can help. Take care and God bless.
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