Hello,

My husband and I have been married for 19 years and have three children. In 1993 at the age of 25 he was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia..Needless to say we have seen our fair share of Doctors over the years..We live in a small town in Kansas and just have the small town doctors.. We just feel like we don't know what else to do.. He is in Chronic Pain over 70% of the time..He has been on Several Medications.. And Currently still is..Because of the Fibro he also suffers from Depression and Panic Attacks..The Cold Winter weather is a nightmare and the spring storms are just as bad.. He is currently taking Ultram,Paxil,Lyrica,Amplodidine (for BP), Flexeril,Prevacid (for Ulcer), Diclofinac, Klonopin, He no longer takes these meds but has also tried, Xanax, Prozac, Imimpraimine, Neurotion,Cymbalta, Lunesta, Naproxen, Effexor ( which totally messed him up because he was allergic.) and I am sure there are more I just can't remember.. We have been to a Pain Specialist and accomplished nothing, We asked about the injections and they said no that his pain wasn't localized enough.. Granted his pain is widespread but the majority of it is in his lower back, His hips are always going out of place and he has to vistit the Chiropractor..We are wanting to get an MRI done but they tell us he can't have one because he has a needle up inside of his foot..We have asked them to remove the needle and they won't.. they say that they probably couldn't get it out even if they did operate...He has been on disability for several years now.. He cannot sit, stand, walk, laydown, or anything for long periods of time.. He has a very restless sleep pattern and can usually only sleep about 3 to 4 hours at a time..He dreams constantly when he is asleep and has very Jerky muscles and twitching while sleeping.. He stays depressed the majority of the time.. feels like a nobody and has very low self esteem..Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions...We are at our wit's end..

I don't understand the part about the pin in his foot and how that affects his MRI?

First of all, I would say your husband is very lucky to have you. A lot of people with fibro, and other chronic ailments, are alone or are with someone/people that don't understand. So he should add that to his mental gratitude file. :)

I look at fibro as a challenge. It's a challenge to the person- what are you willing to do to get better?

I am trying a non-western medicine route. I don't know if we can list books on this site (they don't like us listing websites). But I recommend Dr. Weil (the bearded bald guy) for starters. Body, mind, spirit.

Read as much as you can, not just on fibro but on alternative therapies. Naturopathy, accupuncture, meditation.
Look into nutrition and vitamin supplements.

Hang in there!

Can't have an MRI if there's metal in your body, the powerful magnet could just rip it right out.

Still, is the pin steel? Steel is a major problem for MRI, but if it's titanium, it might be possible anyway. Or, he could have a contrast x-ray of his back.

leslie, it seems like you and hubby are doing what you can as far as traditional meds. Does your hubby do any kind of physical therapy? I am a big advocate of exercise, no matter how much you do. Sometimes just a short walk or some stretching can help. Then I also try to restrict sugar from my diet which also helps. Getting the right amount of sleep is very important.

I'm sure you know all of these things and I am probably not helping much. Sometimes with a combo of medication they work against each other and you don't accomplish what you are taking them for. Maybe that would be a direction to research.

Fibro can be tough of families but the important thing is you are supporting each other in this journey and you coming here for help says volumes about your commitment to your hubby. Kudos to you!

Glojer

You may want to inquire further about the MRI. My mother broke her neck last year and has a screw holding things together and she had an MRI every few weeks to check on the screw placement. Perhaps there is a way for him to have it done. Don't give up hope. I know that is easy to say and hard to do.:angel:

leslie, I am so happy that your husband has you. A lot of fibro sufferers do not have the support, and help that you have for your husband. He is lucky. On the other hand, I feel for you, it can be really hard on a marriage to have a spouse battle chronic pain, and be ill. I give you both a loud applause!

Your husband needs an mri, or some type of imaging that will not affect the needle in his foot. How did he get a needle in his foot, did he step on it? I was just wandering, and it must be so far up there that he does not ever notice it. Have you called the mri facility, or the ER and asked what options there are? I wish you would have had more help with the pain management doctor. What about a rheumatologist?

I have tried some of the medications that your husband is on and some of them that did not work for him. It is a rollercoaster. I noticed that your husband is only on Ultram for pain, does that help with his pain? It did not do anything for me. I have been on vicoprofen since September and it helps. I also had to be moved up because I was taking too much ibuprofen from the vicoprofen, and needed around the clock pain control, so I now take oxycontin 40 mg 2x daily. It has given me some of my life back, and I still take vicoprofen for breakthrough pain. With all that and flexeril and valium for muscle relaxants I still have pain, sometimes an 8-10 on a painscale, especially when I am having a flareup ( pain meds do not work as much on nerve pain), but also when I have a flare up of my temporal tendonitis. I have sharp pain behind my left eyeball, and it can be horrendous, close to ER bad. I use muscle relaxants, and an eye patch to shut the eye down, and usually sunglasses to keep the sun or any light out. Does your husband have migraines or headaches?

About sleep, I did not see that he has tried Ambien, it has helped me so much. I have a hard time sometimes getting deep sleep and wake up feeling exhausted like I did not get any sleep, and ambien has been another miracle drug. I take Ambien 10 mg, the regular kind, not CR.

Does heat help your husband with pain? I think heat and rest are the 2 most important things. It is hard to get as much as I need, I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 year old (he just turned yesterday) boys. They are great, and understanding. My husband has a hard time, especially with me not being able to keep up with the house.

So do you work and how old are your children? I suffer from depression, and anxiety from fibro, and sometimes my marriage is not easy. My becoming sick has hurt my marriage. I have applied for disability, and hopefully that will help us financially. I have not worked in 5 years, we decided I would stay home to take care of the children. My real battle with chronic pain began only in September 07. My husband works very hard, and makes enough money to support our family. My copays, prescriptions, and traveling to doctors has hurt us financially, I feel like a burden, and I am praying that disability comes through. Does you husband have a lot of guilt like I do? I know it is unneccesary, I do not have anything to truly feel guilty about, but we do.

I wish I could help you more, you sound like an amazing wife, and you and your husband seem like a great team. Please keep posting. This site is wonderful, I cannot express enough how it has helped me, and made me feel not alone.

Please let us know how you both are doing. You are an amazing wife, keep your head up!

Kassandra