DOES ANYONE HAVE FIBROMYALGIA THAT IS IN TEARS LIKE ME?

I have fibro and constant pain.  I am working full time, that is, when I am not leaving early or calling in sick.  Pain can be depressing and bring "normal life" to a halt.  I have found myself at low points and sometimes in tears, too.   After diagnosis, my doctor put me on anti-depressants which is common for Fibro patients (for pain & sleep control, not for diagnosed depression).  I had a hard time getting over the stigma that anti-depressants bring, and I refused it at first.  I considered myself THE LAST person to ever NEED those drugs.  But I trust this doctor and talked to other chronic pain friends and decided to give it a try. Since I did well on the introductory dose, the doctor is ramping me up to the normal dosage of anti-depressants for his Fibro patients.  I am doing well and noticing that I have gone back to doing a few things I enjoy, like limited gardening.  And that feels great for my mental outlook on things.  My pain & sleep are still not well controlled, but I figured that I will be in pain either way, so maybe I should just try some of the things I used to enjoy.  I think that is all due to that med. So I don't know if you are on anti-depressants, but if not you may want to consider discussing with your doctor.  It has made a big difference for me.

Its certainly understandable being dismayed at the prospect of being on prescriptions drugs but then again many FM and CFS patients do find them very helpful. Its particularly important to get your sleep under control. Studies have shown that poor sleep in itself rapidly increases pain sensitivity. Some FM and CFS patients actually have an undiagnosed sleep disorder thats causing their pain and fatigue.

Dr. Teitelbaum in his Fatigued to Fantastic book advocates taking small amounts of as many as six different sleep medications to get a good 8 hours of sleep. He and other doctors believe sleep is the most important symptom to treat. Its also important to practice good sleep hygiene; going to bed at the same time, having a restful environment, etc. Some people have found that meditating before going to sleep results in deeper sleep. If you can get sleep under control you may be able to cut back on some of the pain meds.

Check out the Health Central Fibro site at

http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/fibromyalgia.html

I have a section on my CFS website on sleep hygiene

http://phoenix-cfs.org/TrtSleepHygiene.htm

Good luck with everything!

Yes. I do have FM and CPS. I try to work and I can't. I just had to quit my job because of it and now my boyfriend is mad at me and says I should have gotten another job first. I just don't think I can handle working like that, I am so upset because it seems like people are getting upset with me cuz I hurt really bad all the time. They don't get mad at people with cancer or lupus. Do you have this problem?