Sorry if this is out of place for the mods, if it's against terms, feel free to delete...

I have created a new community for those of us with Osteoarthritis, called osteoarthritis, if you have it, or think you may have it, please join to relate with others, share stories, tretments, experiences, and to learn more about the condition.

Again, thanks!

Sorry if this is out of place for the mods, if it's against terms, feel free to delete...

I have created a new community for those of us with Osteoarthritis, called osteoarthritis, if you have it, or think you may have it, please join to relate with others, share stories, tretments, experiences, and to learn more about the condition.

Again, thanks!

So the lexapro im not anymore.. the side effect it gave me was extreme fatigue, not being able to pee correctly (ha), and my pupils were massive and i do not why. So i had to stay home for a week and be off of lexapro and i stayed off of xanex for a week. My family dr put me on cymbicort. I didn't really think i was depressed but I guess I am a little.. probably bc everything bad keeps happening to me & I never go out & i'm always home sick. It makes me crazy. but my anxiety has me going crazy.. like im always anxious. i feel like i cannot calm down.. *sigh*

Unfort my stress still made me stutter & my eyes blink like crazy when i get those weird headaches. Sometimes I don't even know if its related to stress or if its weird migraines. But i keep stating my migraines are bad... but no one is listening. I swear it feels like i talk to a wall with drs!
I'm still on Lyrica. They started me on 150 mg, 1 at night for a wk and then 1 in morning & 1 at night.. Now i'm at 1 in morning & 2 at night for a wk and then 2 in morning & 2 at night.  I hope it helps bc it wasn't working - and I've been up nights bc of too much pain.
The cold weather isnt helping at all.. ive been walking more w/my cane.. even just around the home. And my body feels like a big FAIL.

I have to see a psychiatrist now (instead of a psychologist).. and around here its really hard to find a good one i think.. i don't want a nut- nut dr haha.

I started PT today.. my legs aren't as weak as i thought. but my balance is bad & my upper body is weak. So I go 3x a wk.. and they even have a hot tub.. im afraid of it.. bc i know it will help my back & neck BUT heat on my feet can get CRAZY HOT! so .. we shall see.

*hugs* to everyone.

I have resolved to get my ducks in a row to start filing for disability so maybe I can go back to school.
Can people fill me in on what ducks I do need to get in a row?
What things should I have in order and prepare before I start filing?
Does anyone know what you need for VESID to qualify for "retraining"?

Thanks!
MaRissa

What have you done to deal with/treat the fatigue?

How severe is your fatigue?

I have NOT been sleeping well for months. I have gotten all mixed up with a non routine. 

Lost my job end of March so i can sleep in, and stay up late. My GF is in another time zone, a five hour differance, so sometimes I am up too late or up way too early.

Anyway I have been taking Klonipin 2 mg, Melatonin 6 mg, and 4 benadryl to sleep each night. Which does work, most of the time usually takes 30 minutes to a couple of hours to kick in.

I really don't like mixing meds, but without insurance I am limited to what I can afford. Ambien is 56 dollars for 6 pills. So it is not an option.

I have tried eliminating part of my sleep cocktail but then I just lay in bed not sleeping. So I continue taking lots of pills, this has been my method for over 6 months now.

I am open to any ideas, I take 90 mg of cymbalta a day for depression and some natural supplements. No chocolate, soft drinks, and my tea is decaf, usually I drink water with one sweet tea a day. Processed sugars are not really my thing, and I do not eat chips, popcorn candy or other junk foods.

can anyone help?  Thanks for any help you can give

So, I had convinced myself I did not have FM and was about to leave the community, but the new Rheumatologist wants to treat me for it anyway. I apparently have almost ll of the pressure point signs, but I was under the impression that since the medrol made me feel so much better that it wasn't FM. I also have joint pain and I thought FM was more muscles and over all pain. Mine is limited to my joints.

Do any of you have joint pain? Have you ever felt better from steroids? The Dr said steroids can make ANYONE feel better so th ats why it worked.

How many of you lead normal lives while medicated? I'm taking Cymbalta and flexerall now, and Monday I start Celebrex.

Thanks in advance.

I've always been what my mom called "cold natured", we both were. Everyone else in a room would be too warm but we'd be in sweaters because we were cold. I'm sure y'all see where this is going. For a little while now I've been noticing that I'm warm when no one else is. I actually had to wait outside while my husband ordered take out not too long ago because I was burning up inside. And at night (I hope this isn't too gross for anyone, if it is let me know and I'll add a cut tag) I sometimes wake up and have been sweating so badly that my sheets are damp. The first time I was worried I'd wet the bed or something! And I have noticed that it's especially bad at night, though it's not just at night.

So have others here dealt with this problem? If so, can you offer any suggestions on dealing with it? I'm on Cymbalta but I'm guessing that it's more of a fibro thing than a Cymbalta thing.

What are your experiences with Cymbalta? My Rheumatologist told me I might vomit violently for 3-5 days but to stick with it and it would subside.

I was wondering if that was anyone elses exp. I'm taking 30 mg for one week then 60.

My 3 year old has some Zofram and I'm not afraid to take it if I get sick, haha.

