hi, I've been watching this board for a long time and I finally want to join in. 2 years ago I was finally diagnosed with Fibro after many doctors thinking i was nuts or just a hypocondriac. These were the GP's. All the specialists said Fibro without a doubt. Plus I had a brain MRI from my GP who has a fibro clinic, for he says every new fibro patient he gets he gives them MRI's and about 80% of them have the white matter lesions that look like MS. So, I was told to wait a year and get another MRI to see if they were still there or what, so a month ago my wonderful Pain Managment doctor had me go in for an MRI, and it showed more lesions and it's getting worse, so I went to a neurologist who doesn't believe in Fibro and pain meds, and after 30 minutes of having to defend myself for why i'm on pain meds (opiates), he finally did further testing, tons, i think i have an appt with about 7 specialists from cardio down to gasto to dietician in the next 2 months, and i guess i failed on of the MS tests for my optic nerve, i noticed my sight has been fuzzy but i just turned 41 and i thought that was it. So, now i'm being told it might be MS and fibro, since something causes fibro either an illness in your life or an accident, nobody knows, but i could have the fibro from MS, then my sister had a baby, the first child in our famly in 40 years since everyone in our family has been through infertility with bad endo and misscarriages, she finally has a baby and it was born sick with myotonic muscular dystrophy which is 100% hereditory then she got tested and she has it at 36, it's adult onset MD which is a muscle disease so now they're thinking i might have had that all the time, my mom has fibro too. so, i'm so stressed out with fibro, and maybe it's MS or MD. argg!!!!! All i know is I hurt terribly. And without a pain managment doctor i couldn't have any quality to my life, i can't suffer and limp around like an old woman at 41, i won't so after the neruologist last year wouldn't give me meds i tried everything under the sun then resorted to pain managment. GP's don't have a clue, they give you percocet with all that tylenol and it's toxic at the levels I need, so i'm glad and feel safe that i'm with a professional specialist in pain, i highly recommend it, even if you don't take that much they monitor me so much that i know i won't have problems with it. It's just like millions of people can drink wine with dinner and not become alcoholics. chronic pain patients have a low chance of becoming addicted, but you do have physical withdraws which aren't fun if you miss your dose for some reason. Anyway, I'm reading all of these messages on this board from months ago too, and notice a lot of you don't go this route and i'm wondering why? is it because doctor won't help you or personal choice? I finally realized that I had a right to pain managment and i am the oe that hires my doctors so i can fire them too and hire someone who will help me. it took me 40 years to realize that!! I thought if my doctor said no, that that was it. I kinldly reminded my GP after research on the american medical association's website of something called, "informed concent" meaning if i am diagnosed with something they have to tell me all the treatments they know of for the disease even if they don't treat it, and it's MY choice what treatment plan I pick. Key word is I pick, not them. So, I'm with the best doctors now who are kind and help me, believe me, they're not pushovers, they're very strict, but that's good that's why I feel safe with them. My mom takes percocet but only maybe one or two days a week, where I am miserable hourly, it's horrible and I need much more, so I'm guessing there must be different feelings with us all physically or does some get it worse than others? Maybe i do have MS,and my CNS is all messed up and I feel it more, who know.....anyway, thanks for listening to my story, and I hope to get to know you and we can all get throught this together!! btw, winter just hit here in Arizona, and boy, every time the temp changes i must age 50 years!!
nice to meet you!!

Hi Expat! :wave: I'm fairly new myself. This is a wonderful place to get info and VENT! :)

I'm glad you changed doctors. I have been taking MOBIC for a year and Bextra, before that. I have concluded that I can not go without something for pain.During flares, even more meds are needed. Finding the right doctor is the key. They need to be understanding.

You vent all you want. I does make you feel better. "Normal" people don't really understand. We all do. Welcome!

