Well through all the appointments, and being told it was all in my head, I just found out I have a severe case of Fibro. I match 48 of the 50 symptoms, and have 16 of the 18 trigger points. Good Grief, im too young for this, 26 years old , and just got married three months, ago, so my question to you veterans is, what do you take for pain that works?? my doc gave me vicodin es, 4 X a day, but it doens't completely take the pain away, any ideas?? I have a hard time working, and am wondering if I will be able to continue with my job? Can all of you work?? Do you have any suggestions to help me ease the symptoms, and does anyone know of any sites where I can get free books on fibro??

I know what you mean! I was told by my PCP that there is a good chance I have Fibro, but have not seen the specialist yet (Nov. 5). I am having a real hard time working full time, all my sick time is already used for this year, and I probably can't get on short term disability, until I'm diagnosed. I plan to work part time if I can get disability to supplement, at least till I get things under control.

If you want more input on working, read "Should I take time off work". They gave me alot of advice on that string.

Hang in there!

Hi

I fell for you as I am going through almost same thing as you are. My doctor also put me on Vicodin ES and muscles relaxers (Skelaxin) My Rhuematologist put me on arthrotec (which makes me very ill and cant take it)and also on Lexapro for my depression and sleeplessness. I still hurt. I havent worked in 4 years as I would have to take off from work to go to doctor appts or have to call in cause I hurt so much that I couldnt go in. Not many employers deal with that. I hope all goes well for you and glad you have someone there that helps. Most of my family and friends here except for my loving husband think it is all in my head but he knows me and sees my pain. He has been to doctor with me. Read anything and everything you can on Fibromyalgia and talk to people on here. I find them to be wonderful and very helpful. Good Luck in future.

I've had fibro for 13 years (diagnosed then, probably had before many years). I've tried so many things I've lost count.

Tramadol (generic of Ultraset) helps some with acute pain. It also "rev's" me up a little I've noticed. It's not quite a narcotic, so it is used quite a bit for fibro and seems to help quite a few. It can give me an elevated sense of feeling good and then I will overdue, so you have to watch that.

Elavil helps the most with sleep, but makes one gain weight only on a small (10mg) dose. It's probably worth it to get a decent nights sleep.

I have trouble with IC (Interstitial Cystitis), so I have to be careful with meds which dry me up. I recently tried Ditropan 5mg and found it made me dry. I'm experimenting with Clartin though too, and that is a med which causes dryness.

Pacing is the most important thing to do with Fibro. My legs and feet give me the worst time. I've recently ordered shoes from chiropractor. They are Foot Levelers. They help a lot. My first pair looked like Birkenstocks--not really too ugly. I've since ordered black loafers and keds. The keds are slipping on heel and probably will be returned. They did come with good removable orthotics though.

Hope this helps. Learn all you can about the disease, join support groups. It all helps.

Hi....did you have a complete thyroid panel done with antibodies? They also tried to tell me I had fibro until I kept digging. I was in awful pain and am so much better now with thyroid medication.

Here are symptoms of thyroid disease...do you have any of these?

*You feel tired, exhausted, and like you can't get enough sleep, or want to take daytime naps
* You feel depressed, down, or sad
* You feel cold when others do not, particularly in hands and feet
* You've gained weight inappropriately, or you are finding it difficult to lose weight, despite proper diet and exercise
* You're losing hair, particularly from the outer part of your eyebrow, or your hair is getting dry, or tangly
* Your nails are breaking and splitting and become brittle
* You have muscle and joint pains and aches, or you've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia
* You've been diagnosed as having chronic fatigue syndrome
* You have carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis in arms and legs
* You have swelling and puffiness in the eyes, face, arms or legs
* You have a low low sex drive
* You have heart palpitations or a diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse
* You're suffering from unexplained infertility, or have had recurrent miscarriages with no obvious explanation
* You have had a heart attack or have clogged arteries
* You have high cholesterol levels, particularly the type that is unresponsive to diet and medication
* You have a heavier than normal menstrual period, or your period is longer than it used to be, or comes more frequently
* You're going through menopause, and are having troublesome symptoms
* You have worsening allergies, itching, prickly hot skin, rashes, hives, urticaria, chronic yeast infections, oral fungus or thrush, or stomach and abdominal bloating
* You have anemia, or low B-12 levels
* You find it difficult to concentrate, your memory is not as good as it should be, you feel like your thinking is "slow" ...also called "Brain Fog"
* You are constipated, sometimes severely so
* You have a feeling of fullness, or an obvious swelling in your neck area ...or sore throat/difficulty swallowing

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Hashimoto's~Hypothyroid
Armour~ 1 grain