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Another new person
6 Replies
deadgamegrrl - September 3

Hi all,
I've been lurking for a few days and finally registered. I have just been diagnosed by my dr's physician asistant who is awesome! She really takes her time and is a great listener.
Unlike many of you I have only had symptoms for 4-5 months so I got diagnosed quickly. However I have had varying levels of major depression and IBS since I was a teenager (I'm now 50). Ironically I've had no IBS symptoms in the past year, the longest I've ever gone.
I just got certified as a personal trainer last year after years of being a gym rat and am in the process of buliding up my client base when THIS hits. So needless to say it has slowed me down a lot! I'm still maintaining my schedule with existing clients but I'm not pursuing new ones aggressively until I see what all happens. I've also had to change my workouts a lot but I'm still pretty active so far. Years of training hard seem to help me work with the pain but the fatigue and lack of good sleep is really laying me out! I also just got certified to teach Zumba dance, but I don't know if thats going to work out or not. Hi-impact really seems to make me pay the next day.
So I'm a little panicked about what is going to happen to my career as well as me but I'm trying to chill as much as possible. I nap between clients when I can so that helps (when I can actually sleep).
Just wanted to say hi to everyone!


Fantod - September 3

deadgamegrrl - Welcome to the board!

Have you been prescribed any medication for your Fibromyalgia (FMS)? FMS interrupts the deep sleep cycle with short bursts of high intensity brain activity. Your muscles need deep sleep in order to repair themselves from the days activities. No deep sleep means higher levels of pain. Treating the sleep issues relating to FMS is a crucial part of treatment.

Take care and enjoy the holiday weekend.


deadgamegrrl - September 3

I am currently on 20mg celexa for the depression (was on zoloft for years til it stopped working). It is working better than other stuff I tried. Several years ago I tried cymbalta and got really scary side effects including being crazy suicidal so that one is out for me. I also am on xanax for sleep as the sleep meds like ambien etc don't work on me for more than a few hours at best. My dr started me on gabapentin for the pain since it doean't have as many side affects (I am very sensitive to meds) and its cheap (being self employed means crappy health insurance). I'm supposed to go back in 4-5 wks for a follow up to see what is and isn't working.
I seem to havee about 4 nights a week that sleep is really hard, even though usually only 2 or so seem due to actual pain while lying down. The pain itself seems to fluctuate wildly and other than hi-impact exercise I haven't identified any real triggers yet.
One other thing, or some reason wine (a glass not a bottle) seems to help me if anything so maybe I'm not sensitized to the nitrates - at least not yet?


Fantod - September 3

deadgamegrrl - You could try Calms Forte and/or Melatonin which you can find at any health food store. They are cheap and may help with your sleep issues.

Since you are so active, you might want to start taking Malic Acid which comes in a tablet (health food store again). It will help your muscles relax when you are trying to rest. Typically, our muscles continue to twitch and/or spasm even when we are resting which adds to more pain. This activity can be very subtle so you may not be aware of it.

Alcohol is never recommended for sleep issues. It actually interferes with your ability to sleep. A hot shower or a soak in the tub would be a better option to relax.

Most people with FMS have multiple chemical sensitivities. With regards to nitrates, I'd try to stay away from them. Even if you don't think you are having a problem with them at the moment, why add fuel to an already raging fire? FMS is extremely variable. What is OK one day is not the next. When you get to the "not" part of the equation, it can be a real doozey. Take care.


deadgamegrrl - September 3

Thanks for the tips. I will looke into the supplements. I have tried melatonin before but it was a long time ago so it might be time to try again.
As far as the wine, its not an everyday thing, and even before the FMS showed up I noticed more than 2 glasses definitely interfered w/my sleep cycle so that has been my cutoff for a while. Plus I can tell that alcohol on anything approaching a regular basis messes with my depression (makes sense since its a depressant) so its pretty occasional now. I just haven't noticed a problem in regards to the FMS yet...


kvc33 - September 4

There are people who specialize in teaching exercise classes for people with fibromyalgia so maybe you could get a job doing that!


deadgamegrrl - September 4

Hi kvc33,

Yes I am thinking about that, once I get some idea of what I can trust my body to do :-). I'm still in the experimental 'what the heck is happening phase' for now, in between some total freak-out days.

Thanks for responding!



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