Please, if you are posting about killing yourself - don't do it.

I know you're sad, and frustrated, and lonely and in pain. I really do.

What sucks is that I don't have the wise words, or even the energy to talk y'all down from the ledge, so that just means that I go to bed tonight and wonder which of my friends will be dead in the morning.

I don't want to have to do a roll call and a head count, holding my breath until I'm sure that all of you are safe and sound. Could you, just for me, hold on for one more day? And maybe one more day after that? I promise I'll be here for you, if you can be here for yourself.

I am nervous and excited to head to a job fair today. I sit here thinking about what kind of job can I really get. I am in a flare right now (which for me means super sore and super tired) so on any other trip to the mall I would be using my cane. I can't really use my cane while job hunting, they will take one look at me and throw away my application. How much should I really expose about my fibro? What jobs are even out there locally? I cant go back to where I worked before, one assault from a resident will put me back in bed for weeks. I cant go back to being a cashier standing on my feet for long hours. I have little to no secretarial experience.
Plus there is the added fun that people from my old job might be there recruiting.
I would avoid the whole thing altogether if I could. Being on unemployment I have to work hard to prove that I am at least looking for a job.
I am anxious and frustrated and really thinking I might say "fuck it!" and use my cane anyway!

Does anyone here deal with bouts of hypersomnia?

Sunday night: Fell asleep at 6:30 PM, woke up at 5:30 AM. (Half an hour before I needed to be at work)
Monday night: Fell asleep at 8 PM, woke up at 6 AM. (Luckily, a whole two hours before work)
Tuesday day & night: Almost fell asleep at my desk at work, then dozed on-and-off from about 7 PM until when I got up about an hour ago.

The ONLY reason I was able to get out of bed at 6 this morning is because my back was in too much pain to lie down any longer. I woke up, took a pill, and have been trying not to fall asleep ever since.

I don't know if my body is just catching up from my wacky sleep schedule over the holidays, or what. I thought I was doing just fine with sleep and a "normal" schedule, and then I've suddenly been hit like a ton of bricks with hypersomnia. My boyfriend thought I was choosing to sleep like this. I told him no, I actually am NOT able to wake up. Apparently Monday night I was passed out on the couch while he was playing video games, and I asked him twice to turn them down so he got mad. I don't remember that at all, that's how dead I was.

If this continues any longer, I'm going to go to the doctor. But in the meantime, does anyone have any ideas to ease this? I don't really want to pump myself full of caffeine (makes my pain worse and it's too darn expensive), and it's the only thing I can think of to stay awake for more of the day.

Thanks for any advice.

I just joined a group over on Facebook dedicated to "Understanding Invisible Illnesses". This is one of their pictures, and i thought it was too perfect not to share!!

Yesterday (Saturday), the alarm went off at six in the morning, since we had a friend sleep over who needed to get to work that was an hour away, and my husband, Adam, had said he would drive her. I had decided to go with them, but when I woke up, I found myself in a fibro flare, on top of a flare of hypertonia from my cerebral palsy. I think Adam could sense that, because after he had dressed and gotten ready, he looked at me trying to sit and up and said, "You know, you can stay and sleep. You don't have to come. Sleep and rest and get better!"
I kept saying, "Are you sure? I feel lousy for backing out." He told me, "Don't worry about it. Beth understands. I understand. You hurt and you feel like shit. I want you to keep getting better. You rest. I'll be home soon and I'll help you feel better."
Later that night, he gave me a gentle Shiatsu massage with Reiki, and chopped up fresh pineapple for a snack to help my sore muscles (pineapple contains bromelain). My emotional state absolutely skyrocketed.
I just wish more fibromyalgia patients had such loving support from their partners.

I'm really going through it on a lot of levels right now. I realize that some of my problems are due to emotional disorders and that I've alienated some people I really wanted to be my friends because of my reactions to a couple of things. I apologize for that; I'm pretty sure it's true because the people who answer my posts have changed; I appreciate those who've stayed with me, but miss those who have left. I don't want to upset anyone; the fibro mixed with the PTSD and other psychiatric disorders make it difficult sometimes.

I am really in so much pain and also sick, not getting much support from those around me, and not being able to pull my weight like I usually do. Would like support if anyone feels up to it (I won't bite your head off)

Thanks in advance, and I apologize for any problems I have caused on this board.

I know that someone else brought it up before but I am definitely dealing with it today- auditory sensitivity. There are 5 of us here for Christmas, my parents, my sister, my hubby and me, but with only 5 of us it still seems like too much noise. Daddy decided to start playing his mp3 player on its new dock, while the TV was still on low, while my hubby kept trying to read to me cards that are in his new game, while my mother is thinking aloud. Meanwhile, no one is hearing me as I try to talk. My head killing me!! My ears cannot focus on any one thing at a time, my head is awash with noise... not sound or music or speaking... noise.

I have always had some audio issues because I am hearing impaired and possibly have C.A.P.S. (central auditory processing syndrome- basically dyslexia of the hearing. My ears hear it but my brain has trouble processing it properly). My auditory issue seem far FAR worse since the fibro. It seems I can handle far less. It is so bad today that I am constantly on the edge of tears.