Cindy

welcome to the family.
the only person i know of for sure here who takes no meds for pain is goldenwings.
from what you shared it sounds like you have a good handle on how to get answers, you just have not gotten them all yet.
little sister, stress and fear are the playground of fibro. the little fibro monsters thrive on your fear. they eat it up and turn it into pain. big pain.
whatever is going on inside your body already is. worry will not change that. you have a limit on your energy. worry takes mountains of energy. have patience. the answers will come. you will take your next steps, whatever they may be, and you will find your way. we all do.
i am delighted you and cindy have found us. together we create some amazing energy.
peace,
bluelakelady

Thank you so much for your replies. bluelakelady, reading your post really helped me. You are right, the stress of everything makes me worse and I am constantly worried. always worried. I love this board and am grateful I have found it for I'm all alone in this world. I'm divorced, and have a couple relatives and friends abadoned me after one year of fibro, they don't understand that i can't be who I once was, i.e. up all night, going out, so i bought 2 teacup poodles to share my home, and we have so much fu;n together, it really helped.
Thank you so much for posting.

welcome to the family.
the only person i know of for sure here who takes no meds for pain is goldenwings.
from what you shared it sounds like you have a good handle on how to get answers, you just have not gotten them all yet.
little sister, stress and fear are the playground of fibro. the little fibro monsters thrive on your fear. they eat it up and turn it into pain. big pain.
whatever is going on inside your body already is. worry will not change that. you have a limit on your energy. worry takes mountains of energy. have patience. the answers will come. you will take your next steps, whatever they may be, and you will find your way. we all do.
i am delighted you and cindy have found us. together we create some amazing energy.
peace,
bluelakelady

You have such insight bluelakelady. You are so right about stress and fear, two of my biggest enemies throughout my life. I don't handle it well, but I'm learning now. It helps that I'm an empty nester now! :D Kids have a way of stressing and worrying you to the limits! I'm learning how to relax and breathe when I feel myself tensing up.

Expat, I had to start a "difference" kind of lifestyle too. It took me a while to get use to it, but you learn to just do what's best for you and stop "worrying" about what other people are thinking. My dogs are two of my best friends too! I still have friends. I just explain that I can not do some of the things I use to. If they don't except that, oh well. You meet new friends.

not every person is meant to last our entire life as a friend. now animals, bless them, love unconditionally. humans could learn much from our animal friends. i ended several "friendships" when i first got sick. ended them because they were unhealthy.
i have found looking back usually causes me to walk into walls. looking ahead i can see the walls and walk by them.
it took my family a bit to get the hang of the new me. fortuantly i have a rather outspoken personality and i found a gentle way convey myself. my family has only made me cry one time in the 11 years i have had this. not bad. i spent years in therapy so i could find my way to today.
now you can't pick your relatives as we all know. what you can do is pick your response to a relative who speaks without thinking. see, they forget we are changed. i think they forget because they wish we were the old us. in may of this year i dumped my partner of 16 years . he lacked compassion and patience. what a relief that is!
give your wee barking families a hug from this lady on the lake. i have 4 cats. they make sure i get my exercise. their favorite game is in the back slider and out the front slider. their version of a short cut.
peace,
bluelakelady

Welcome aboard. This is the best place to come and vent and share. We have really gotten to know each other and it is priceless. Each fibro patient is different. So you have to do what is best for you and don't worry about what anybody else thinks. They aren't the ones that are up and achy at 3 in the morning. Be kind to yourself and just know that those who left you weren't actually friend to begin with. We have good days and bad days and very bad days. Think of this as positive! God only gives us what we can handle, so can you imagine what he thinks of us, he thinks we are giants and we can and will handle this. Isn't that a better way to look at us. Take care and come and share anytime.
Avrod

I know!! Aren't dogs the greatest!! I hightly recommend them for everyone especially fibro sufferers! They lay on the couch with me, eat with me, one is trained to bring my my special socks when my feet start burning..hahah...I love them so much, so much it scares me about when they leave me one day....being divorced i found my unconditional love i want from my dogs!!! Wouldn't trade them for any man!!
You must be great if you love your dogs!