katsie2

Hi! I am a new member, but I wanted to post about the fentanyl patch. I always make the mistake of calling it the Duragesic patch, when I really do know that that is just a brand name! I apologize to anybody who has read any of my posts, wherein I used 'Duragesic' (brand name), mistakenly for Fentanyl patch.

I was diagnosed with fibro ten years ago. It was a nightmare getting the proper diagnosis. I thank Katie Couric and Dr. Nye (NY City), and her show ten years ago, wherein he listed all of the symptoms. Until then, for more than six months, I though I was going crazy. My G.P. told me that I was menopausal. I was not. I did the test for it, and it came back negative.

Dr. Nye said to have a lupus test done (default test), which I did the next day, and it came back positive for lupus. My G.P. sent me to an arthritis doctor, who confirmed that it was fibro, Raynaud's, chronic fatigue, and he also found Sjogren's syndrome. I had IBS, killer migraine headaches (for years which only got worse over time), when I slept, no matter how long I slept 8 hours, or 12 hours, I woke up feeling as if I had been hit by a mack-truck. I could barely get dressed and go to work.

I have used the fentanyl patch for more than five years now, and if not for that patch, I would still be in bed. I did lay in bed for almost three years, before I decided to do something, and go to a Pain Clinic. My cousin, who is a doctor in an ER, warned me not to go to a pain clinic, but honestly, I had no choice.

The flare I was in started probably a year before I had to quit work, because I could not walk, my feet hurt, and my joints then began hurting badly, and lasted until I went on the Fentanyl Patch. He started me at 25 mcg., which did nothing, then upped it to 50 mcg., which worked for about a year.

I am now on a 75 mcg., and have been on this dose for four years. I also have oxycontin liquid for break-through pain, but I rarely need it.

I have other health problems, mostly hormonally related. I am a breast cancer survivor, twice now, and had a bilateral mastectomy last year. I still feel tired, but I just started Savella, which my pain clinic doctor said is used for fibro.

I am on the fourth day, and have increased from three days of 12.5 mg. twice a day, to 24.5 mg. twice a day. When I finish this week, I will be up to the optimum dose of 100 mg. twice a day. He told me to stop taking Lexapro, so I am a little dizzy from stopping the antidepressant, but yesterday, I woke up,...for the first time in over ten years, I felt like getting out of bed!!!!!

I have not awakened that way in ten years. Usually, I lay in bed after I wake up, sometimes up to an hour, before I can get up. I am so hopeful that this is going to help me. I do not believe in a miracle cure, but hopefully, fibro is beginning to get the respect it did not have when I was diagnosed with it.

Back then (10 years ago),...my g.p. did not have a clue what was wrong with me. Like I said, he told me I was just menopausal!!! Well, I settled that. I was not. When I got the proper diagnosis, I called my g.p., and rubbed his nose in his menopause diagnosis!!!

It's a pretty sad state of affairs when we have to seek help from television, the internet, and friends, which is better advice than the doctors. I live in a suburb of Pittsburgh. When I became ill, initially, I could not stand the drive (over an hour) into town to see a doctor there, so I had to depend on local doctors.

I now go into town regularly. I do not drive because I know I can't concentrate the way I used to, probably fibro-fog, but I will never take what one doctor tells me as gospel, especially if they tell me that nothing is wrong, and I know that there is!!!

I hate having to go so far for treatment, but it's better than suffering. I really hope that Savella is going to help me. I am on the fourth day, and in three days, I will be at the optimum dose of 100 mg. 2 x's a day. When I woke up feeling good the other day, I know it was the Savella. I have not felt that good in years! As far as side-effects, I will tolerate them,..I would tolerate almost anything to have my life back again! I consider it a small price to pay .